Journalism

During my career as a journalist and film critic, I contributed to outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, and was a founding member and Senior Editor at The Verge. There I covered the worlds of technology and entertainment — and how the two are melding to create new mediums and storytelling opportunities.

Inside Industrial Light & Magic’s secret Star Wars VR lab

I pulled back the curtain on Lucasfilm’s immersive entertainment studio, ILMxLAB, with executive in charge Vicki Dobbs Beck, visionary John Gaeta, and ILM’s Rob Bredow outlining the group’s transformative plans for the future.

Live and Direct: The definitive oral history of Max Headroom

Before he starred in Pepsi commercials, the character Max Headroom was the star of an art project-turned-dystopian sci-fi satire. For this oral history, I spoke with the creators of the character to chronicle Max’s unlikely journey.

The greatest lightsabers in the world are made by fans

In this story and accompanying video report, I dove into the underground world of unlicensed, screen-accurate movie prop replicas. How? By tracking down a maker responsible for recreating one of the most iconic props of all time.

How the director of Hereditary became an unlikely horror hero

While profiling Ari Aster I was struck by how the filmmaker’s calm, thoughtful demeanor contrasted with his vicious debut feature. “Jesus Christ,” Toni Collette would later tell me, “You just don’t expect a film like this to come out of that guy.”

Two Bit Circus is bringing the carnival into the 21st century

As Two Bit Circus readied its first micro-amusement park in Los Angeles, I spoke with founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman about their plans to combine arcades, VR, and theater to create one giant interactive game.

Ten Parcels and the intimacy of objects in quarantine

I wrote this guest piece for No Proscenium at the height of COVID. At a time when in-person contact was nearly impossible, the ARG Ten Parcels demonstrated the power of physical objects as vehicles for story — and human connection.