About
Laura Gurfein is a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York, with 14 years of experience across digital publishing. She's worked as a reporter, copywriter, editorial strategist, and team leader. Along the way, she's built websites, run newsroom operations, written branded campaigns, tested more products than she can count — and yes, occasionally chased a very good deal. She's open to new freelance and full-time opportunities.
Laura currently writes and edits for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, Business Insider, Marie Claire, Who What Wear, and Berklee Now, Berklee College of Music's editorial platform. She's also helping Berklee refresh its website: writing new pages, editing existing ones, and mocking up layouts with their component library.
Previously, Laura served as Shopping Director at PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly, where she led a team of 14 writers and editors publishing hundreds of stories monthly and spearheaded content strategy for major retail events like Prime Day and Black Friday. Her career also spans roles at Dotdash Meredith, Meredith Corporation, HQ Trivia, and Vox Media, with additional bylines at Racked, Harper's Bazaar, and ELLE. She earned a journalism degree from the University of Maryland and a master's in magazine journalism from NYU.
Experience
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Freelance Writer & Editor2025 - Present
- Apartment Therapy & The Kitchn: Commerce content like sale roundups, product spotlights, home organization stories, and tested product reviews, including tentpole sale event coverage.
- Business Insider: Longform buying guides and deal coverage for major retail events like Prime Day, built to strict editorial and deal-transparency standards.
- Marie Claire & Who What Wear: Branded content campaigns for clients like Coach, CVS, E.L.F. Skin, Kérastase, and Levi's.
- Berklee Now: Alumni profiles and web copy for Berklee College of Music's editorial platform and website redesign.
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Shopping Director, PEOPLE and Entertainment WeeklyPeople Inc. / Dotdash Meredith • 2024 - 2025Led a team of 14 writers and editors publishing hundreds of service-oriented stories monthly. Developed content strategies for tentpole events like Prime Day and Black Friday. Launched the PEOPLE Exclusive Flash Sale and spearheaded AI tool adoption for content workflows.
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Editorial Director, PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly (Commerce)Dotdash Meredith • 2022 - 2024Approved and refined story pitches, drafted headlines, and managed promotion across homepage, newsletters, push notifications, and social channels. Devised editorial strategies for holiday sales and major retail events.
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Senior Editor & Copy Editor, CommerceMeredith Corporation • 2019 - 2022Edited news stories, newsletters, reviews and buying guides for People, InStyle, Real Simple, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Better Homes & Gardens. Modernized editorial workflow using Airtable and Slack.
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Senior Researcher/ProducerHQ Trivia • 2018 - 2019Lead researcher fact-checking thousands of trivia questions. Lead producer for HQ Sports, working with hosts and writers to deliver live shows to hundreds of thousands of viewers.
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Deputy Managing Editor & Editor, Racked NYVox Media • 2013 - 2018Led Racked's New York site reaching 80,000+ email subscribers. Managed budgets, contracts, freelancers, and video production. Produced NYC store tour video series and pioneered commerce content through the "Deal of the Day" newsletter program.
Selected Publications
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These Are the Best Fourth of July Sales, Recommended by Our Shopping EditorsThe Kitchn, July 2026 -
For Taku Hirano, Everything Is ConnectedBerklee Now, April 2026 -
The Best Cast Iron Skillets in 2026, Tested and ReviewedBusiness Insider, March 2026
Contact
Let's work together! Got a story idea, a project in mind, or just want to say hi? Drop me a note below.