Alumni Spotlight

BRIEF BIO HIGHLIGHTS

I’ve worked in journalism and journalism-adjacent roles for the past 30 years. My career took off when I moved from Toronto to San Francisco in 1992. After a stint freelancing, I was hired as an associate editor at The Recorder, a legal newspaper owned by Steve Brill as part of American Lawyer Media. I covered internet and securities law, which put me very close to the center of the digital media revolution. I was recruited by CNET News.com to cover internet policy and trends, then Wired.com, where I was editor-in-chief for close to eight years, where we broke many big stories, including the arrest of Chelsea Manning in Iraq for espionage. I pivoted from media to tech, joining Medium in 2013 as lead editor in charge of content strategies and partnerships. Three years later I took a chance on Periscope to develop live video programming, which led to new opportunities within Twitter, where I’m currently running a small experimental team piloting human-in-the-loop machine learning projects to improve algorithmic content detection, ranking, and recommendation systems.

What role has philosophy/your philosophy degree played in your life?

Philosophy made me curious about the world and rigorous about identifying and solving problems to advance society and culture.

What piece of advice do you have for current students?

Be bold.

What is something you have read, heard, or seen lately that has left you inspired or positively surprised?

The Iliad, on audio, translated by Robert Fagles and narrated by Derek Jacobi. You need to listen to it, not read it.

What might we find you doing when not at work?

I just ran the Big Sur Marathon to help raise money for Parkinson’s research (my father died of it). I also play tennis and hang out with my dog, Archie (a very energetic yellow lab).

BRIEF BIO HIGHLIGHTS

I suppose you could say that I’m a journalist gone rogue. After working in radio production and digital reporting for the likes of CBC Radio, Daily Hive, the Globe and Mail, and CiTR Radio, I decided to jump into the world of strategic communications and public relations at a full agency PR consulting firm based in Vancouver. I’m currently stepping into a new role at Broadway Subway Project in B.C. in the capacity of business relations manager.

What role has philosophy/your philosophy degree played in your life?

It’s not hyperbole to say that the years I spent studying philosophy were some of the very best of my life. I cannot think of any other time during which I felt excited and enthusiastic every single day; I truly looked forward to all my philosophy classes and after-class chats with my professors. My degree didn’t just arm me with the expected technical proficiencies, like analytical thinking and solid writing skills. To me, it was a buoy in the ocean of life. It taught me how to navigate the question that will haunt every single one of us at some point in our lives—the existential question of meaning and that of the human condition. It allowed me to open a raw dialogue with myself and figure out what really made life worth living. It is this foundation on which I have built, and continue to build, the rest of my life.

What piece of advice do you have for current students?

Now is not the time to doubt yourself or to let fear/uncertainty/social anxiety dictate what you do. When I was a skeptical 18-year-old, I rolled my eyes at my parents when they told me that my undergraduate years would be some of the best of my life, and that I ought to make the best of them. I promise you, you will never again get such unlimited access to some of the most brilliant professors on earth, some of the most interesting literature and scholarly resources, and some of the most riveting people. Talk to as many people as you can, join as many clubs as you can, undertake as many courses and extracurricular activities as you can. It will shape you and mold you in ways that you never thought possible. Now is the time to fly and be limitless.

What is something you have read, heard, or seen lately that has left you inspired or positively surprised?

I’ve been quite captured recently by Esther Perel, the Belgian psychotherapist who explores relational intelligence and our inherent need for security in the world. I’m currently reading her book, Mating in Captivity, and it has been one of the most eye-opening works I’ve ever read, along with Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

What might we find you doing when not at work?

Hiking, camping, travelling, exploring British Columbia, reading, or going for long walks armed with my favourite cup of coffee.