Hello there!
I’m Amari Pollard, a writer, audience development strategist, and host. My work aims to create space for overlooked stories within culture, wellness, and sports.
After six years of working for media organizations, I've recently transitioned into freelancing full-time. While my talents have largely been used within the social media space, I am open to projects that involve digital strategy and content creation in addition to social media management. Before embarking on this new phase of my career, I spent two years overseeing social media and community for the New York Times’s Wirecutter. When I wasn’t working in the
Photo by Noar Zarrouk
audience development space, I was busy co-hosting ESPN’s “Sound On with Tari & Amari”—we’re waiting to see if the show gets picked up for a fourth season—and freelance writing. My work has been featured in The Week, MindbodyGreen, Bustle, VeryWell, Reader’s Digest, Inside Lacrosse, and more.
Formerly, I co-hosted Athletes Unlimited’s “Draft Off with Tari & Amari” and the independent podcast “Sufficiently Black.”
Although I’ve chased after city living my whole life, I’m happily a small-town girl at heart. I grew up 20 minutes outside of Syracuse, NY, and attended Le Moyne College to study journalism. While at Le Moyne, I was a part of the honors and creative writing programs, spearheaded the college newspaper as its editor-in-chief, and played midfield for the women’s lacrosse team. After college, I worked as a social media producer at Syracuse.com and a social media editor turned the first-ever head of audience development at The Week before earning my M.A. in media and communication from UNC Hussman as a Roy H. Park Fellow. In an unexpected turn of events, I will teach a Communication Ethics course at my alma mater, Le Moyne College, in 2024.
After moving about the country—from Syracuse to Brooklyn to Chapel Hill to Los Angeles—over the last five years, I’ve settled in Central NY (for now) with my partner and our semi-thriving plants. I love spending time with my family, watching reruns of Great British Bake Off (season three is the best), and tasting my way through the town. Creating engaging content that helps people connect is my passion. I hope it will always be a part of the work I do.