Arabella Bowen

Hi—I build things people trust, read, and use, from award-winning travel platforms to digital newsrooms and storytelling systems designed to scale.

I’ve spent my career at the intersection of media, technology, and culture. I’ve led digital transformation at Fodor’s Travel, scaled global audiences at AFAR, shaped new storytelling formats at Christie’s, and co-founded a startup backed by Expedia’s Impact Accelerator.

Through it all, I’ve focused on the same work: translating complex systems into clear, engaging, and useful resources for real people—not just algorithms.

What I Do

I work where storytelling, platforms, and strategy meet to help startups, nonprofits, and established brands design public-facing systems that earn trust, scale intelligently, and invite real participation.

That looks like:

• Building and leading high-performing digital, editorial, and content teams.
• Launching new platforms, products, tools, and franchises from the ground up.
• Developing brand and narrative strategy grounded in service journalism and public clarity.
• Designing audience, growth, and engagement frameworks informed by data and real use.
• Leading cross-functional teams through transformation and scale.

Two Ways To Explore My Work

I’ve built a career combining two disciplines: writing stories and building platforms. You can see both in action:

Writing Portfolio →
Stories, columns, and reported features across travel, culture, and civic life.

Marketing & Strategy Portfolio →
Product launches, audience growth, digital transformations, and content-strategy case studies.

Background

Before moving into digital leadership and building large-scale public platforms, I reported on tech, city life, travel, and the arts for daily newspapers and alt-weeklies. (William Safire cited one of my city columns in The New York Times).

Alongside my professional work, I’m Board President of a landmarked Manhattan co-op and a Board Member of the Association of Art Museum Curators. I’m also active with my Block Association and serve as an Election Poll Worker (it’s a long day, but worth it → sign up.)

Awards & Recognition

Teams I’ve led have won Webby Awards for Fodor’s website and apps; a Folio Award for AFAR’s daily newsletter; multiple Lowell Thomas Awards, including Bronze for Fodor’s Travel Tech column and Silver for Fodor’s Brooklyn guide; and CitizenM’s Founders First recognition for SoloTrvlr.

I’ve appeared on CBS this Morning, CNN, and Today, and been a keynote speaker and panelist at industry conferences including SXSW. I bring fluency in emerging tech and AI, grounded in decades of building and operating real platforms and content systems.

Contact

For speaking, consulting, collaborations, or editorial inquiries:

Email: hello@arabellabowen.com

Connect: LinkedIn

Follow: @arabynyc