Fall 2025

SnowBrains is super rad. I actually found this internship on Instagram and after a quick email exchange and a phone call they were stoked to bring me aboard, I was equally excited of course. My role was straight journalism but with a level of creative freedom I had never experienced before. From day one they encouraged me to chase the most unique stories in the snow world and write with the utmost passion. That trust let me experiment and eventually find my niche.

I gravitated toward listicles (article lists) because they let me explore one broad subject then break it down through research comparisons, audience analysis and tone. It was a chance to take something big like Travis Rice’s film legacy or the history of vintage snowboard brands and shape it into an engaging curated read for people who love everything about the mountains and the snowboarding lifestyle as much as I do.

Throughout the internship I interviewed legends across the sport, expanded my knowledge of snowboarding and developed into a stronger commercial writer. The biggest growth came from learning how to actually build an audience. When I wrote for Mustang News there was already a built in fanbase and I knew exactly what people wanted. SnowBrains forced me to step into a global readership and figure out how to make my work resonate with strangers who had no reason to click unless the story pulled them in.

I found my voice, my lane and my rhythm. By the end I had carved out a niche that fit me perfectly and built stories that connected with readers in a real way.

One of my favorite pieces in my entire journalistic career was my deep dive into the films of Travis Rice who many consider the greatest snowboarder in the history of the sport. I grew up watching his movies and they shaped the way I think about riding style, creativity and what snowboarding can look like on film. Getting the chance to analyze his projects for SnowBrains felt like stepping back into the roots of why I fell in love with the sport in the first place.

I broke down the cinematography the locations the storylines and the emotion behind each release and tried to translate what makes his work so iconic. Instead of treating the list as pure critique I wanted readers to feel the same spark I felt when these films first hit me and maybe rediscover them with new appreciation. It pushed me to write with technical insight but also nostalgia which helped turn the piece into something personal and meaningful.

What makes this article even more special now is that I am actually interviewing Travis Rice next week for a separate story about how he still rides at such a high level at age 43. The timing feels surreal. I am excited to show him this piece because it reflects how much his work influenced me long before I ever imagined speaking with him as a journalist.

This story started as something truly personal. I genuinely wanted to volunteer at the 2026 Winter Olympics so I dove into the application process myself and wrote the piece as a guide for anyone who shared my dream.

What made this story special was how many people connected with it. After the article ran I received dozens of emails and messages from readers who used the guide to apply and later got accepted as official volunteers. Some even asked to meet up in Italy during the Games. I will not be able to attend in 2026 but the response to the piece inspired me to write a follow up article where I plan to interview several volunteers and share their real experiences to help future Olympic hopefuls.

This piece stands out in my portfolio because it blended reporting with personal investment. 

The inspiration for this story came out of nowhere. I stumbled across one of the first Sims snowboards ever made at a garage sale where someone was giving it away. I bought it on the spot and shared it with the SnowBrains crew and that moment sent me down a rabbit hole of vintage snowboard history. I started researching early brands classic shapes and the companies that helped build the culture long before snowboarding exploded into the mainstream.

That curiosity turned into a full story about the coolest snowboard brands that no longer exist. The piece blended nostalgia, research and cultural history. Writing it felt like honoring the roots of the sport and giving newer riders a chance to discover the companies that helped create the snowboarding world they know today.

What surprised me most was how much people loved this article. Readers reached out with their own stories old boards and memories from the early days which created a sense of community around the piece. It reminded me that snowboarding has a deep history that still resonates and that storytelling can help keep that legacy alive.