Steven Vargas Writer / Actor/ Dancer


Journalism


Overview Bylines in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Dance Magazine, Alta Journal, E! News, Flaunt Magazine, 3 Views on Theater, Family Style, The Wrap, Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles, LA Dance Chronicle, and Stage Raw.

Launched and ran the L.A. Goes OutNewsletter for the L.A. Times, building an audience of over 30,000 subscribers in less than a year.

Hosted the Critical Minded Podcast after contributing to the organization’s report, Topdogs and Underdogs: Critics of Color and the Theatrical Landscape, as a researcher

Co-founded the Equity Board at USC Annenberg Media with a Poynter Media Project grant and penned the newsroom’s first Guide to Equitable Reporting Strategies and Newsroom Style (now included in every syllabus at USC Annenberg).

Earned multiple awards with the LA Press Club, including SoCal Journalism Awards (for feature coverage) and the Life in the Times of the Coronavirus Content (for his short documentary, Dancing at Home).

Wrote his master’s thesis on dance as a tool for abolition, liberation, and empowerment.


Work Samples

Los Angeles Times



Freelance & Others



Criticism



USA Today





Awards
  • 3rd Place Diversity in the Entertainment Industry, L.A. Press Club’s 16th National A&E Journalism Awards (2023) Read the LA Times article
  • 3rd Place Theater/Performing Arts Criticism, L.A. Press Club's 63rd Southern California Journalism Awards (2021) Read the Annenberg Media article
  • Life in the Time of the Coronavirus Contest, 1st Place Student Category, L.A. Press Club (2020) Award Announcement
  • 2020 Student Videographer of the Year, Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles (2020) Award Announcement
  • 3rd Place Pandemic Reporting, L.A. Press Club’s 63rd Southern California Journalism Awards (2021)
  • 1st Place Best Feature Writing, L.A. Press Club’s 62nd Southern California Journalism Awards (2020) Read the Annenberg Media review





www.vargassteven.com
Steven Vargas
Last updated April 2026