Megan Braden-Perry

New Orleans, LA USA
https://meganbradenperry.contently.com/
10 Years Experience

Professional Experience

Freelancer from New Orleans who's covered culture, food, drink, fashion, beauty, shopping, crime, education, music and breaking news for local and national outlets. Mom to a toddler. Excellent news judgment and knowledge of what readers want. Style guides are my bedtime stories.

Expertise

Reporter 10 YearsCopy Editor 10 YearsFact-Checker 10 Years

Specialty

Family, Children & Teenagers 10 YearsFood 10 YearsLifestyle 10 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 10 YearsOnline/new media 10 YearsNewspaper - National 10 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Gambit Weekly (10+)
  • NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune (10+)
  • Essence Magazine (1-2)
  • New York Daily News (3-5)
  • Jezebel (1-2)
  • Today Show (1-2)
  • New Orleans Advocate (3-5)
  • ApartmentTherapy (3-5)
  • Parents Magazine (3-5)

Awards

First place headline (Finger Tips: Nailing a Perfect 10) 2013 Press Club of New Orleans awards, Third Place feature-affiliated blog (Public Transit Tuesdays) 2013 Press Club of New Orleans awards

Other Work History

Contributing writer at Gambit Weekly from 2011-2012 News reporter at NOLA.COM | The Times-Picayune from 2012-2013 Staff writer, copy editor and fact-checker from 2013-2014 at Gambit Weekly News and copy editor at Nexstar Digital 2019-2020

Technical Skills

Photo editing with Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, desktop publishing with Adobe InDesign and InCopy, Scribus. Basic video editing.

Computer Skills

Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite

Equipment

Laptop, smartphone

References

Available upon request

Fashion and Beauty

Global Garb
(Gambit Weekly's CUE Magazine 5/1/2012)
Runway-inspired global men's fashion.
Finger Tips: Nailing a Perfect Ten
(Gambit Weekly's CUE Magazine 3/13/2012)
Advice from manicurists on keeping nails trendy and healthy.
Sitting Pretty in the Humid City
(Gambit Weekly's CUE Magazine 5/1/2012)
Advice from hairstylists on fighting humidity for different hair types.

Hard News

Suspected French Quarter peddler of fake cocaine jailed
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 1/11/2013)
A man is arrested for selling fake cocaine.
Men in women's lingerie rob man in Airline Highway motel room, NOPD says
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 2/2/2013)
Lingerie-clad men robbed a man in a New Orleans area motel.
Latest Algiers murder a sign of ongoing turf war, neighbors say
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 1/30/2013)
Neighbors alleged that a recent murder stemmed from a turf war which followed the demolition of the area's only housing project and the erection of mixed-income housing on the same land soon after.
Former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith killed in apparent road rage incident; suspect is local football player
(New York Daily News 4/11/2016)
Breaking coverage of the road rage homicide of New Orleans Saints football player Will Smith.
Lawyer for man accused of killing ex-Saints player Will Smith suggests possibility of second gun at scene
(New York Daily News 4/11/2016)
Continuing coverage of the road rage homicide of New Orleans Saints football player Will Smith.
Man who witnessed Alton Sterling’s death sues Baton Rouge police for stealing surveillance video without warrant, locking him in car for four hours (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
(New York Daily News 7/12/2016)
Coverage of Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge.
La. cops who shot Alton Sterling claim gun butt was visible
(New York Daily News 7/12/2016)
Coverage of Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge.
Hundreds mourn Alton Sterling at Baton Rouge funeral
(New York Daily News 7/17/2016)
Coverage of Alton Sterling's funeral in Baton Rouge.
Three Baton Rouge cops shot and killed by lone gunman
(New York Daily News 7/18/2016)
Coverage of shooting death of three Baton Rouge cops.
Cops arrest at least 40 people protesting Alton Sterling's death
(New York Daily News 7/11/2016)
Coverage of protests following the shooting of Alton Sterling.
Philando Castile obeyed mom’s advice to 'comply' with cops
(New York Daily News 7/7/2016)
Coverage of police-involved shootings, such as Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.
A Bus System in Transit
(Gambit Weekly 7/17/2012)
An update on public transportation in and around New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, the start of gentrification and the demolition of most public housing in the area. This was a cover story.
Ochsner implants the first total artificial heart in the Gulf South region
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 3/14/2013)
Coverage of the first total artificial heart implanted in the Gulf South region, the SynCardia, and the family it helped.
Woman killed Mardi Gras night in the 7th Ward was a mother to five, friend to many
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 2/20/2013)
A combination crime report and obituary of a woman killed on Mardi Gras night.

Education

Citywide spelling bee lets kids demonstrate their skill and composure -- or lack of it
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 3/9/2013)
Coverage of the 25th annual New Orleans spelling bee.
Language Immersion Programs in New Orleans
(Gambit Weekly 4/3/2012)
A research-heavy article about language immersion schools in New Orleans.

Shopping

Don't Pass the Buck
(Gambit Weekly 6/12/2012)
Comparison of area dollar stores, both chains and small businesses.
Babywearing 101
(Gambit Weekly 8/1/2014)
Research- and consumer-driven comparison of babywearing devices including slings, wraps and backpacks.

New Media

Bacchus rider banned after allegedly throwing jug of urine on the parade route, station reports
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 2/14/2013)
An example of aggregation, a new media technique, this story let our readers see a popular story from our broadcast partners about a jug of urine being thrown at a Carnival parade.
Nationally-loved restaurants coming soon to the greater New Orleans area
(Gambit Weekly 3/12/2012)
An example of a post with an eternal shelf life, this simple post about chain restaurants opening in New Orleans still receives frequent interaction.
NOPD "Wobble" video goes viral at Mardi Gras 2014
(Gambit Weekly 3/2/2014)
This simple post about a dancing cop went viral, getting 13,000 likes on Facebook and making Gambit history as the most visited page since the publication's website was created.

Travelogues

Public Transit Tuesdays: Lake Forest
(Gambit Weekly 8/7/2012)
I explore my city by bus -- interviewing, photographing, researching and eating -- and write a travelogue at the end of the day. In this particular installment, I chronicle blight, corruption, the oil bust, housing and despondence.
Public Transit Tuesdays: Galvez
(Gambit Weekly 5/22/2012)
I explore my city by bus -- interviewing, photographing, researching and eating -- and write a travelogue at the end of the day. In this particular installment, a store owner and customer suspect gentrification. I find evidence of that throughout my journey.
Public Transit Tuesdays: Elysian Fields
(Gambit Weekly 9/26/2012)
I explore my city by bus -- interviewing, photographing, researching and eating -- and write a travelogue at the end of the day. In this particular installment, I meet characters at a diner, explore family history and talk gentrification with a family.

Commentary

"I'm a seventh-generation New Orleanian"
(Gambit Weekly 7/16/2013)
Gambit staffers answered the ofttimes loaded New Orleans question, "Are you from here?"
It Wasn't a Blank Slate
(Gambit Weekly 12/31/2013)
For our series on what nativity means in New Orleans, I shared my story of growing up there when my neighborhood was crime-ridden and when people weren't moving there constantly and writing about it for national publications.
The deprogramming of a Mardi Gras grinch
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 2/13/2013)
A personal essay about Mardi Gras from someone born and raised in New Orleans.

Entertainment

King Cake Baby Interview
(Gambit Weekly 2/17/2012)
King Cake Baby shares his thoughts on Mardi Gras and Carnival customs.
David Koechner Interview
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 12/12/2012)
Interview with actor and stand-up comedian David Koechner. He discusses his body of work, his background, family life, the industry and upcoming projects.

Food

Recipes for Success
(Essence Magazine 2/1/2014)
Profiles of three students from Cafe Reconcile, a service-learning program in New Orleans where at-risk kids learn about the restaurant industry, life skills and cooking.
Mamita's Hot Tamales has resurrected New Orleans-style hot tamales
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 2/26/2013)
The research-heavy story of Mamita's Hot Tamales, a family-run tamale company making tamales in a fashion that New Orleans residents believed was a casualty of Hurricane Katrina. Through research, I learned that for decades someone was wrongly credited with creating the New Orleans-style tamale.
7th Ward hucklebuck ladies: Do they still exist?
(Gambit Weekly 6/25/2013)
A first-person narrative of my search for one of my favorite New Orleans childhood treats, the hucklebuck. This story got several hits and 1.1 thousand likes on Facebook.
2013 ProStart competition helps budding Louisiana chefs prepare for restaurant industry careers
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 3/7/2013)
Full coverage of the 2013 ProStart cooking competition for Louisiana culinary students.
Roberto Mendez of Taqueria Corona Interview
(Gambit Weekly 9/16/2013)
An interview with the proprietor of one of New Orleans' most popular and longstanding taquerias. He shares little known facts about his best dishes and secret menu items.
Picky Eaters
(Gambit Weekly 8/6/2013)
Common ingredient substitutes are tested in various recipes and there are tips on how to help kids not be such picky eaters.