About Me

Hi! I’m Jessica Roy, a 24-year-old writer and journalist who lives in San Francisco. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania and moved to New York in 2006 to attend NYU. I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I penned my first story at age six. Entitled “Caroline’s Chemistry Set” and scribbled on a piece of construction paper, it revolved around a little girl who saves a plane from crashing by somehow pouring chlorine into the engine. This is ironic for two reasons: 1) Chemistry sets are in no way allowed on planes, and 2) I’m terrified of flying.

You can follow me on Twitter or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Education and Work

In May 2010 I graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study, where students forge their own educational path by designing personalized majors. My major fused my interests in narrative journalism, technology and media and was appropriately titled: New Media and Journalism.

My professional interests range from the geeky to the super geeky. I tend to primarily write about media criticism, technology, culture, feminism, the internet and books. In August 2010, I was named one of the top 10 people who matter to college media by Dan Reimold at the Associated Collegiate Press.

I am currently a reporter and staff writer at The New York Observer and Betabeat. Previously, I was a Community Manager at Context Optional, an Adobe company and a blogger for Mediabistro’s 10,000 Words. In my (basically non-existant) spare time, I’m an active freelancer; in 2011, I was hired to write a social strategy for amNewYork, and I also write freelance stories for various news outlets. My work has appeared in Salon, The Daily, The Nieman Journalism Lab, GOOD, Gawker, and The Huffington Post, among other publications.