About Renee Brincks

Hello! I’m Renee Brincks.

I write about travel, health, and sustainability, with a special interest in people driving positive change – like heirloom vegetable farmers, adventure tour operators, medical researchers, nonprofit leaders, and artists who spark an appreciation of nature. As a full-time freelancer for 15+ years, I’ve worked on journalism, content marketing, copywriting, and corporate communication projects for major media outlets and brands.

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A few highlights from my freelance writing career:

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I’ve reported stories for dozens of consumer and trade publications, including National Geographic Traveler, Sierra, the San Francisco Chronicle, BBC Travel, United Hemispheres, Via, Sunset, Travel Weekly, Alaska Airlines Beyond, American Way, Where San Francisco, Endless Vacation, Carmel Magazine, Rodale’s Organic Life, and Smart Meetings.

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I’ve written for Buick, Humana, Google, Pebble Beach, the American Physiological Society, 1440 Multiversity, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Telc Language Tests, Hornblower Cruises, and others, both directly and through agency partnerships.

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My portfolio includes B2B and B2C articles, profiles, SEO-driven blog posts, ghostwriting projects, newsletters, narrative case studies, annual reports, web copy, and more.

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I’m comfortable working with and interviewing a range of stakeholders, from CEOs to subject matter experts to small-business owners.

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I bring a reporter’s research skills, a copywriter’s creative mindset, and strategic storytelling expertise to each new assignment.

A little more about me

An antique orange VW bus in a mountainous setting

A group of people collaborate in a modern, brightly lit office space

I’m a Travel Weekly contributing editor and a former San Francisco editor for Zagat. My articles helped feature projects win awards from the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. I also wrote a chapter on Volkswagen bus tour owners for the book Bulli Love.

Before launching my freelance business, I managed marketing communications for the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Before that, I was a Des Moines Register reporter. I earned a master’s in communication at Australia’s Bond University as a Rotary scholar, and I double-majored in English and Spanish at Central College.

I grew up on a small Iowa farm and lived in Spain, Alaska, and Australia before landing on the California coast. These days, I’m based in San Francisco and spend part of each year working from Iowa’s Driftless Area.

I’m always open to discussing projects for consumer and trade outlets, nonprofits, organizations, and community-centered companies.

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View My Writing Samples

Select outlets and clients

Served directly and through agency partnerships

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A standout contributor and an absolute pleasure to work with.

“During the five years we worked together, I could always count on Renee for compelling story ideas and engaging, thoroughly reported copy that was on time, hit assigned length, and was damn clean to boot.”

– Eric Moya, former destinations editor, Travel Weekly

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Renee is that rare reporting and writing powerhouse.

“She uncovers offbeat characters and under-the-radar stories, communicates clearly (and oh-so-pleasantly), and files squeaky-clean copy promptly. Her descriptions are singular and dazzling, and she makes the creation of thoughtfully structured, well-paced, and absorbing stories appear easy. Renee has repeatedly made my job as an editor almost laughably easy. She’s truly a treasure of a freelancer.”

– Katie O’Reilly, adventure and lifestyle editor, Sierra Magazine

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One of my go-to luxury lifestyle writers.

“In her work for Pebble Beach and GuestLife Monterey Bay magazines, Renee consistently captures the spirit of place and delivers the perfect balance of context and insider knowledge that makes her stories interesting, informative and, best of all, memorable.”

– Steven Biller, editorial director, Palm Springs Life