Journalist
Over 100 bylines in The New York Times, and numerous magazine pieces, from Wired to The Atlantic and Los Angeles Magazine. Diverse portfolio: technology (Wired), design/architecture (cover bylines on New York magazine’s annual DESIGN issues), celebrity profiles (In Style, Marie Claire, Esquire, GQ, etc.), trend pieces (NYT “Styles” features), product reviews (Wired, GQ’s Elements of Style column), and investigative long-form journalism. Anthologies that feature my work include: The Best American Sports Writing (Houghton Mifflin, editor: Buzz Bissinger, Bobby Fischer’s Pathetic Endgame, The Atlantic); The Best American Crime Writing (Vintage, editors: Otto Penzler/Thomas H. Cook, Sex, Lies and Video Cameras, Details); The Best Business Stories of the Year (Vintage, editors: Andrew Leckey/ Ken Auletta, Tommy’s Tumble, New York).
CELEBRITY
“Shogun” cover story, Emmy Magazine
“Beef” cover story (p.37) Emmy Magazine
Netflix series starring Amy Wong and Steven Yeun
“The Day After” (p.46) Emmy Magazine
When it originally aired in 1983, this TV movie set the record for most viewers: over 100 million. Forty years later, that record still stands. Even more impressive, it thawed the Cold War, and persuaded Reagan and Gorbachev to sign a nuclear arms treaty.
INVESTIGATIVE
Fish Story–How “cell-ag” startups will keep salmon and sushi on our plates. Los Angeles Magazine
The Ketamine Club
Inside the Los Angeles clinic that uses ketamine to treat depression. Los Angeles Magazine
Lab Dad–Los Angeles Magazine
A 1980s sperm donor discovers he has fathered more than 20 children–how many more isn’t certain. Los Angeles Magazine
Bobby Fischer’s Pathetic Endgame
The tortured and fascinating life of the world’s greatest chess genius. The Atlantic
Scientists and Supercomputers
How technology could make ocean water drinkable Google Magazine
Politics
The Trump/Dorsey Twitter War–Los Angeles Magazine
Why Trump won’t get kicked off Twitter, but you will.
Lies, Damn Lies, and Politics–Los Angeles Magazine
Psychology explains why lying is Donald Trump’s superpower.
David Pecker and Catch and Kill: The Early Years–Daily Beast
Donald Trump’s favorite media mogul exposed.
The Atlantic (Criminal Tendencies column)
How Common Are Serial Killers?
How Not To Hire a Hitman
Movie “Prop Money” Crime Wave
Pickpockets In the Digital Age
Self-Checkout Shoplifting (AKA “The Banana Trick”)
The Great Virginia Grape Heist
Red-Collar Crime
Crime In a Cashless Society
Cannabis Crime
The Atlantic (“BIG” column; global trend pieces)
The Dutch War on Tourists
Coffin Club Craze
China’s Surveillance State
Venezuela Bitcoin Miners
Japanese “Engay” Food
The Atlantic (business column)
Why Americans Don’t Cheat on Their Taxes
Stealing on the Job
The Guardian (crime column)
Five-Star Hotel Thieves
The Dangers of Driving Uber
Female Fugitives: Why is Pink-Collar Crime on the Rise?
Dodgy Diplomats: How Envoys Misuse Their Immunity
Botox Break-Ins: Thefts of the Beauty Drug on the Rise
Rich Robbers: Why Do Wealthy People Shoplift?
Wired Features
Hollywood SCI-FI Props
SFMOMA
SFMOMA App
hype beast
hot-stampers
Tesla Clone War
Wired Trend Pieces
Synthesizer Queen
Digital Detox “Dumbphone”
One Man Record Plant
Custom Sneaker King
PixelKabinett 42
meijs-motorman
Audio Gear Wizard
Custom Sneaker king
vanmoof-10-electrified
seiko-model-5-hacking
logmar-super-8
Ikea-bekant-desk
linnstrument
leatherman-tread
8-bit-3-d-art
new-york-comic-con-roundup
Wired Audio Reviews
Master & Dynamic MA770 Speaker
HiFiMan Planer Headphones
Tivoli Model One Digital Radio
Warm Tone Digital Record Press
Cheap Thrills “Chi-Fi” Earphones
Master & Dynamic MW50
Naim Mu-so Qb Wireless Speaker
Sony USB Turntable
Oswald Mills Audio
Howard Hughes’ Home Theater
Master & Dynamic Bluetooth
J-Corder Reel-To-Reel Review
Devialet Phantom
Modern Record Console
steve-jobs-stereo-system
ny-audio-show
naim-mu-so
iPhone Dac
Cheap Audiophile Earbuds
Table Radios
Wired Hot Products
Stromer e-bike (ST 1X) review
Raising the Bar (protein bar)
Soylent For Foodies
Automobile Bike Racks
Wireless Headphones
WaterRower Classic
Dansk Kobenstyle Casserole
Artsy
Mark Kostabi
A.I. Art
New Anti-Forgery Technology
Can Big Data Make For Better Exhibitions?
Miscellaneous
The Man With 23 Kids (The Times Sunday Magazine –London)
The Woolrich Factory (AFAR)
Prefab House (Dwell)
Reel-to-Reel Tape is the New Vinyl (The Verge)
The Short-Order Sofa (The New York Times)
More Investigative Journalism:
The China Syndrome – Playboy
Investigative piece on lax security at Indian Point, a nuclear power plant located just 24 miles north of Times Square. Cited by the Project on Government Oversight as required reading for anti-terrorism advocates on Capital Hill View here I
This publication prompted a Federal investigation of Indian Point by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. View here
Descent of a Woman – The New York Times
A SoHo boutique owner becomes a crack addict and suddenly finds herself homeless. She seeks refuge by joining a secret community of “mole people” living beneath the city in the tunnels of the NY subway system. I worked closely with NBC’s Dateline to produce a 1-hour special based on this article. View here
The Goo That Saved the World – Esquire
A retired United Methodist reverend says he has discovered the magic bullet for HIV. Prostitutes who walk the streets of San Francisco corroborate this fantastic claim. View here
Decorators in the Haute Seat – New York Magazine
A Philadelphia credit-card king builds his $80 million dream home and ends up taking his interior designers to court, accusing them of selling fake antiques and the kind of price-gouging that is beyond the pale, even in Manhattan. View here
Tommy’s Tumble – New York Magazine
In-depth profile of Tommy Hilfiger and his WASP/Hip Hop fashion empire. View here
Contact: rene.chun@gmail.com