Michelle Burford

New York, NY USA
Website: http://michelleburford.com
Contact

Professional Experience

I'm a founding editor of O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE, as well as a HARVARD-TRAINED FREELANCE WRITER who has covered oodles of topics...from why people fib so frequently (research shows that most folks utter three fictions every 10 minutes), to the unlikely rise of a fake hamster (think Zhu Zhu Pets). Specialties: health, psychology, celebrity profiles, parenting, personal growth, relationships, women's issues, and travel. I'm curious and spunky, and I've visited 32 countries on six continents. I've also co-authored a travel guidebook entitled Let's Go: Greece, which means I can tell you precisely where to find the world's best tzatziki (Hint: Get yourself over to Naxos). P.S.: I'm a courageous interviewer, a poignant essayist, and a seasoned ghostwriter with a keen ear for voice. I'm also fast: I welcome ridiculously tight deadlines. Need a great story in a big hurry? Email me at Michelle@MichelleBurford.com. If the assignment is super urgent, try me on my cell: 347-450-9670.

Expertise

Book Author
10 Years
Editor
18 Years
Writer
18 Years

Specialty

Health
18 Years
Travel
10 Years
Women's Issues
18 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
18 Years
Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
18 Years
Online/new media
10 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

18 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

AOL Healthy Living (10+), Essence Magazine (10+), Let's Go: Travel Guidebook (10+), The Oprah Magazine (10+), Weight Watchers Magazine (10+)

Other Work History

Founding Senior Editor of O, The Oprah Magazine. Editor-in-Chief of The Oprah Winfrey Show Commemorative Edition (2011). Senior Editor, Essence Magazine. Co-author of Let's Go: Greece travel guidebook. Editor of Words That Matter: The Little Book of Life Lessons. Columnist for Weight Watchers Magazine. Blogger for American International Toy Fair. Associate Editor at Physician Magazine. Instructor at Columbia Publishing Course.

Foreign Language Skills

English (fluency), Spanish and French (basic verbal proficiency)

Computer Skills

Word, Excel, Windows

Equipment

Laptop computers of all types, digital cameras, audio and video recorders

Showcase

General

The Liar in Your Life
(AOL Healthy Living 10/10/2009)
I love interviewing almost as much as I love writing...and that shows in this riveting conversation with a psychologist about why people lie so much.
This Could Be the Start of Something New
(The Oprah Magazine 6/1/2008)
Here's one of the numerous personal essays I've written for The Oprah Magazine.
Here's Jenny
(Weight Watchers Magazine 5/1/2007)
COVER STORY: My conversation with comedian and actress Jenny McCarthy on how she she dropped a gazillion pounds and shrank from a size 14 to a 4.
Diary of a Happy Black Woman
(Essence Magazine 12/1/2011)
A cover story on Tasha Smith, the actress once anointed by media mogul Tyler Perry.
Extended Hair Family
(Let's Go: Greece 11/1/2007)
I backpacked solo through Greece as I co-wrote a travel guide. This essay is one of the features sprinkled throughout the volume. Last thing: I also wrote scores of hotel and food reviews. To read a couple, plus some of my other clips, swing by my site: www.MichelleBurford.com