WORK EXPERIENCE

 

Host / Producer, The Wall Street Journal, London U.K. 2021-

• Host and producer of the morning edition of the Wall Street Journal's daily news podcast, "WSJ What's News"

 

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Senior Audio Producer, theSkimm, New York, N.Y. 2020-2021

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• Showrunner of theSkimm's weekly news podcast, "Skimm This"

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Audio Producer, theSkimm, New York, N.Y. 2019-2020

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• Served as head news writer for theSkimm’s daily news podcast, “Skimm This,” earning selection by Apple Podcasts as essential COVID-19 listening

• Managed “SkimmThis” production regularly, pitching and assigning stories to a five-person team, editing scripts and overseeing podcast recording, mixing and distribution

• Planned, assigned, and edited weekly “Skimm Notes” long-form audio segments on topics from over-tourism to the 2020 Census

• Arranged, conducted and cut radio interviews with 50+ newsmakers, resulting in 75 percent female interviewees, including many in underrepresented fields

• Collaborated with internal social media and video teams to promote audio products

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Chief Foreign Correspondent, Talk Media News, New York, N.Y. 2012-2019

 

Previously: U.N. Bureau Chief, U.N. Correspondent, Washington Reporter/Intern

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• Wrote, anchored and edited 1,150+ daily “World in 2:00” radio broadcasts, filling a void in short-form foreign policy coverage/analysis

• Conceptualized, booked, anchored and edited weekly “Wake with Luke Vargas” radio broadcast, a program exploring how overseas events affect the U.S.

• Identified and broke foreign policy and diplomatic news, educating thousands of readers and listeners daily while reporting from five continents

• Conducted live ‘talk backs’ with affiliate radio stations, driving deeper coverage of foreign policy on dozens of local stations

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​Freelance global radio contributor and photographer 2012-2019

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• Appear on international TV and radio programs, including the BBC World Service, Fox

  News, South African Broadcasting Corporation, CBS and more

• Shoot news photographs, including purchases by The New Yorker, CNN, Vox, Al-Jazeera,

  the Norwegian Nobel Committee and more (often published under Luke William Pasley)

  Youth Political Correspondent, WHBQ Fox 13, Memphis, Tenn. 2011-2012 • Pitched and produced 15 on-air ‘talk back’ segments throughout the 2012 Republican

  presidential primary
  • Shot and edited video and photo b-roll to accompany live segments from La., Miss., N.Y.,

  S.C. and Tenn.

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FIELD REPORTING

 

• Latvia, Estonia and Finland – NATO enhanced forward battlegroups, Russian cyber warfare

threats, Trump-Putin summit (7/2018)

• Singapore – Trump-Kim summit (6/2018)

• Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea – American diplomatic initiatives in Asia, North Korea maximum pressure campaign (11/2017)

• Monterrey, Mexico and Mexico City – Immigration, international trade, law enforcement cooperation (2/2017)

• Brasilia, Recife and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Brazilian political turmoil, Zika virus, olympics (6/2016)

• Manila, Philippines and Hanoi, Vietnam – South China Sea diplomacy, Vietnamese Communist Party congress (1/2016)

• Various locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia –

Refugee crisis (11/2015)

• Moscow – Russian shows of force and geopolitical posturing (5/2015)

• Kiev and Crimea, Ukraine – Euromaidan revolution and Russian occupation (2/2014, 3/2015)

• Ramallah, West Bank and Jerusalem – Israeli elections and Palestinian politics (3/2015)

• Tunis, Tunisia – First democratic presidential elections, growth of global terrorism (11/2014)

• Medellin, Colombia – Development and urban planning, impact of FARC conflict (4/2014)

• Amman, Irbid and Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan – Syrian conflict and refugee crisis, natural resource competition (10/2013)

• Also: Tiquipaya, Bolivia (10/2015); London and Edinburgh (5/2015); The Hague, The Netherlands (11/2014); Paris (11/2014); Panama (4/2014); Warsaw, Poland (11/2013)

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TECH AND LANGUAGE SKILLS

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Audio, photo and video editing: Adobe Audition, Pro Tools, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Amadeus Pro, Audio Hijack, SoundCloud, LibSyn, iTunes Podcast Connect, Podbean, Canon 5D, Zoom, Tascam
Graphic design: Adobe Illustrator, Wacom Intuos Pro
Languages: English, native speaker; Spanish, working proficiency; AP Style

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EDUCATION

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New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study (2010-2013)

Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric, self-designed program in political discourse and creative writing Minor in Russian and European Studies
Winner, Academy of American Poets Judith Lobel Arkin Prize

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Johns Hopkins University, School of Arts and Sciences (2009-2010)

Writing Seminars

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LEADERSHIP AND ASSOCIATIONS

United Nations Correspondents Association

3rd Vice President (2019), Executive Board Member (2018)

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National Association of Hispanic Journalists

Member ​