About

Hello! I’m Roland. I’m a Brooklyn Oakland-based reporter and photographer.

I’ve been lucky enough to live in a period of unprecedented disruption, and I’m fascinated by the ever-changing interplay between technology, business and culture. I’ve reported extensively on business, music, media, real estate and technology.

I was born in Beijing, and I lived in New York City for over eight years. In January 2015, I moved across the country to the San Francisco Bay Area. Although I’ve switched coasts, I believe my work still my love of my new city, both its spectacular physicality and the aspirations and dreams of its residents.

My basic goal is to provide value. I think every good story reveals something about human nature or the world we live in, and I hope my work does the same. My writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Observer, Interview, the Huffington Post and a variety of local outlets and trade publications. My full resume is here, and you can reach me in a variety of ways here.

My favorite band is Eisley. My favorite sports team is the Rangers, although my favorite sport is swimming. My favorite piece is probably “Pearls Before Breakfast.”

All writing and photography on this site is my own, with the exception of the above picture, which was taken by my friend Heather Holland.