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Rachel Sylvia Cavanaugh

Writer. Photographer. Digital Producer.

My path to journalism originated from a natural-born curiosity and desire to learn more about the world and the people in it. I’m interested in telling stories that compel the reader to think critically, engage with their environment, and view complex issues in a new light. Much of the work I do focuses on science and the outdoors, wildlife, travel, culture, history, and technology.

I began my career in 2005 working under two former Reuters journalists in Central America, covering Latin American politics and human interest stories for an English-language newspaper in Costa Rica. Situated on the Pacific Coast of Guanacaste, we began working out of my editor’s kitchen and quickly grew to become a trusted news force in the region. By the end of my three-year tenure, I’d collected a host of memories that included exciting moments such as dining with Nobel Peace Prize-Winning President Oscar Arias and interviewing renowned Primatologist Jane Goodall. As an aspiring young journalist, I was hooked immediately.

Rachel Cavanaugh - Solitude Mountain, Outdoor Retailer 2017
Rachel Cavanaugh - Playa Potrero, Costa Rica

Over the next decade, my roles included working as Editor of the Goldendale Sentinel where I led the editorial staff and directed the vision of a weekly Washington newspaper; as Digital Producer for MSN News where I wrote, produced, and edited breaking news stories for Microsoft’s social media-based news site msnNOW; and as Digital Content Writer for Nike’s Global Consumer Experience team where I managed internal and external Nike websites.

I currently work as a Staff Writer for Bustle’s Outdoor and Fitness E-Commerce platform and contribute weekly gear reviews to Digital Trends’ Outdoor and Sports section. When I’m not writing, I own and operate Satin Studios Photography, a feminist-centric, body-positive boudoir studio in downtown Portland, as well as PDX Portraits, an on-location commercial and portrait photography studio.

Please feel free to scroll through my portfolio of writing clips on Wildlife and Science, Outdoors and Gear Reviews, Food and Travel, Human Interest and Features, Opinions and Commentary, News and Politics, TV and Pop Culture, or Copywriting to learn more about my work.

Rachel Cavanaugh
Portland, OR

Rachel Cavanaugh is a long-time journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. With more than 14 years of experience as a news reporter, writer, photographer, editor and digital producer, her work has been featured in Men's Journal, MSN, The Hollywood Reporter, Bustle, Digital Trends, Elite Daily, Matador Network, Gear Junkie, and other publications. She's worked as a Digital Producer for Microsoft’s msnNOW, Digital Content Writer on Nike's Global Consumer Services' team, and Editor-in-Chief of the Goldendale Sentinel, a weekly print newspaper in Washington state. She currently splits her time as a Staff Writer for Bustle's Outdoor and Fitness E-Commerce platform and Gear Reviewer for Digital Trends' Outdoors and Sports section. She runs two commercial photography studios in Portland, Ore. and spends her free time snowboarding, playing outside with her dog, and talking her friends into last-minute dance parties.

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