About Us
The Magazine
Stories that explore the intersection of travel, design, culture, and craftsmanship.
The Culture-ist illuminates the ways travel, design, and culture are shaping a more beautiful world through stories of place, craft, and human possibility. Our work has been featured and syndicated by Architectural Digest, National Geographic, VOGUE, Forbes, Inc., Eater, BBC America, Business Insider, and The Huffington Post, reaching a global audience of more than 100 million.
Through thoughtful editorial storytelling, we celebrate the artists, designers, chefs, and activists creating meaningful change through their craft. We believe culture is not created through shortcuts, but through devotion to the slow work of building something that lasts.
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Maria Russo
Co-founder, Editor, Photographer
Maria Russo is a photographer, writer, and editor whose work has appeared in Architectural Digest, People Magazine, VOGUE, Forbes, Eater, National Geographic, Inc., BBC America, The Huffington Post, and VII Photo Agency, among others. She is a regular contributor to National Geographic Your Shot and was a finalist in the 2022 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest.
Driven by a passion for exploring humanity’s relationship with the natural world, Russo has traveled extensively to document the intersection of culture, environment, and human impact. These experiences inspired her to collaborate with global brands on strategic storytelling projects that showcase corporate social responsibility, sustainable travel, food and design, holistic wellness, climate resilience, and gender-responsive economic initiatives. Previously, as a columnist for Inc., Russo profiled influential female leaders driving social change. Her journalism career includes interviews with icons such as Janet Jackson, Walter Cronkite, Sally Field, Martin Sheen, and Glenn Close for People Magazine, as well as early roles in television, print, and broadcast media with Harper’s Bazaar and MTV Networks.
In 2014, Russo began documenting the lives of women farmers in Rwanda, examining how poverty and food insecurity intertwine with the climate and health crises. Over the next seven years, she focused on women-led tree-based agriculture and permagardening initiatives, working in Consultative Status with the United Nations through her organization Humanity Unified International. Her work continues to illuminate why women are disproportionately affected by climate change.
Russo also developed a graduate-level course with Susanne Althoff, former editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe Magazine, for Emerson College: “Topics in Writing and Publishing: Writing and Editing for TheCultureist.com.”
Check out Maria's imagery on Maria Russo Photography and on Instagram: @MariaaAugust @humanityunified
Anthony Russo
Co-founder
Anthony Russo is a documentary + lifestyle photographer, videographer, web designer, + humanitarian. His work with The Culture-ist has been featured by Architectural Digest, Forbes, BBC America, The Huffington Post, Out of the Sandbox, and a long list of luxury hotel and lifestyle brands.
You can find his imagery on The Culture-ist, Life Dezigned and on Instagram:@lifedezigned @thecultureist
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