WORK WITH ME

WORK WITH ME

Writer • Editor • Producer • Teacher
2025 Webby Honoree  •  2025 Signal Award Winner

I’m Cynthia True, a writer + editor based in Los Angeles, and I help build standout stories and content — from essays and book manuscripts to narrative podcasts, screenplays, and proposals.

I work with clients privately and I teach workshops on narrative nonfiction writing and podcast development.

Writing + Editing

  • Editorial and creative writing: essays, memoir, and narrative nonfiction
  • Story and line editing
  • Pitch decks, proposals, and treatments
  • Content writing and ghostwriting

Podcast Production

  • Narrative show development
  • Episode structure and story arcs
  • Scriptwriting and rewrite polish
  • Research, booking, interview prep
  • Hands-on producing from idea to delivery

About My Work

I’m drawn to stories with depth, humanity, and a little bit of edge.

My recent podcast Blow•Up — a documentary series about the resurrection of Harper’s Bazaar and its rebel editor, Liz Tilberis — explores the fashion world of the 1990s through interviews with the editors, models, photographers, and designers who lived it. I wrote, edited, and co-produced the series, in addition to writing and editing the Blow•Up companion Substack. Before that, I spent years writing and editing for TV, film, magazines, and digital platforms. I began my career at Harper’s Bazaar, was an editor at Time Out NY, a contributing editor at Glamour, and a feature writer for Rolling Stone, Texas Monthly, Bazaar, Interview, and Paper magazine.

I wrote the biography, American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story for HarperCollins / Macmillan UK (2002 / 2012) and I later co-created and executive produced the Emmy-nominated Nickelodeon show The Mighty B!, a show about a highly ambitious scout with Amy Poehler. I’ve story edited, consulted and developed projects for Dreamworks, Comedy Central, and Sony Pictures Television.

I also work privately with writers and creators on essays, memoirs, book manuscripts, narrative podcasts, proposals and pitch materials— helping shape story structure, sharpen voice, and identify the emotional core of a story. In addition, I teach workshops on narrative nonfiction writing and independent podcast development.

I thrive in collaborative environments, fleshing out stories with others, and I bring a mix of curiosity, humor, and strong story sense to everything I work on.

Feedback

“Cynthia's detailed notes on short pieces, and my latest novel, have been invaluable in shaping and strengthening narrative development, character arcs, and story structure.”
— Brett Paesel, author, "Mommies Who Drink" (Warner Books)

“Cynthia True is a terrific editor with a gift for sharp analysis. She understands the writing process and helped me work through creative blocks, doubt, and lack of energy, setting me back on a path toward inspiration and dedication to my work.”
— Kari Lizer, author, "Aren't You Forgetting Someone?" (Running Press)

“Cynthia's workshop made the process of developing a narrative podcast feel concrete and achievable.”
— Kate Flannery, author, "Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles" (Henry Holt)

SAMPLES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.