I am a freelance writer and researcher based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Go Birds.)

My interests, broadly, include film, literature, travel, and the internet.

Even more broadly, I am interested in conflicts between the official, institutional culture and the forces that oppose it. I am extremely curious about the conflicts between ideological and epistemological systems, particularly the dismantling of so-called “enlightenment rationality.” I also write about psychedelics, and the current “psychedelic renaissance,” which I see as an emerging site of these conflicts. You know: fun stuff!

My writing has appeared in a number of places. Among them: WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Believer, Harper’s, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, The Guardian, The Baffler, The Philadelphia Inquirer, VICE, Salon, Maclean's, Eater, SHARP Magazine, The AV Club, The Walrus, The Literary Review of Canada, The Toronto Star, and The Globe & Mail. I have also appeared as a commentator on CBS News, NBC Nightly News, CBC Radio, and Public Radio International.

But hey, enough of my yakking. Here are some recent pieces, for your perusal:

Thomas Pynchon’s Strangely Stripped-Back Noir

Shadow Ticket may be an exercise in restraint. But what is a Pynchon novel without its sense of unruly bigness?

For The New Republic (October 2025) I reviewed Thomas Pynchon’s long-awaited new novel Shadow Ticket.

Matt Johnson The Filmmaker The Profile

BlackBerry catapulted the rebel director into the mainstream. Now he’s making the Bourdain biopic Tony. Can a pop culture–obsessed terminal adolescent learn to conquer the Hollywood movie machine?

For Toronto Life (September 2025), I profiled the eccentric Canadian filmmaker Matt Johnson, on the verge of his big-time Hollywood breakout.

The NFL Goes Mr Beast Mode

WIRED went to Brazil for YouTube’s first live NFL broadcast. It was helmed by the platform’s biggest influencers as the league expands its quest for global domination.

For WIRED (September 2025), I travelled to São Paulo to cover the NFL’s international—and intergenerational—expansion. Can the league bring America’s game to Brazil, and to Gen Z?

People Are Getting Tattoos Under Anesthesia

But if there isn’t any pain, does it really count?

For The Atlantic (September 2025), I explored the weird trend of people “going under” to get tattooed, and what that means for tattooing, as a culture.

Welcome To Casino Capitalism 2.0

The legalization and rapid spread of sports betting has made problem gambling everyone’s problem

For The Nation (May 2025) I looked at the sports betting and phone-gambling epidemic, and the ongoing “gamblification” of economic opportunity in America. Also appeared on The Nation Podcast to discuss the story, and issues at play.

Inside the Long, Strange Trip of the World’s Best LSD

Owsley Stanley created a legendary strain of acid in the 1960s — now it’s taking on a new life in modern-day research facilities

For Rolling Stone (April 2025), I traced the genealogy of “Owsley,” perhaps the most potent LSD ever produced in the underground, following the recipe through a chain of chemists, from Monterey Pop to current clinical trials.

In addition to my print journalism, I also work as a documentary writer, researcher, developer, and story editor, with credits on the following productions.
The Ballad of Judas Priest [Forthcoming Feature] (Sony Films) - Writer
Dark Side of the Ring (VICE) - Writer
Dark Side of Comedy (VICE) - Writer
Cursed Films (AMC/Shudder) - Researcher
We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) - Developed By
This Is Pop (Netflix) - Writer, Researcher, Narrator
From The Vaults (CBC) - Researcher

I wrote a book called Hater. You can find out more about it, here.
I also wrote a previous book, about the Kids in the Hall. You can find out about that one, here.
You can contact me via e-mail, here.