Specialties
Chandra specializes in writing: professional and artistic bios, advertising and marketing copy, public relations articles, press releases, menu edits, business and corporate emails, marketing and advertising copy, cultural commentary articles, personal experience ghostwriting, transcriptions, and translations.
She enjoys the interview process--whether for a corporate bio, or for an investigative story, showcasing an artist's life-long body of work, or a community member's take on a recent local policy change.
Chandra shines in collaboration, using her client's desires for the piece, and what she's able to glean from interview and research, to create the perfect story or printable nugget, whether for promotion or education.
Interests
Chandra's interests lie heavily in community-building, travel, and the arts. Flying back and forth between Boston and Honolulu throughout her childhood (age 7 is when they first let kids fly alone and crew-supervised) on United Airlines (Rhapsody in Blue is a veritable lullaby for her), Chandra's multi-viewed perception of people and the world grew from a young age. She has lived and traveled all over the world (on some occasions she would write "travelled"), and had experiences of both the bohemian and nuclear families, growing up. In her teens and twenties, she engaged in multiple sub-cultures, and in her adult years, has worked in several industries, lending her a broad view of people and cultures. Her interpersonal skills, especially, have been developed through years of working as a Hollywood Assistant, and a Food and Beverage Server.
Social Justice, Support of the Arts, and Good Food, are just some of her interests.
Education
University of Southern California
MFA in Film, from the School of Cinematic Arts at University of Southern California, in the School of Writing for Film and Television, with a concentration in writing the Dramatic Pilot
University of Southern California
Master of Fine Arts earned at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, in the Writing for Film and Television School, with an emphasis in one-hour drama.
Publishing
15 Projects Completed
For community literary magazine Portal, Chandra acted as Editor and Public Relations Manager. On the team of acquisitions, Chandra helped to guide the publication to select the best and brightest pieces of prose, poetry, and visual art pieces to be included in the issue. She was the first member of the team--in all the years of publication--to get Portal a PR segment on the local news station. Further, she found additional innovative outlets to market the publication to the local community.
Bed Magazine in Boulder Colorado was co-edited by Chandra, and included an excerpt from one of the original Beat Poets, Diane di Prima.
After joining Echo Times, Chandra was shortly promoted to Co-Managing editor, and copyedited many of the articles submitted for publication. Additionally, she contributed many of the story ideas for each issue, and wrote between one and four of the articles each time the paper went to press.
Diversity/Inclusion
1 Projects Completed
"“So I guess I just wanted to know what’s the best way to talk to a transgendered or intersex person without treating their gender identity like it’s an elephant in the room. Like, both acknowledging it, but also not being too intrusive, to the point where it would be inappropriate,†he said.
Student Alex Karimzad learned more than he expected. “When we went to the panel it really hit home for me. It was really eye opening. It opened my heart in a way, because I had no idea about these things they were talking about you know? I had no idea.â€
Scarborough had explained that, “The isolation and the sense of shame are probably the hardest aspects of being transgendered,†and it seems as though there are students who are trying to remedy that problem.
For Sloan, it’s basically this, as he quotes Vonnegut, “There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.â€'
-- Echo Times article on Transgender issues
Food
3 Projects Completed
Throughout her writing career, Chandra has continued to work in the Food and Beverage Industry, keeping her connected to local community and food trends. She has helped write and rewrite menus at several Bay Area food locales, coming up with names such as "The Lil Mac Smash" (burger), and "Sonny's Side of the Street Tacos." Despite being an introvert, Chandra loves people, making them happy, and eating great food!
Entertainment
6 Projects Completed
Her main passions, literature, music, and the arts take up the most real estate in Chandra's consciousness. At Echo Times, Chandra was the go-to reporter for Art Gallery Openings, Theater Performances, and Dance Showcases. An avid consumer of live music, Chandra has no lack for inspiration, living in the Bay Area, and has attended hundreds of concerts, and shows worldwide, including festivals and local venues. Though adept at writing corporate bios, Chandra's talents shine when writing the bios for creatives, such as musicians and graphic designers.
Email Copy
5 Projects Completed
Clients come to Chandra for short-form projects that just aren't in their wheelhouse. She has ghostwritten email-format recommendations for both job and university applications, response-emails to superiors when stakes felt high, and has even helped out with a professional text or three. Whether it's the written word, or the technology interface giving the client trouble, Chandra can help!
Advertisement
1 Projects Completed
Chandra is primed and ready to engage in Advertising and Marketing work, especially in the naming and branding area. Especially well-suited to brainstorm in a room full of people, Chandra is keen to "break the story" as part of a creative team. Cross-pollination is something that Chandra has been drawn to for decades, and functions best when surrounded by other creatives.
Article
15 Projects Completed
Chandra knows the basic of the local news article, and shines especially when it is a local human-interest story. She has interviewed and written about local artists, and policy changes. She has been the go-to for local gallery openings, theater pieces, and dance performances. With a broad and specific point-of-view, Chandra's angle and article ideas are innovative and noteworthy.
