Professional/Personal Overview
I'm a syndicated pop culture & travel columnist for the Chicago Tribune newspapers, who can offer a multi-cultural perspective. When I profiled PSY--to find out the meaning behind his hit "Gangnam Style"--I could reference that area in Seoul, not only because I grew up there, but because I had visited Korea recently. I've also been writing quite a bit about becoming a mom at a time when most people are empty nesters.
Work Info
Expertise
Book Author
10 Years
Reporter
15 Years
Writer
20 Years
Specialty
Travel
10 Years
Entertainment
20 Years
Lifestyle
15 Years
Total Media Industry Experience
20 Years
Media Client List (# assignments
last 2 yrs)
Amazon.com (11+), Chicago Sun-Times (11+), Denver Post (11+), Los Angeles Times (11+), New York Post (11+), Tribune Media Services (11+)
Other Work History
I have 15 years experience as an on-staff reporter and critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Currently I have a column ("Go Away With...") that's syndicated by the Tribune Media Services, and runs in outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and the Denver Post.
Equipment
Audio recorder, lap top, digital camera. For travel pieces, I collaborate with my own photographer, who also is a certified scuba diver--perfect for underwater shots.
Foreign Language Skills
Some Korean. Un peu francais. Very good at Pig Latin.
Work Permits & Visas
Have a valid U.S. passport.
Unions
Authors Guild. Newspaper Guild. AFTRA.
References
Please e-mail me for references.
Awards
Two-time Peter Lisagor award winner for excellence in journalism. New York Times bestseller.
Associations
Chicago Film Critics Association. Asian American Journalists Association.
Other
I was born overseas, reside in Chicago and have made it to 5 continents (so far). My undergraduate degree is in political science from the University of Chicago. I have a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Other than skydiving, there are few things I'm not willing to try at least once. You may find samples of my work at www.jaehakim.com. I may be reached at jae@jaehakim.com.
Freelancer Availability
I freelance full-time. I live near Chicago, IL. I am willing to travel anywhere. I have a driver's license. I have access to a car.
Work Samples
TRAVEL ESSAYS
(Chicago Tribune , 10/30/2012)
Famed Spago chef Wolfgang Puck is the latest judge on the "Top Chef: Seattle." Puck says he's excited to be a part of the 10th season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series. "The show is a lot of fun for me and I enjoy watching what the chefs come up with each week," says the 63-year-old a
(Denver Post , 6/24/2012)
Comedian Chris Rock returns to the big screen as one of the voiceover stars of "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted." Though he's been to Europe many times already, the 47-year-old actor has yet to visit Madagascar. "I'd love to go," says Rock, who lives in New York with his wife and children. "Jeffr
(New York Post , 4/20/2011)
When author Dan Brown first visited Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, Scotland, the small, working church wasn't on any tourist maps. Though located just seven miles south of Edinburgh, Rosslyn didn't have the same cachet as, say, the more famous and majestic Edinburgh Castle.
(New York Post , 3/25/2011)
Say what you will about the Dells being a cliché or a haven for the overfed. I don't care. When it's cold and rainy out everywhere else, nothing beats spending the weekend at a warm waterpark. On our last trip to the Dells, my husband and I took our son, Kyle, and my niece, Lizy, to the Kalahari Re
(New York Post , 10/25/2010)
Like most new parents, I had been stressed at the prospect of my first long-distance trip with a toddler. I don’t think it’s cute when he cries or screams in public; I want him to pipe down just as much as you do, trust me.
(Chicago Sun-Times , 11/12/2002)
Viggo Mortensen is muddied, tired and looking forward to digging into the food he's carrying on a tray. But first, he searches the make-shift cafeteria for his son Henry.
POP CULTURE
(Baltimore Sun , 9/19/2012)
What a difference two months make. For the past dozen years, PSY has been a popular rapper and entertainer in Korea. Then in July, he uploaded his video for "Gangnam Style" on youtube.com, and the song went viral to the tune of more than 161 million views. Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Nelly Furtad
(Chicago Tribune , 2/15/2012)
Jeremy Lin is riding a well-deserved wave of goodwill and adulation. After being undrafted and waived by not one, but two, NBA teams last year, the 23-year-old point guard for the New York Knicks has become the sport’s latest sensation. And Asian Americans are loving it. Each time Lin shows o
(Chicago Tribune , 11/20/2011)
A couple years ago, actress Katherine Heigl and her husband, Josh Kelley, adopted an adorable little baby girl from South Korea. No one would deny that they didn’t deserve to be parents. But what some folksâ€â€Âmyself includedâ€â€Âfound curious was that the
(Hollywood Reporter , 10/31/2006)
Penelope Cruz is an anomaly. As talented as she is gorgeous, the 32-year-old thesp has defied categorization. She's a red-carpet favorite, and during her off-time, she's not above punking her good friend Salma Hayek.
(Chicago Tribune , 12/14/2005)
In both the book "Memoirs of a Geisha" and its film adaptation, women fall into two categories: sexy geisha and conniving dragon ladies, two stereotypes about Asian women that linger today.
(New York Daily News , 4/12/2005)
Once relegated to playing houseboys, prostitutes and extras on "M*A*S*H," Asian-American actors are now appearing on prime-time television not as exoticized versions of reality, but as real people.
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June 4, 2013 | San Francisco
