Civilians trapped in a war zone without humanitarian aid. Child labor in overseas factories that export to the West. Migrants navigating the most hostile routes on earth in search for a better life. These are the kinds of stories I’ve pursued over the past decade as a multimedia journalist and filmmaker. I write, take pictures and produce videos; and when it feels right, I may get in front of the camera. But the goal remains the same: to seek out hard, under-reported issues and make them resonate as deeply as possible.

Formerly TIME Magazine’s Afghanistan correspondent, I have reported from more than fifty countries and a half-dozen conflicts spanning West Africa to Southeast Asia for National Geographic, Outside, The Washington Post, The Guardian and The Economist. On the broadcast side, I produce and host films for Al Jazeera English, AJ+ and SBS Dateline.
Much of my journalism has been supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, where I am an International Reporting Fellow. Project pages for investigations into Bangladesh’s export garment industry, a hidden resource war in Burma and a range of other subjects can be found here. 

This ongoing partnership has allowed me to share my reporting at schools and universities around the world. With our fast-paced, digitally mediated lifestyle, I prefer live events that offer direct engagement and build community around issues that matter. I’m also a contributing editor at VQR and member of the Overseas Press Club.

After years of roadwork as a one-man-band, I founded Blackbeard Films out of a yearning to collaborate and explore new creative frontiers. We’re based in Oakland, CA, with a global network of seasoned journalists and producers that share a commitment to challenging stories. We offer trainings on multimedia journalism and guerilla filmmaking.

Please get in touch if you have ideas to share, want to tag-team a project, organize a talk/screening, or just need some guidance on making it as an independent journalist in an ever-shifting landscape. In many ways this line of work is even more challenging than when I started. We’re all trying to get by and get better, and we need allies. 

Onward. 

Clients

National Geographic • Outside • TIME • The Washington Post • The Guardian • The New Republic • The Atlantic • The Economist • US News & World Report • BusinessWeek • The Virginia Quarterly Review • The Nation • The New Statesman • Internazionale • Corriere della Serra • Marie Claire • Ms Magazine • Christian Science Monitor • San Francisco Chronicle • Frontline/WORLD • Al Jazeera • AJ+ • NPR • CBC • AFP • PRI’s The World • PBS Newshour • SBS Dateline

Awards

Winner, National Magazine Award for News Reporting
Finalist, National Magazine Award for Reporting
Winner, Overseas Press Club’s Madeline Dane Ross Award for Best International Reporting on the Human Condition
Finalist, Livingstone Award for International Reporting
Finalist, OneWorld Media Awards
Finalist, OneWorld Media Awards
Finalist, OneWorld Media Awards
Winner, SAJA Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting on South Asia
Winner, SAJA Best Commentary on South Asia
Finalist, SAJA Best Photography/Multimedia
Winner, Staige D. Blackford Prize in Non-Fiction from VQR
Winner, Sigma Delta Chi Award for National Magazine Reporting
Winner, Communication Arts Best Multimedia Project
Stanley Foundation Grant
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting 12x grantee & International Reporting Fellowship

Selected Exhibitions

Photoville NYC The Cost of Cheap Goods
FotoDC festival
The Newseum
Inside Out Installation – Bangladesh
Apolis Global Gallery – NYC

Certifications

RISC trainee (NYC - 2015)
Wilderness First Aid (2015)
Hawthorne Proactive, Hostile Environment Training (Northern Ireland - 2015)