jd shadel

✦ Stories + strategies

✦ Stories + strategies

✦ Tech + lifestyle

✦ Tech + lifestyle

✦ ANYWHERE WITH WiFi

✦ ANYWHERE WITH WiFi

jd shadel

✦ Stories + strategies

✦ Tech + lifestyle

✦ ANYWHERE WITH WiFi

ABOUT

INTRO

✦ JD SHADEL IS AN AWARD-WINNING CONTENT LEADER AND CONSULTANT

Reporting to you live
from where the online
and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online
and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online
and the real world blur

Editorial director and strategist JD Shadel leans against a wall and looks off into the distance. They have shaggy blonde hair and wear a vintage leather jacket over a roll neck sweater.

Hey, I'm JD, editorial director ✌️, content strategist ✨ and writer ✏️ in London and working with clients globally.

✉️ Get monthly-ish updates with the latest from me.

Hey, I'm JD, editorial director ✌️, content strategist ✨ and writer ✏️ in London and working with clients globally.

future of travel ✌️

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

“Writing about the future often fails to ask questions like, whose future are we really talking about?”

In early 2023, I began writing the Future of Travel column for Condé Nast Traveler, where I've covered everything from space hotels to the rise of AI chatbots in travel.

no code movement ✏️

BBC WORKLIFE

“Just like Twitter but worse … a lot worse.”

Opening with the story of a non-developer who created a Twitter knockoff without writing code, this future of work feature charts the rise of “no code” tools, profiling founders in the growing sector.

tech for good ✨

GOOD ON YOU x FARFETCH

UX writing for an app helping fashion brands be more transparent

Brand ratings platform Good On You teamed up with FARFETCH to launch a first-of-its-kind SAAS tool, Good Measures, to help fashion brands improve their sustainability. I consulted on UX copy and communications.

future of travel ✌️

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

“Writing about the future often fails to ask questions like, whose future are we really talking about?”

In early 2023, I began writing the Future of Travel column for Condé Nast Traveler, aiming to go beyond the hype and behind the scenes of trends re-shaping the world around us.

no code movement ✏️

BBC WORKLIFE

“Just like Twitter but worse … a lot worse.”

tech for good ✨

GOOD ON YOU x FARFETCH

UX writing for an app helping fashion brands be more transparent

future of travel ✌️

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

“Writing about the future often fails to ask questions like, whose future are we really talking about?”

In early 2023, I began writing the Future of Travel column for Condé Nast Traveler, aiming to go beyond the hype and behind the scenes of trends re-shaping the world around us.

future of travel ✌️

no code movement ✏️

BBC WORKLIFE

“Just like Twitter but worse … a lot worse.”

Opening with the story of a non-developer who created a Twitter knockoff without writing code, this future of work feature charts the rise of "no code" platforms, profiling founders in the growing sector.

future of travel ✌️

tech for good ✨

GOOD ON YOU x FARFETCH

UX writing for an app helping fashion brands be more transparent

CLIENTS

✦ THIS IS THE SECTION WITH TESTIMONIALS AND, WELL, A FEW FURBIES

Editorial

The Washington Post

Condé Nast Traveler

Them

BBC Worklife

VICE

Bloomberg CityLab

Fodor's Travel

+ more

COMMERCIAL

Airbnb

Travel Oregon

PDX

Good On You x FARFETCH

Adidas

Crowd DNA

Destination DC

+ more

“JD has transformed our audience engagement with creative strategic guidance and UX writing — helping us make more elevated editorial content and successful products.”

—Sandra Capponi,

Good On You

KIND WORDS

“JD has an eye for spotting rising trends in travel and breaking them down in a way that really speaks to a young, diverse audience.”
—Amanda Finnegan, The Washington Post

“JD is not only a delight to work with, but they are always at the ready with razor sharp ideas and squeaky clean copy, whether I'm looking for reporting on innovation in the travel industry, or service-y yet voice-y destination guides that are a cut above the rest.”
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler

“JD is not only a delight to work with, but they are always at the ready with razor sharp ideas and squeaky clean copy, whether I'm looking for reporting on innovation in the travel industry, or service-y yet voice-y destination guides that are

a cut above the rest.”

—Megan Spurrell,

Condé Nast Traveler

“JD has an eye for spotting rising trends in travel and breaking them down in a way that really speaks to a young, diverse audience.”

—Amanda Finnegan,

The Washington Post

“JD has transformed our audience engagement with creative strategic guidance and UX writing — helping
us make more elevated editorial content and
successful products.”
—Sandra Capponi, Good On You

“JD has transformed our audience engagement with creative strategic guidance and UX writing — helping us make more elevated editorial content and successful products.”
—Sandra Capponi, Good On You

ABOUT

✦ THIS IS THE SECTION WHERE JD SHOWS THEIR AGE (FLOPPY DISK ERA BABY)

SHORT VERSION:
HELLO, NETIZENS!

SHORT versIon:
HELLO, NETIZENs!

SHORT verson:
HELLO, FELLOW NETIZEN!

SHORT versIon:
HELLO, NETIZENs!

Most simply, I'm a writer. But we live in the era of “content,” so I'm often introduced as a content leader and consultant 🥸 working at the intersection of tech and lifestyle, with a background covering the future of travel 🛂, future of work 🛄 and human rights 💙. Whew?! Well, there's even more to the story.

☁️ London, UK based; Portlander for life
🏁 10+ years of award-winning experience

🔈 Say it like shady Chanel = Shadel

💿 They/them/all pronouns tolerated if you’re 🆒

☁️ London, UK based; Portlander for life
🏁 10+ years of award-winning experience

🔈 Say it like shady Chanel = Shadel
💿 They/them/all pronouns tolerated if you’re 🆒

☁️ London, UK based; Portlander for life
🏁 10+ years of award-winning experience

🔈 Say it like shady Chanel = Shadel
💿 They/them/all pronouns tolerated if you’re 🆒

☁️ London, UK based; Portlander for life
🏁 10+ years of award-winning experience

🔈 Say it like shady Chanel = Shadel
💿 They/them/all pronouns tolerated if you’re 🆒

☁️ London, UK based; Portlander for life
🏁 10+ years of award-winning experience

🔈 Say it like shady Chanel = Shadel
💿 They/them/all pronouns tolerated if you’re 🆒

LongGG VERSION:
1️⃣ Present TENSE

LongGG versIon:
1️⃣ Present TENSE

Howdy, partner. 🤠 I've got more than a decade of award-winning editorial and digital experience, and maybe I can help you. After many years in the Pacific Northwest, I'm now yet another American immigrant in London ☂️ where I (a) create conversation-sparking work for US and UK media outlets 📰. And (b) consult with clients across six continents for stand-out content strategies and UX writing 🫂 (hey, if you're in Antarctica, let's do something, well, cool).

I write Condé Nast Traveler's Future of Travel column 🏝️and am editor-at-large at Good On You 🧶. In these capacities, I cover everything from AI chatbots that want to plan your next trip to how TikTok fuels ultra-fast fashion brands' growth.

Sometimes my editorial and commercial work wins recognition. Projects I've worked on have been honored by the Webby Awards, US Travel Association, AIGA, NATJA, AMA PDX and more. (“I’d first, of course, like to thank my mom for teaching me about life and my dad for teaching me about floppy disks” — see below.)

I put social impact at the center of my work, building on my background in human rights research and practice. 🌎 I hold my master's degree with distinction in international relations from the University of Exeter and am a former Human Rights Commissioner at the City of Portland. Themes such as labor and climate justice are also central to my work with Good On You, the leading platform rating brands on critical social and environmental issues. ☮️

And I'm always on the prowl for a creative collaboration but I caution you that it'll be hard to top the highlight of my career: judging a drag competition at the legendary Darcelle XV Showplace in Portland, Oregon in the presence of the world's oldest drag queen, the late Darcelle herself. It was ✨ 10s across the board. ✨

2️⃣ PAST TENSE

In the past decade and a half, I've honed my skills as a creative leader, head editor, and copywriter.

I've been a contributor and consultant on launch teams for a range of new verticals at US publications. I was the Portland, Oregon travel writer for The Washington Post 📰, covering the city's distinct culture. And I was an early contributor to VICE's LGBTQ+ section 💻, where my long-form reporting was named Best of 2017. My VICE coverage of queer dating app discrimination has been cited by leaders in the industry as influencing UX reforms (but everyone still hates dating apps — some things change, some things stay the same). 🏹

Before relocating to London in 2021, I spent nearly a decade in Portland, Oregon, where I consulted with national brands and agencies from Airbnb to Adidas (and where, as I later wrote for Condé Nast Traveler, I failed to find enough synonyms for blue to accurately describe Crater Lake 🏞️).

If I was reading you my resume, I might say something like “I was previously head editor at one of the Pacific Northwest’s top media companies, MEDIAmerica; head of content at Good On You; project lead at SPJ award-winning Oregon Business; and co-founder of a now-defunct underground culture platform, Limbo Studio.” Or we could simply connect on LinkedIn — and cringe at corporate memes featuring things some CEO's 7-year-old absolutely did not say.

Growing up in one of the poorest regions in Appalachia ⛰️, as a working class queer kid deep in coal country, I know what it's like to feel like you don't fit in. And yeah, I was truthfully thrifting before it was cool and, of course, was driving a four-wheeler before a car. (I did, however, drop out of motorcycle school, which meant I've not yet achieved my dream of starting a bike gang named Queer Power 🏳️‍🌈 🏍️.)

3️⃣ future tense

Maybe you’ll drop me a line📱? Maybe we'll talk about hotels in space, large language models eating the internet, or just how to create something cool that'll get people talking and taking action? Say hello. Don't be a stranger.

LongGG versIon:
1️⃣ Present TENSE

LongGG verson:
Present TENSE

LongGG versIon:
1️⃣ Present TENSE

Bringing a decade of award-winning editorial and digital expertise, I dive into tech and travel trends for major and niche media outlets. And I consult with clients around the world on stand-out content strategies and UX writing.

I write Condé Nast Traveler's Future of Travel column and am editor-at-large at Good On You.

Projects I've worked on have been honored by the Webby Awards, US Travel Association, AIGA, NATJA, AMA PDX and more.

Sometimes we win stuff together, too. Projects I've worked on have been honored by the Webby Awards, US Travel Association, AIGA, NATJA, AMA PDX and more. (“I’d first, of course, like to thank my mom for teaching me about life and my dad for teaching me about floppy disks” — see below.)

Holding my master's degree with distinction in international relations from the University of Exeter, and former Human Rights Commissioner at the City of Portland, I go beyond the hype to make sense of meaningful trends shaping the world around us.

I live in London, where I bring that signature American over-enthusiasm to every social interaction (a la "I am so excited to meet you on this email! I hope you had the best weekend in the history of our home planet! Wow! Cool! Amazing!").

Past tense

2️⃣ PAST TENSE

Previously based in the Pacific Northwest, I was the Portland travel writer for The Washington Post, covering its distinct neighborhoods and culture. I was also a contributor to VICE's LGBTQ+ section, where my long-form reporting was named Best of 2017. My VICE coverage of queer dating app discrimination was influential in leading to key UX reforms.

In the past decade and a half, I've honed my skills as a creative leader, head editor, and copywriter.

A seasoned creative leader, I was previously head editor at one of the Pacific Northwest’s top media companies; project lead at SPJ award-winning Oregon Business; co-founder of a now-defunct underground culture platform; and contributor and consultant on launch teams for a range of new verticals at international publications.

And long before all that, I was a queer nonbinary kid wandering around the Appalachian Mountains, from where I come — making music with mandolins and synthesizers, writing poems and stories, and trying to find some truth.

Growing up in one of the poorest counties in Appalachia ⛰️, as a working class queer kid deep in coal country, I know what it's like to feel like you don't fit in. And yeah, I was truthfully thrifting before it was cool and, of course, was driving a four-wheeler before a car. (I did, however, drop out of motorcycle school, which meant I've not yet achieved my dream of starting a bike gang named Queer Power 🏳️‍🌈 🏍️.)

If you ask me where I'm from, I'll usually say "Appalachia," by which I mean I came of age as a queer nonbinary kid in coal country, by which I mean I worked at a gas station and an Appalachian art center and used to play in "experimental" bands and perform in friends' basements and galleries. Growing up in one of the poorest counties in the country, I was truthfully thrifting before it was cool, and, yes, I know how to drive a four-wheeler. (I did, however, drop out of motorcycle school, which meant I've not yet achieved my dream of starting a bike gang named Queer Power.)

Future tense

3️⃣ future tense

3️⃣ Future tense

Perhaps I’ll team up with you? Maybe you’ll drop me a line?

WORK

✦ THIS IS THE SECTION WITH COOL STUFF JD HAS DONE AND RANDOM GIFs

contributor ✌️

THE WASHINGTON POST

Trending reporting for the reimagined travel section

I contribute trending reporting to The Washington Post's travel section including features on # Traveling While Trans and the rise of 3-D gallery tours. And from 2019 to 2021, I was the Portland, Oregon city reporter for By The Way.

future of travel ✌️

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER

“Flygskam,

smygflyga,

tagskryt”

The Swedes are inventing a lot of words about flying's climate impacts. My first installment in the Future of Travel column, this feature probes whether sustainable aviation innovations could change things.

INTRO

INTRO

INTRO

INTRO

INTRO

✦ JD SHADEL IS AN AWARD-WINNING CONTENT LEADER AND CONSULTANT

✦ JD SHADEL IS AN AWARD-WINNING CONTENT LEADER AND CONSULTANT

✦ JD SHADEL IS AN AWARD-WINNING CONTENT LEADER AND CONSULTANT

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

Reporting to you live from where the online and the real world blur

CLIENTS

CLIENTS

CLIENTS

CLIENTS

CLIENTS

✦ THIS IS THE SECTION WITH TESTIMONIALS AND, WELL, A FEW FURBIES

✦ THIS IS THE SECTION WITH TESTIMONIALS AND, WELL, A FEW FURBIES