It seems my first contribution to journalism was a rather sensational article (see right), written at roughly the age of nine – in year four of primary school.
Although the handwriting thankfully continued to improve, my drawing skills still leave much to be desired.
After heavy childhood fantasizing about an occupation that would allow me to travel around the world, I was advised by foreign correspondent Martin Bell to become a presenter of holiday programs when I asked him if his job was “fun” on a breakfast TV phone-in.
Since then, the act of telling stories has been more or less the only constant idea in a shifting array of interests – from travel to music, sport, activism, politics, science and culture.
Starting in 2008, I spent the best part of two years in Moscow – initially on my compulsory year abroad as part of a Politics and Russian degree.
During that time, I developed my interest in photography and video, working in a TV newsroom and editing/translating art catalogs on the side.
After completing my studies in the UK, in 2011 I began a Master’s degree at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In 2012, I scaled down to a part-time program and worked as a producer for CNN and Reuters, before graduating in May 2013.
That summer, I headed to Argentina (via Bolivia) for a fellowship with the Associated Press in Buenos Aires – sponsored by the Overseas Press Club – and have been freelancing ever since, reporting from more than 15 countries.
In 2014, I traveled to Brazil and published a series of stories exploring social repercussions of the soccer World Cup. I also contributed a film about solar power in Argentina for Al Jazeera English.
In 2015, the International Reporting Project awarded me a fellowship in Ecuador, which I used to produce a long-form piece about the country’s dangerous economic dependence on oil.
Since then, my time has been loosely divided between Europe, Argentina and Brazil, with a focus on cultural reportage (including a groundbreaking art/science expedition to Antarctica) and a human rights residency with the Agência Publica in Rio de Janeiro during September 2017.
I am currently exploring hybrid storytelling forms which combine my journalistic ethos with cinema and music in creative ways.
