01

Inside the Park Boom Making Downtown Dallas Nearly Unrecognizable

At D Magazine, I created and edited a daily email newsletter focused on giving readers the day’s biggest stories in bite-sized bits packed with personality and voice. I also wrote longer features about a dynamic and changing city, as in this story about Parks for Downtown Dallas, a nonprofit organization that is transforming Dallas’ urban center by replacing parking lots with parks.

02

Money and Mindset

I worked with a team of writers, videographers, and designers on a Truist Financial program aimed at boosting financial confidence and mental well-being. (Unsurprisingly, those two things usually go hand in hand!) We created articles, videos, and interactive tools designed to inspire and educate Truist clients. We shared tips on building strong money habits in a monthly newsletter sent to thousands of subscribers. We also scripted and produced a “Money and Mindset” podcast that regularly ranked in the top 10% of the most-followed personal finance podcasts on Spotify. Our “How I…” series shared the true stories of people who worked hard to overcome both financial and emotional challenges. With “On Purpose,” a separate project for Truist Financial, my team developed videos and feature stories highlighting Truist teammates who are making a difference in their communities.

03

The Future of Higher Education

To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University wanted content (print and digital) that would honor its past and build anticipation for its future. In a series of stories featuring interviews with educators and administrators, I highlighted the game-changing strengths of the school’s new curriculum, wrote about SMU’s innovative approach to student engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and previewed a major expansion project on campus.

04

The Man Who’s Mowing the World

At Southwest: The Magazine, Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine, we specialized in uplifting and surprising stories that supported the airlines’ compassionate, vibrant, and maverick brand. In this feature for the magazine, I profiled Rodney Smith Jr., the “lawnmower man” traveling to thousands of homes to cut grass and spread some goodwill. I am also especially proud of the July 2019 issue of the magazine. Every issue was deeply collaborative, involving writers, editors, designers, freelancers and members of our sales team as well as our advertisers and, of course, Southwest Airlines. In this particular issue, I assigned and edited the cover story on a bold new culinary scene in southern California, wrote the feature profile of the Iowa State Fair’s butter scupltor, and edited a special advertising section highlighting franchise owners across the country.

05

When SpaceX Rockets Take Flight (Or Blow Up), LabPadre Is Watching

When Elon Musk moved to Texas in support of his company SpaceX’s stated mission to launch rockets to Mars from a spacepad on the Gulf Coast, it was a big story. But it was a story that thousands of writers were already covering. On assignment for Texas Monthly, I became interested instead in the South Padre native who had built a vibrant online community by live-streaming—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—video of the SpaceX facility not far from his longtime home. By watching (and writing about) the man who watched the rockets (and the rocket explosions), I tried to find a fresh angle on how Musk’s mission to Mars is transforming communities here on Earth.

06

How Rock ‘n’ Roll History Was Made—and Nearly Forgotten—in Dallas

As the online arts editor and online managing editor for D Magazine, I oversaw daily coverage of arts and entertainment in North Texas. I assigned and edited stories on the visual arts, theater, music, and culture while maintaining a calendar of “things to do in Dallas.” I also wrote columns and features, including this piece about Sid King and the Five Strings—an influential Dallas area band that played alongside Elvis Presley before (nearly) fading into obscurity—and this story on how the Dallas Museum of Art is changing to reflect the diverse community it serves.