HI, HOW ARE YOU?

Who am I?

Professionally speaking, I’m a writer, editor and jack-of-all-trades digital creative. I write and edit books and articles. I produce and script podcasts. I curate playlists and websites. I’ve also done a generous amount of copywriting and branding for companies of all sizes.

More personally, I’m a lifelong music nerd with an expansive knowledge of genres and history—and a record collection to back it up. Over the last decade I’ve lived in Copenhagen, New York City, Los Angeles, and Portland, before finally returning to my native home in Denver, Colorado.

What do I do?

33 1/3:

Released in May 2022, my debut book is an entry in the acclaimed 33 1/3 series that breaks down the story and significance of The National’s watershed album, Boxer. Built around extensive original interviews with the band and many others, my humble oral history sold out its first run before it was even released, and it continues to perform among the series’ most popular titles.

Since then I have joined the 33 1/3 Advisory Board (responsible for selecting new titles to be added to the series) and edited numerous manuscripts for both the main series (The Clash's Sandinista, Pulp's This Is Hardcore, Garth Brooks' In The Life of Chris Gaines, Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica) and new Genre spinoff series (Death Metal, Dance-Punk, Krautrock, South African Popular Music).

Coming to bookstores and record shops in October 2024, my next book for 33 1/3 is a new, even more ambitious oral history on the mysterious and highly influential world of Shoegaze, featuring over 30 original interviews with the artists, producers, label heads, and journalists who were a part of the genre's largely untold first wave.

Editor at Large:

On top of my ongoing gig as a developmental editor for 33 1/3, I keep quite busy as a book editor/copyeditor/proofreader for hire on manuscripts at various stages of completion. While my specialty certainly lies in the realm of music—working on such projects as a pre-history of The Mamas & The Papas, a deep-dive into early electronic music, an oral history of a beloved music venue, a beginner’s guide to film music, and an audio engineer’s guide to compression—I enjoy working on all types of non-fiction, which has led to such fun projects as a how-to guide for appreciating soccer and a humorous first-person travel guide to Italy. You can read more about my approach and experience on my Reedsy profile.

What have I done?

TuneIn:

Between 2018 and 2021, I worked as a copywriter and editorial consultant for TuneIn — an audio app that brings together sports, news, music, podcasts and live radio from around the world.

Place in Sound:

On top of slinging copy and defining TuneIn’s brand voice, I helped develop, write and produce an original podcast called Place in Sound. Hosted by DJ Anthony Valadez (KCRW, KROQ, Fuse TV), the four-part series digs deep into the past, present and future of life and music in Chicago. It’s worth a listen.

Mini Music Critic:

Between 2017 and 2020, I ran the Instagram-account-turned-website Mini Music Critic, a where non-professional music journalists, vinyl collectors, YouTubers and recovering record store clerks wrote about albums they loved.

TIDAL:

In 2014 I was hired by a European music streaming service then called WiMP to help develop a new global rival to Spotify, which was ultimately rebranded as TIDAL. Just months after launch, we caught the attention of a certain Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, who acquired the company in 2015.

In my three-year tenure, I was involved in every function of TIDAL's Culture & Content department, including: programming, writing, editing, playlists, artist & label relations, UI/UX development, and coordinating an international team of editors.

I helped launch some of the most important albums of the day — Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and JAY-Z’s 4:44 — in addition to special projects for the likes of Prince, The Beatles, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Neil Young, Daft Punk, Jack White, Coldplay and Arcade Fire.

Education:

I’m a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, where I simultaneously completed bachelor degrees in Journalism and Visual Art. I also earned certificates in “Digital Media” and “International Media,” and worked as a data-driven investigative reporter for the CU News Corps.

I first cut my teeth interning at a diverse selection of publications, including The Daily Camera (newspaper), BACKPACKER (magazine) and Elephant Journal (website).