Meet Anna Gragert | Writer, Editor, and Content Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Gragert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Telling others’ stories makes me happy. As a writer, I relish in the opportunity to share the impactful work other creatives are putting out into the world. This allows for conversation, connection, and community, which are essential for us all to live happy lives. If I can make others experience joy and feel seen through my work, then I feel I am doing my job right.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
(NOTE: The following is copied and edited from my VoyageLA feature.)

I grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and went to college for business administration because multiple high school teachers preached that creative careers are fruitless. (Spoiler: They were wrong.) Instead, I fell in love with writing as a way to process life and reflect on the challenges I faced growing up.

Soon after, I started writing articles for the internet, made some money here and there, and dropped out of college after a year. Around this time, I also began receiving treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, which greatly helped me take this step. From my parents’ basement, I continued freelancing, writing about 20 articles per day, and ended up getting consistent assignments from art and culture websites My Modern Met and HelloGiggles.

Eventually, I was asked to move to L.A. to become a staff writer at HelloGiggles. A few months later, I was promoted to associate editor and then lifestyle editor, which allowed me to launch the brand’s first lifestyle vertical. After HelloGiggles, I went on to become a senior editor and deputy editor at a food and lifestyle site before going back to freelancing. In the midst of all that editing, I wrote for publications like the L.A. Times, Bust, Forge, Elle, Glamour, Dazed, InStyle, Elemental, Catapult, LAist, and — saved the best for last — Hunker! I’m now the senior lifestyle editor at Hunker, which is genuinely my favorite role yet.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting, the top five places I would take them to would be: 1) Craft Contemporary, a museum focused on the potential of craft
2) Crossroads Kitchen OR Vurger Guyz for life-changing vegan food
3) Griffith Observatory, of course
4) Little Tokyo for food, drinks, shopping, everything!
5) Lost Books bookstore for the perfect mix of literature and plants

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to anyone who has ever edited, published, read, or been featured in my work. Through writing, I have met many talented, kind individuals — in this industry and beyond — and would be nowhere without their support and guidance.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annagragert/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-gragert-090a0780/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annagragert

Other: https://linktr.ee/annagragert