As the editor-in-chief of her fifth-grade school newspaper, The Tomiyasu Wallstreet Dragon, Aleza Goldsmith Freeman dazzled the playground with a groundbreaking exposé on sporks. But really it was in second grade when she discovered her passion for writing. She penned a poem about the many practical uses for a unicorn’s horn and has been hooked on writing ever since.

Aleza thrives on deadlines and has more than 15 years of professional experience working in fast-paced environments, from newsrooms and marketing departments to advertising agencies and internet start-ups.

Although she has been writing since the second grade, Aleza first decided to pursue journalism in 1988, when she was 12 years old and won a writing contest sponsored by CBS. Her letter about why Las Vegas is a great place to live earned her a one-on-one meeting with then-CBS-anchorman Dan Rather at his studio in New York City. Having spent several years of her childhood performing with the Vegas-based Rainbow Company Children’s Theatre ensemble, she told Mr. Rather she wanted to be an actress. He encouraged her to consider journalism.

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Aleza is a 1999 graduate of University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she was a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. During college, she took an internship at a Las Vegas public relations firm and later worked as a features and news editor at the university newspaper, The Rebel Yell.

An award-winning reporter and page designer, her works have appeared in publications globally, including the Jerusalem Post, Conde Nast Traveler Network and the Los Angeles Times.  While working as a reporter at J. Weekly in San Francisco, Aleza traveled on assignment throughout Israel and to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Upon her return to Las Vegas, Aleza worked as News Editor for The News, a chain of community newspapers. There she earned first place awards for Entertainment Writing, Headline Writing and Page Design from the Nevada Press Association and Suburban Newspapers of America. She also put her writing skills to work as a copywriter for SK+G Advertising, American Casinos and Entertainment Properties and Affinity Gaming.

In her role as a senior writer for the travel website, Vegas.com, Aleza covered attractions, tours, spas and shopping. An insider source on Vegas, she has been quoted in several media outlets around the world including USA Today, NBC’s Today.com and Fox’s MORE, and formerly appeared regularly in Vegas.com’s Vegas Expert videos.

In 2014, Aleza was named a Distinguished Woman of Nevada by the Distinguished Publishing Company.

From 2014-2016, Aleza served as Editorial Director for the booking platform 1 Degree World Systems and travel.BUZZ, a portfolio of global travel and entertainment websites covering more than 400 of the top destinations in the world.

Aleza also wrote and published the fun poetry book, Candy Store at the Edge of the Galaxy (read the reviews, here). The quirky collection of poems and drawings for kids and the kid-at-heart was illustrated by her husband, artist Howard Freeman. Though inspired by authors like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein, Aleza’s true influence was her grandfather. Throughout her childhood, he often gifted Aleza and her siblings with original rhyming storybooks, containing important life lessons and silly characters based on her own family.

A thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie, Aleza resides in Las Vegas with her husband, son, two cats, and the occasional spider. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, organizing her closet and hanging out with her family.