Deidre Olsen is an award-nominated writer and filmmaker.

Photo by Denny Voigt.

Deidre Olsen is Senior Content Marketeer at Firmhouse. Previously, she was Editor-in-Chief at Contentoo, Senior Editor at The Pointer, and Associate Editor at Storeys. Deidre was a 2021 Canadian National Magazine Award nominee, a 2020 Canada Council for the Arts grant recipient, and a 2019 Fellow in Global Journalism at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

She co-wrote the forthcoming short film “A DJ in the Territories,” which was shortlisted for the 2022 Palestinian Sunbird Production Competition. Deidre has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and is a Master of Arts candidate in North American Studies at the John F. Kennedy Institute at Freie Universität Berlin.

Her reporting, op-eds and essays have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, NBC News, Shondaland, The Cut, Refinery29, Vice, Salon, Narratively, Literary Hub, Brooklyn Magazine, Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Reader’s Digest Canada, and more than 50 publications. Deidre has judged the Canadian National Magazine Awards and John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism and has co-hosted an equitable reporting workshop at the Ryerson School of Journalism.

Selected Press

Testimonials

  • I have had the pleasure of working with Deidre in various freelance capacities over the past two years. Her skills as a writer and editor are truly exceptional, as she consistently produces high-quality work with unwavering attention to detail. However, what sets Deidre apart is her exemplary commitment to being a reliable and dependable business partner. Whether it's meeting deadlines, quick turnaround times, or her service-oriented approach, Deidre's dedication is unmatched. I can confidently say that her professionalism and work ethic make her an invaluable asset to any project or team.

    Lennart Dobravsky, Founder of Research+Attitude

  • Deidre is an exceptional journalist. As a writer, she's clever, thorough, imaginative and always able to find and communicate the point of any story. As an editor, she's thorough, fast and professional. Her production and digital skills are superb. Her knowledge of SEO and social media is a key strength and an asset to any employer looking to drive traffic and engagement.

    Steve Tustin, Managing Editor at Storeys

  • I had the opportunity to work with Deidre during my time at ROKT and she is absolutely fabulous. She was usually given projects that had a short turn around time and required converting complex ad-tech content into a consumer friendly version and not only would she deliver way ahead of deadlines but ensure the content had all the details and yet was easily digestible. I would strongly recommend her.

    Bijal Shah, Director of Product Marketing and Events at ROKT

  • I had the pleasure of working with Deidre as a freelancer for Salon.com. Deidre was always professional, courteous, excellent at generating topics as well as being assigned, and delivered clean and well-researched copy. I would recommend Deidre wholeheartedly to any organization or employer.

    Keith A. Spencer, Senior Editor at Salon

  • Deidre was one of my favorite freelancers to work with while I was at CoverWallet. She was great at receiving feedback and applying it to her writing. She was also able to handle multiple pieces of content with no problem. I'd hire Deidre again, easily!

    Kate Braner, Content and PR Manager at CoverWallet

  • I can't speak highly enough about Deidre, she was a consistent top performer and always eager to learn. She works well with ambiguity and is fast at problem solving, something that is required when working on pilot programs or in startup environments. She is a true hustler.

    Moin Virani, Global Operations Manager at Airbnb