Hi, I’m Erica.

Hi, I’m Erica. I tell stories.

I’m a writer, photographer, videographer, and FAA-certified drone pilot dedicated to impactful multimedia storytelling.

Writing

Since my early days toting around a 10-cent spiral-bound notebook and writing down my childhood as it happened, I’ve always been a writer at heart. I seek out and pitch stories and constantly work to hone the craft.


Photo

From shooting on the sidelines of a Virginia Tech football game to composing portraits, I have a self-trained eye and advanced technical understanding of photography.


Video

From the first time I pressed record, I’ve tenaciously pursued opportunities to expand my video abilities. In 2018, the National Press Photographers Association recognized my work with the Innovation Award, presented at the News Video Workshop.

Highlights


  • Decorative line drawing of a video player.
  • Cicero. (Above.) I filmed, scripted, edited, and produced this documentary on the work of students from Marc Edwards’ lab. Edwards and his team helped uncover the lead in Flint, Michigan, and they continue to work with citizens across the U.S. to test their water for lead.

  • Photo of a bowl with gumbo.
  • Decorative line drawing of a video player.
    For The Washington Post: In this story on four “uniquely American” dishes, I shot a video interview with LA-based journalist and food historian Lolis Eric Elie.
  • Photo of a drone hovering above a corn field.
  • Decorative line drawing of a pencil.
    Spurred by a graying workforce, Virginia Tech researchers are laying the groundwork for an accessible future of agriculture. Read my full story via Virginia Tech Engineer, the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s award-winning alumni magazine.
  • Decorative line drawing of a video player.
    After years of research and development contributed by over 100 Virginia Tech students and faculty, the FutureHAUS Dubai team built what’s now known as the world’s best solar home. But to get there, the team had to beat the odds. For this documentary, I spend 20 days in the deserts of Dubai following the FutureHAUS Dubai team as they won the Solar Decathlon Middle East. See my additional reporting on this story via my portfolio.
  • Decorative line drawing of a video player.
    For this quick social video, I filmed an engineering team as they unveiled a shell that would house the Hyperloop pod they were building. My approach to this video was heavily influenced by what I learned at the National Press Photographers Association’s News Video Workshop, which I talk about more on the blog..

From the Blog

Click through to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of my recent work.