Create things that matter.
Co-founder THE NEW SAVANT. Former Google, Twitter, MTV News, CBS News, Vox Media/New York Magazine.
Experience
Erica is a creative entrepreneur. She was named to Fortune’s list of Media 40 under 40 for her work shaping the future of journalism, most notably from inside big tech (Google, Twitter) and as Executive Producer for the Vox Media podcasts, Recode Decode and Pivot.
In December 2020, Erica co-founded a scent studio, THE NEW SAVANT, with former YouTuber creator, Ingrid Nilsen. TNS is a digital-first scent studio that develops high-end, small batch fragrance products. Erica is Chief Business Officer, overseeing business development, production and growth. She is also a consultant for Culture House Productions, where she works on TV and film projects.
Prior to this, Erica served as Executive Producer at Vox Media (2019-20). She ran the hit podcasts, Recode Decode and Pivot, and became entrenched in Vox Media's audio business. She even hosted a few episodes on topics like biohacking and workplace activism.
Prior to a return to media, Erica spent a decade in tech, where she helped Twitter and Google address their massive re-ordering of the global journalism community. Her primary focus, from very early on, was misinformation. At Google (2016-19), Erica led global News Lab efforts to combat misinformation. In partnership with product, Erica helped design solutions to elevate high-quality journalism across Google's numerous products. Her work took her around the world, to Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, France, Germany and the UK, where she met with local journalists and fact checkers to better understand use cases and bring them back to Google. She was also a co-organizer of the historic Google Walkout.
At Twitter (2011-15), where Erica was one of the first 300 employees, she pioneered the company's journalism efforts. Her work included the inaugural best practice program, Twitter for Newsrooms, and the development of satellite long codes to enable journalists to Tweet from war zones. She produced the first Twitter Town Hall, where she nudged President Barack Obama to post his first Tweet with the initials "-B.O.". During her five year tenure, she advised business development teams on acquisitions and experienced the company's IPO. She started Twitter’s internal LGBT group (“Twitter Open”) by pursuing community and organizing the queer identifying folx.
Prior to Twitter, Erica had the opportunity to work for Katie Couric at the CBS Evening News. She also covered the 2008 Presidential election for MTV News Choose or Lose, Street Team ‘08. She graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in journalism and minors in political science and religious studies.