Billboard
I applied for an internship with Billboard Pride in January 2018 on a whim, thinking this could be a fun opportunity for me to grow my experience as a writer. What resulted from this application was the most immersive, collaborative & genuinely wonderful work environment I have ever operated in. I was trusted from my first day with not only covering news, but in handling high-profile interviews, op-eds, and even a story printed in the magazine's first-ever Pride issue. I worked with editors outside of the Pride vertical on broader topics, attended red carpets for coverage, handled breaking news and published some of the best work of my career. Below are just a few of my favorites of the 200+ stories I have published with Billboard.
Clips
A New Frontier: How Country Music Is Openly Embracing the LGBTQ Community in the Modern Age — June 14, 2018
- An in-depth feature story I wrote looking at the way the country music industry has made a slow shift toward opening itself up to the LGBTQ community over the last decade. I spoke with industry insiders and talent in the genre to get their takes on where country has gone in the last few years, along with plenty of independent research to find potent examples of queer acceptance in the country music space.
Alyson Stoner Talks Turning Her Identity Into a Superpower on New Track 'Who Do You Love:' Exclusive — June 8, 2018
- An exclusive profile I wrote on actress and singer Alyson Stoner following her viral coming-out letter she wrote for Teen Vogue. We discussed her coming out journey, her decades-long career in the entertainment industry and her new music that openly embraces her queer identity, including a premiere of her song "Who Do You Love."
Todrick Hall Tackles the Politics of Race & Sexuality, Talks 'Mentor' Taylor Swift & More — March 28, 2018
- A profile I wrote on YouTube personality, actor & singer Todrick Hall and his album Forbidden. This project was entirely self-managed; I pitched the story, got in touch with Todrick's management, executed an interview, wrote the profile, and coordinated photos for the story on my own. The story was a success on the website, even leading to an aggregate post from PEOPLE.
Jiggly Caliente Is Living Her Truth: 'It's Not a Gimmick, It's My Life' — March 1, 2018
- A long-form Q&A I did with transgender rapper and RuPaul's Drag Race alumna Jiggly Caliente. The story focused on her album, T.H.O.T. Process, her views on Filipino representation in media, her journey to coming out as transgender and more. The story was one of the most read stories on Billboard.com on March 1, with pageviews and time spent on the page performing well above average articles.
For more of my stories with Billboard, please click here.