Stephanie Breijo

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Food reporter and weekly food news columnist, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, July 2021 - Now

I cover Los Angeles food news for the Los Angeles Times: California’s paper of record since 1881 and one of the largest-circulated daily newspapers in the country.

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• Source news items and write the weekly food “newsfeed” column for the web and the Sunday food section, spotlighting new restaurant openings, pop-ups, events and coming attractions.

• Write stand-alone, breaking restaurant-industry news stories with quick turnaround, including announcements on tiered Covid reopenings, food-related budget proposals, city and county regulation changes, proposed or enacted local and state law, and federal restaurant relief packages seen through a local lens.

• Write human-interest stories and features on L.A.’s restaurant industry, such as the husband-and-wife team that helped keep their restaurant afloat with a hot sauce line, Sbez; community-minded corner store and cafe Open Market; Cielito Lindo’s struggle to survive as one of the city’s oldest and most famous taquerias; and the long road to opening Crowns & Hops, Inglewood’s first Black-owned brewery.

• Write supplemental stories and side bars to complement colleagues’ pieces, forming cohesive, themed spreads for print.

• Interview multiple chefs, restaurateurs and other service-industry professionals each week for the news column and stand-alone pieces.

• Shoot original photography for the food news column as well as stand-alone stories and side bars, including food, portraits, interiors and product shots.

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Freelance food reporter and weekly food news columnist, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, January - May 2021

While on furlough from Time Out Los Angeles due to Covid-19, I covered Los Angeles food news for the Los Angeles Times on a freelance basis before joining the publication full-time.

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Restaurants & Bars Editor, Time Out Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, June 2017 - July 2021

Time Out Los Angeles is the third-largest North American hub of international media company Time Out LLC, with sites in more than 200 cities. As Time Out L.A.’s Restaurants & Bars Editor, I ensured that Time Out was a known source for dining and lifestyle news, events, tips and picks.

 

• Oversaw Time Out L.A.'s food and beverage online coverage by way of reporting, updating, assigning and editing all related feature packages, daily news posts, guides, reviews, roundups, event postings and venue listings.

• Assigned, edited and crafted formal reviews of Los Angeles-area restaurants and bars.

• Helped coordinate and manage Time Out food- and beverage-focused, branded events, and created supplemental editorial components.

• Assisted in other areas of Time Out L.A.'s digital and print publishing operation, including shooting and editing video first looks; photos of spaces, people and food; and writing and editing for other verticals, including "Things to Do" and "Properties."

• Conceptualized, managed and edited all food and beverage content for Time Out L.A.'s quarterly print magazine—which printed its last issue in 2019—and produced features, neighborhood guides, previews, interviews, event picks, gift guides and more.

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Dining Editor, Richmond Magazine, Richmond, VA, Sept. 2014 - June 2017

Richmond magazine is the city of Richmond’s monthly city magazine, producing award-winning work both in print and online. As its dining editor, I assigned, created, edited and managed content for the city’s most competitive beat, as well as the website’s highest-trafficked vertical.

 

• Conceptualized, assigned and edited each issue’s restaurant reviews, features, events, purveyor and item spotlights, in addition to content for all dining-related cover stories and DINE, the magazine’s semiannual supplemental food publication.

• Wrote two monthly columns for the magazine, plus weekly breaking news and chef and restaurant profiles for the web, and a weekly e-newsletter.

• Managed a team of roughly 20 freelance writers and help them to craft strong, informative, accurate and concise narratives.

• Wrote one to two longform dining-related features per year.

• Wrote for additional sections of the magazine including Lifestyle, Health, and Arts & Entertainment.

• Shot still photos for the magazine, plus shot, produced and edited video mini documentaries, tours and tutorials as web extras.

• Helped manage and strategize social media posting across multiple platforms.

• Coordinated judges, travel, scoring and other logistics for all rankings in dining-related cover stories and events including The Elby Awards, Richmond’s annual food-industry awards ceremony, which I also co-hosted.

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Freelance Digital Marketing Copywriter and Photographer, Stone Temple Consulting, July 2015 - August 2017

Stone Temple Consulting, one of the country’s premier digital marketing agencies, creates poignant, engaging and SEO-targeted content for a variety of major clients including eBay, Home Depot, Shutterfly and Zillow.

 

• Worked with a team of analysts and editors to build the brands of small start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike.

• Wrote digital marketing copy, from quick roundups to full stories, all tailored to each client’s brand, target audience and SEO requests, helping to enhance traffic, recognition and reputation.

• Researched, pitched and contributed SEO terms and content concepts for a number of internationally renowned clients looking to increase online visibility.

• Shot photos to illustrate articles and tutorials.

 

Assistant Editor, Brightest Young Things, Washington, D.C., March. 2012 - May 2014

Prior to its closure in 2021 Brightest Young Things (BYT) was one of D.C.’s longest-running online magazines, highlighting trendsetters in the local food, fashion, music and art scene. As one of the company's original full-time staff members I helped shape the website and its outreach, and worked across verticals to oversee freelancers, edit copy, conduct interviews, report on new restaurants, and cover events at major national music festivals and local venues alike. 

 

• Pitched innovative feature profiles, interviews, reviews and event coverage for a daily online magazine focusing on current events and pop culture in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area and beyond.

• Helped to manage, assign, and credential a team of roughly 70 contributing photographers and writers.

• Constructed posts and moderated user comments.

• Managed all social media accounts and the publication of much of the site’s daily content.

• Created roughly 10 posts per week including written features, photo essays, event previews, restaurant and event reviews, interviews, daily news and more.

• Shot a wide variety of visual content for BYT, BYT NYC and BYT Media, an events subsidiary, most often on a tight deadline. This includes still photography (events, food, live music), journalistic photo essays and video.

• Tracked site analytics and crafted weekly progress reports on traffic and patterns in readership.

 

Broadcast Assistant promoted to Associate Producer, energyNOW! TV, Washington, D.C., June 2009 - Dec. 2011

energyNOW! TV was a weekly half-hour news show on Bloomberg cable that shed a light on clean-energy practices.

 

• Produced packages and video extras for the web in Final Cut Pro; edited interviews, managed footage and researched materials for web and broadcast.

• Shot footage and man-on-the-street reactions to current energy events and technologies.

• Traveled nationally and field-produced, conducted on-site interviews involving thorough fact checking and archive searching for in-depth packages.

• Covered local protests and Capitol Hill hearings on energy legislation.

• Booked innovators and energy experts; coordinated live shots, freelancers, animators and in-studio interviews

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