About Liz

It starts with storytelling.


This is my story


Liz Shemaria
Photo by Ian Tuttle / www.ituttle.com

I come from a family of storytellers.

Meals at my house in the Northern California beach town, Santa Cruz, would last for hours when my grandmother, aunts, and brother were around the table, because of the stories.

It didn’t matter if they were tales we had already heard dozens of times — like how my grandfather lost his pocket knife in a camping toilet, ingeniously fished it out, and then passed it on to my aunt who still uses it (and produces it from a drawer as the big reveal).

These shocking, crying, and laughing moments inspired me to take storytelling beyond the dinner table, and turn it into a career.

I worked as a news editor for two years, launching a local news site for AOL, have created and edited content for ViatorHuman Rights WatchAmerican Red CrossWells Fargo Bank, and numerous other organizations, and have led storytelling workshops for companies large and small, from a Fortune 100 to a one-person restaurant start-up.

I learned impactful content starts with reporting, when I earned a master’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, with an emphasis on international reporting and new media.

When not working with brands, I pursue my other dream as a travel writer, which has led me to trek solo in Himalaya, interview artists in military-ruled Burma, and track California Condors, writing for more than a dozen publications including BBC TravelAFAR, Fodor’s, and Roads & Kingdoms.

My Californian roots go back three generations, yet I view “home” as a global experience.

I’ve worked with brands worldwide from Sydney to San Francisco.

Writing 95%
Editing 95%
SEO80%
Content Strategy80%
Brand Empowerment Workshops85%
Social Media85%
Interviewing 95%
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