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VO Team

About the Vancouver Observer

The Vancouver Observer is a local news site with global reach. From city politics to climate change, from celebrities to immigrant and human rights issues, from culture to culture clashes, the Vancouver Observer provides independent local coverage that fills the gap left by corporate-owned media.

 Linda Solomon, Founder, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief

Linda Solomon is the founder and publisher of The Vancouver Observer and a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist.  She has won awards for public service reporting and investigative reporting from United Press International and economic reporting from the John Finney awards. She has worked as a freelance reporter  for publications such as the L.A. Times and the International Herald Tribune. She’s the author of “Why I Love Vancouver" and proud mother of two boys, ages 10 and 15. 

Jenny Uechi, Managing Editor 

Jenny Uechi is a writer and editor with an interest in mixed cultures, art and social issues. She studied English and French at the University of Victoria and Sciences Po in Paris before working in translation and writing. She has worked for newspapers and magazines in Canada and Japan, and her work can be found in publications such as Ricepaper, Megaphone and The Japan Times. She teaches creative writing at Onsite.

Alexis Stoymenoff, Staff Reporter

Alexis is VO's resident sustainability reporter. Originally from Markham, Ontario, she moved to the West Coast and graduated with a Master's in Journalism at the University of British Columbia. Over the past few years she's worked in various media including print, online, radio and documentary. She has travelled to India and Thailand for documentary film projects, but now dedicates most of her time to sustainability issues and local, provincial and national news.

David P. Ball, Staff Reporter

David P. Ball is a writer and photojournalist with a passion for independent reporting and speaking truth to power. His 'beats' at VO include arts and culture, human rights, migration, social movements, missing women, and Indigenous peoples. David studied professional writing and politics at the University of Victoria - following that passion to the Middle East where he reported from the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. A member of the Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, he has been published in more than 25 publications. Find him at davidpball.net and @davidpball on twitter. 

Janel Johnson, Vice President of Marketing and Sales


Janel Johnson creates advertising packages that drive sales to local, regional and national companies. From mom and pop start ups to leading Canadian resorts to international non profits, Janel specializes in creating customized programs that weave together social networking, editorial content, contests, and gorgeous display ads. Then she rolls them out on one of the city's most powerful and well-respected marketing platforms: VO.  

Anja Konjicanin, Director of Social Media

Anja Konjicanin is Vancouver Observer's Director of Social Media.  In addition to being the gatekeeper of Vancouver Observer's active Facebook and Twitter feeds, she writes about current events, celebrity gossip and everything pop-culture related. She helps drive Vancouver Observer's high traffic with articles about Twilight, Justin Bieber, and news with a humorous edge. 

Zi-Ann Lum, Director of Community Development



Zi-Ann is Vancouver Observer's Director of Community Development. Her work is devoted to building a network of partners and public support for talented journalists and their commitment to producing high-quality, in-depth local reportage. She is interested in language, culture, food and urban space. Zi-Ann earned a B.A. in Linguistics at the University of British Columbia where she was also Editor-in-Chief of Perspectives Magazine.

Catarina Bellon, Business Manager

Catarina Bellon loves numbers.  And is good with them. A recent graduate of Simon Fraser University with a degree in business, Catarina provides back-up support for VO's growing digital marketing strategies and advertising clients.

 Summer 2010-Spring 2011 VO team pictured below in a photo by Kris Krug: left to right back row: Mary Caros, Meghan O'Neill, Emily Barca, Linda Solomon, Ajay Puri, Edward Ngai, John Tanner. Left to right front row: Yukiko Onley, Paul Voykin, Danielle Lim, Alfred DePew, Nireesha Prakash

 

 

The Vancouver New Media Foundation was established in 2009 to support innovative, creative and educational projects in journalism and multi-media.  Grants are given to journalists, creative writers, filmmakers, web designers, artists and others, with an emphasis on students and educators.  Contact linda@thevancouverobserver.com to hear more.  VNMF is not a charity and cannot issue tax receipts.