Why hello there.

This is the virtual home of Chris Barton, the one who wrote, edited, and wore many other hats for the L.A. Times before I left it and Los Angeles in 2019. After writing about pop culture, comedy, TV, and weirdo jazz in a cratering media environment, it was time for a change.

After cooling off among the trees in Portland, I now live in San Francisco working remotely for a digital marketing agency, where I help creative and technical experts capture insights on what they do and connect with their audience. My clients include firms who specialize in data analytics, web development, entertainment marketing, UX design and other pursuits. In between, I’m still taking in too much news and making things up as I go while trying to improve an unruly novel. I’ve also begun throwing words around at a newsletter called Throwing Strays. (Yes, I started a Substack — but at least it’s not a podcast.)

My journalism has also appeared in the eco-driven online publication Red Canary Magazine as well as a few stints writing about music for Downbeat, Magnet, and other spots here and there. Before that I contributed features, promo copy, and documentation for a sued-into-submission entertainment startup, and also I moved words around for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation during my last stint in the Bay Area. But if you really want to startle me, tell me you were among the hardy few who accidentally saw me doing stand-up around the city as a wayward youth. Actually, don’t. Please.

Welcome, stay awhile. Maybe I can help tell your story too.