When I was born, my dad started recording copious amounts of footage that would eventually make their way into a home movie called “The Tori Story.” The final cut opens with a Star Wars-style title sequence (it was the 90s after all), and documents the highlights of my first year of life: my first steps (which was quickly succeeded by my first fall), my first Christmas, my first words (dog, no, mom, dad, and fridge in no particular order), and my first birthday. Somehow, with just one year of source material and 26 minutes of footage, he managed to capture the essence of who I am: defiant, playful, expressive, sensitive, and endlessly curious. 

Although my Dad couldn’t have predicted it at the time, I, too, would eventually fall in love with the art of storytelling. What started with a love of bedtime stories and a fierce commitment to make-believe, turned into a pursuit of a B.A. in History at UCLA, where I studied the social movements of the 1950s-70s and threw myself into the rich stories of that time period.

After college, I started to explore new ways to tell stories—writing obituaries at The Hollywood Reporter, interviewing celebrities at Flaunt Magazine, and reviewing scripts at Millennium Films, among other explorations. I went on to support Playboy with its rebrand, where I helped to rebuild the brand’s legacy as a home for progressive voices and bold storytelling. At Playboy, I stretched my capacity for storytelling across so many unique formats—magazines, marketing campaigns, newsletters, PR and communications, UI/UX, product launches, a digital creator app—blending creative execution with strategic thinking at every turn.

Since then, I've developed my freelance practice where I have the privilege of partnering with a diverse range of clients, from aspiring authors developing their book concepts and startups launching their brands, to organizations navigating key moments of growth.

Outside of my career, the gravitational pull of storytelling follows me: Ghostwriting thoughtful breakup texts, helping friends curate dating profiles that reflect who they are, editing wedding speeches for maximum tear-jerking, you name it. I am perhaps most passionate about my volunteer work at Our House Grief Support Center, where I have the honor of being a facilitator (and witness) to grievers who choose to bravely share their stories in small support groups. 

My professional and personal experiences have turned me into an anthropologist of sorts—studying how people make meaning, communicate, adapt, grieve, love, and move through the world. I see storytelling as a way to build bridges across divides and create connection, and I approach every story with the same intent: stories, when told thoughtfully, can change the course of our world.