My name is Shandana A. Durrani. I’m a veteran travel and lifestyle journalist (Condé Nast Traveler, Wine Spectator, Silverkris, Afar, etc.) and Creative Director.

Currently, I’m Creative Director at Meraki Studio. I oversee all creative projects, including campaigns, copywriting, scriptwriting, design and voiceovers.

I’m currently available for freelance editorial projects and consulting work.

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I was born in Asia but grew up in Detroit, Michigan. My love for the written word developed early. By the time I was 12, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. In high school, I became the features editor of our weekly paper and the editor of our senior magazine. If I wasn’t playing tennis after school, you could find me working long hours, putting issues to bed with the EIC.

After high school, I attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, earning a B.A. with Distinction in Sociology (with a concentration in Magazine Journalism).

Two months after graduation, I landed a job as an Editorial Assistant in New York City at a now-defunct tennis lifestyle magazine called Racquet. It was quite the racket so I jumped from writing about tennis strings to writing and editing stories about travel, food, wine and other lifestyle topics at Cigar Aficionado magazine, where I was the lone woman editor not to mention the only POC on the masthead.

I am fluent in English and Urdu, semi-fluent in French, know a smattering of Italian and am learning German, but Persian is my mother tongue. Ruze khubi dâshte bâshi!

Today, I split my time between Germany and the United States, managing a large team of writers, videographers, social media managers and designers. I also have a podcast and am writing my first novel and short story anthology.

So why should you work with me?

Writing/Editing

With more than two decades of experience, I make pithy copy even better. I wrote my first “novel” at the age of nine. While “Susan and the Flying Shoes” never flew off bookstore shelves, it lit a spark for the written word that remains to this day.

 

Creative Direction

I have spearheaded high-return integrated content across all marketing channels and have lead cross-functional teams of designers, copywriters, social media experts and videographers in the strategic development of messaging and deliverables.

 

Content Strategy

I am a well-versed content and brand strategist who has her finger on the pulse of what readers and customers want. I can craft a dynamic strategy deck and editorial plan to bring your brand, blog or content to life.