About

I am a storyteller.

I trained as a writer, graduating from Carleton University with a journalism degree. But I loved the independence and creativity of telling stories with a camera. The tools are different, but the instincts the same.

I started my career at the Burlington Post. I filled in for absent reporters during the week, shot photos on the weekends. My most memorable story was walking away from a plane crash after we ran out of fuel while shooting a promo for an upcoming airshow.

I progressed to a staff photographer position at Oshawa-Whitby This Week, a large community paper that covered two communities east of Toronto three times a week.

I then headed west to join the Metrovalley News Group. Our centralized staff of six photojournalists covered seven communities in Vancouver’s eastern suburbs as well as provided support to the rest of the chain by feeding photos from regional events like high school sports championships, the BC Summer and Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games.

To foster greater communication between the newsrooms and the photographers, we were eventually assigned to individual papers where we each became an integral part of their storytelling team, and the community.

At the Burnaby and New Westminster NewsLeader I liaised with the editor and reporters to ensure top-quality visual storytelling.

As the newspaper industry has evolved, so has my storytelling skill set. I reconnected with my roots as a writer, researching and producing six to eight stories a week while still shooting photos. I covered a diverse range of beats including City Hall, business, arts and culture, local sports and even wrote editorials. Some of my stories won awards.

I also created multimedia content like video and slideshows, uploaded content to the websites using Content Management Systems. I then promoted stories and engaged with the community on social media. A “Throwback Thursday” Twitter campaign I initiated to promote the 25th anniversary of the NewsLeader was so well received it became a regular weekly feature in the newspaper.

Since the NewsLeaders closed in Oct. 2015, I’ve been telling stories at Tenth to the Fraser, a well-read community blog in New Westminster. I also produce digital content, including blogs and video, for a local realtor. I maintain two personal blogs about my passions for cycling and road hockey.