Today we’d like to introduce you to Daria Smith
Hi Daria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
9-5 I’m a senior commerce editor at Trusted Media Brands, working across Taste of Home, Reader’s Digest, and Family Handyman. On the side, I freelance food, travel, and sporting content across the South. My work has appeared in Forbes, National Geographic, Southern Living, The Local Palate, Covey Rise, Better Homes & Gardens, Eating Well, The Post and Courier, and Charleston Living.
I’m always on the hunt for a good story. I explore life below the Mason-Dixon line through the fare and traditions of the South. Meanwhile, I pen my experiences in sporting, travel, and food to paper. I’m not interested in big cities—but off-the-beaten-path gems in quaint towns. I have meaningful conversations with purveyors and artisans in the pursuit of a passion to document their stories.
I landed my first byline and introduction to commerce writing with Southern Living in 2020. Before writing, I created a YouTube channel in 2012, which sparked a blog and accidental gig as an influencer. My personal brand amassed an engaged following of 25,000+. I created sponsored content with prominent brands, including Lilly Pulitzer, Victoria’s Secret, and Urban Decay. In 2018, I pivoted to managing social media accounts for small businesses and worked as a PR assistant. In 2020, I was interviewing for social media roles but got hired to write content at an ad agency. And the rest is history.
After college, I spent a year in Birmingham, Alabama, and then moved to Charleston, South Carolina. I took a newsletter editor role at The Post and Courier, the South’s oldest newspaper, where I often pulled 80-hour weeks to freelance commerce content. In 2021, TMB needed an editor with expertise in newsletters and the commerce vertical, hence my current position.
I never set out to be a writer and editor, as I thought I’d work in social media. However, I can’t imagine doing anything else! Between testing products at my 9-5 and chronicling travel pieces across the South, I get to meet some pretty cool individuals! As an influencer, I reviewed products and wrote travel guides on my blog, so everything has really come full circle. I’m traveling to my hometown this week to write a piece on the town’s food scene.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Most definitely not. However, I’ve learned resilience, determination, how to pivot, and how to pitch myself.
I graduated college in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and originally planned to move to Austin, Texas, to work for Kendra Scott. However, layoffs occurred, and the country shut down. I moved to Birmingham, Alabama, for Southern Living’s post-grad fellowship, but it was canceled due to Covid. I wrote content for an advertising agency for a year and freelanced commerce stories for Southern Living. I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, as soon as my lease was up, as I had always dreamed of moving to Charleston, and I felt called here.
I was laid off my first week in Charleston, as I had moved here with a PR job and started working remotely a month before my move. I was 23 and in a new city with no job. Thankfully, I was unemployed for seven business days before taking a job back in editorial at The Post and Courier. I can’t believe that was three years ago, and time has flown.
So, no, it has not been easy. But it’s been fun!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I don’t really take PTO or time off; most of my free time is spent traveling across the South for press trips.
As a freelance writer, I craft sporting, travel, and food features throughout the Southern region of the U.S., i.e., anything below the Mason-Dixon line. My work spans a vast range, from a conservation piece on sandhill cranes for Covey Rise to a food profile of the hidden culinary gem of Tupelo, Mississippi.
I’m always on the hunt for a good story. I explore life below the Mason-Dixon line, through the fare and traditions of the South. Meanwhile, I pen my experiences in sporting, travel, and food to paper. I’m not interested in big cities—but off-the-beaten-path gems in quaint towns. I have meaningful conversations with purveyors and artisans in the pursuit of a passion to share their stories with the world.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Never give up. Be persistent. The hustle always pays off.
When you work hard, the right opportunities will present themselves. Keep showing up, and say yes to new opportunities when they arise. Continue the hard work.
You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going. With experience, you’ll figure out what you like and don’t like, and find your niche.
Fake it until you make it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://muckrack.com/daria-smith
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariarosesmith
