Roberta Cruger

454 W. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105 USA
Website: http://robertacruger.com
Contact

Professional Experience

From green drinks to the green card lottery, my stories cover a range of topics including arts and design, entertainment and the environment, food, health, and travel. As a lifestyle journalist, I’ve written about feather bowling for Smithsonian magazine, the funniest places on the planet for Continental Airlines inflight publication, and a vintage trailer park hotel for The Believer. For Treehugger I’ve profiled sustainability projects by Prince Charles, Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio. I’ve also written trend reports for branding companies, “second screening” tweets for television, blogs for businesses, and news for an international wire service. My books include guides to travel, restaurants and films. Whether a feature on a home’s “smart” design, a round-up of curious festivals, columns, web content, or slide shows, I seek to convey the unique and worthwhile to readers with style and substance.

Expertise

Book Author
10 Years
Editor
13 Years
Writer
16 Years

Specialty

Environment & Nature
10 Years
Lifestyle
16 Years
Travel
12 Years

Industries


Book Publishing Consumer
10 Years
Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
16 Years
Online/new media
12 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

22 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

AFP's RelaxNews wire (10+), Pasadena magazine (6-10), MNN.com (1-2), TheMortonReport.com (10+), Treehugger.com (10+), Seedstock.com (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Buzztone Media (10+), Funny Business (1-2)

Other Work History

Freelancer: Smithsonian, HOW Design, Salon.com, Robb Report, MSNBC.com, U.S. Airways magazine, Alaska Airlines, Los Angeles Times magazine, Imbibe; Media Section Editor: Creem magazine; Contributing writer: Florida Design, Miami Home & Decor, Pasadena; Columnist: Plenty magazine, Rescue; Reviewer: Village Voice, Seattle Weekly; Personal Explorer tour designer for National Geographic Traveler; Writing instructor: Seattle Community Colleges, Miami-Dade College; Books: Moon Metro Seattle (contributor), Hungry? Seattle (editor), London Moxie (editor), Rock She Wrote (contributor)

Foreign Language Skills

Basic Spanish

Computer Skills

Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint, CMS

Equipment

Laptop, Nikon digital camera, digital recorder

References

Current and former editors

Awards

Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalist Heekin Foundation semi-finalist

Associations

Pasadena Arts Council MB Avant Guild

Showcase

Entertainment

The Secret Anatomy of Successful Film Trailers
( AFP's RelaxNews wire 4/16/2012)
Insights from the winner of the Golden Trailer Awards about how to create a great film campaign.
The Big Bangs
(Salon.com 9/3/2003)
Musicians talk back to iconoclastic rock critic, Lester Bangs and at EMP's Pop Music Conference, academics and journos take on "Eve of Deconstruction."
Cannes Festival selection still the "best of the best"
(AFP's RelaxNews wire 5/15/2012)
An insider's view of the iconic and historic film festival and its relevance today.

Art

Spirits Find Refuge
(Metro Times 3/1/2004)
Photographic interpretation of the 36 Unknown myth from an exhibition at Detroit's Holocaust Museum.
Exclusive Look at Charles & Ray Eames' Home in Los Angeles
(Treehugger.com 12/30/2011)
A guided walk through the home and studio of the renowned designers Ray and Charles Eames with their grandson.

Design

High Style on Park Avenue
(Florida Design 6/1/2007)
The Manhattan apartment of music mogul L.A. Reid presents a melding of African artifacts, historic photographs and French Modernist furnishings with rhythmic continuity.
Proto Home's Flexible Spaces and Efficient Core
(Treehugger.com 3/19/2011)
With a pre-fab concept and clever design, this modern home offers an innovative approach that's green, affordable, efficient, and stylish.
Question Everything
(HOW Design 7/1/2007)
Innovative designer Jane Fulton Suri of IDEO shares 10 techniques for creative solutions, based on her book, "Thoughtless Acts?"

Travel

Where Is Comedy Central?
(Continental Airlines Magazine 12/1/2006)
8 of the funniest places in the world
7 Best Green Vacations in Canada
(Treehugger.com 9/23/2009)
Eco-tripping, from B.C. to the Maritime Islands, 100-mile diets, interstate bike paths, train rides, and polar bears.
Location: Sandestin, Florida
(Robb Report Collections 3/7/2007)
Travel article on visiting and living on Florida's Emerald Coast

Culture

Weave, Wobble and Roll
(Smithsonian 2/17/2009)
An unusual Belgian sport finds a loyal following in Detroit, the only place in the U.S. where the traditional game is played.
Ghost Man
(Imbibe Magazine 5/7/2007)
Profile of Mr. Bubbles, a/k/a Walter Beckerman, who delivers natural seltzer water in vintage bottles across New York City.

Environment

Green Portfolio
(Treehugger.com 4/10/2012)
Wrote blog on environmental topics, from sustainable art, design and agriculture to green products, transportation and renewable energy
Bob Marley's family keeps his message alive
(MNN.com 3/28/2013)
Story for "Leaderboard" section on how Bob Marley's family keep the reggae icon's message alive through organic goods, from Jamaican coffee and hemp seeds to coconut oil and 1Love.com.
Chef Tom Colicchio's Riverpark Rooftop Farm
(Seedstock.com 10/15/2012)
Story in urban farming website about how Chef Tom Colicchio's rooftop garden in Manhattan supplies the Riverpark Restaurant with fresh farm-to-table ingredients, including herbs, flowers and vegetables.