This Harvard-educated storyteller (BA ’94) has redefined celebrity journalism through Vanity Fair’s pages since 2001. Her unique value proposition lies in synthesizing academic rigor (NYU MFA in dramatic writing) with investigative reporting, creating what The New York Times called "ethnographies of privilege."
"Her work resides in the interstice between tabloid and treatise, making the esoteric accessible without sacrificing complexity." - Columbia Journalism Review
We've followed Evgenia Peretz's evolution from NYU-trained playwright to Vanity Fair's sharp observer of cultural paradoxes. Her career defies simple categorization, blending investigative rigor with cinematic storytelling across journalism, screenwriting, and documentary production.
Peretz's 20-year Vanity Fair tenure ([4][8]) established her as a chronicler of societal elites, while her parallel screenwriting career (Our Idiot Brother, Juliet, Naked) [3] informs her psychologically nuanced profiles. This dual expertise culminates in her Peacock docuseries Anatomy of Lies [2], examining truth distortion in digital ecosystems.
This 11,000-word investigation exposed systemic failures at a $47,000/year LA prep school. Peretz masterfully interweaves victim testimonies with institutional audits, revealing how privilege enables abuse cycles. Her narrative structure mirrors legal briefs, using subpoenaed documents as plot devices while maintaining human-centered storytelling.
Peretz transforms gossip-column fodder into a meditation on modern masculinity. Tracking Avery's transition from NHL enforcer to bespoke tailor, she employs fashion metaphorism - analyzing stitch patterns in his suits as proxies for emotional vulnerability. The piece redefines celebrity divorce coverage through socioeconomic lenses rather than salacious details.
This three-part series represents Peretz's narrative apotheosis. Deploying forensic animation and social media scraping tools, she reconstructs misinformation pathways from 4chan threads to mainstream outlets. The documentary's interactive format allows viewers to toggle between "claimed truth" and verified timelines - a technical innovation praised by the Columbia Journalism Review.
Peretz's Vanity Fair piece on Broadway's Hamilton ([4]) analyzed Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics through Schenkerian music theory. Successful pitches should bridge seemingly disparate fields - e.g., applying architectural principles to celebrity brand-building or using behavioral economics to explain TikTok fame cycles.
Her Marlborough School investigation [9] paired emotional interviews with tuition revenue spreadsheets. Pitch stories where quantitative analysis (patent filings, luxury retail sales data) contrasts with qualitative narratives. Example: "How Balenciaga's Supply Chain Data Reveals Shifting Class Signifiers."
With Anatomy of Lies [2], Peretz designed scenes specifically for TikTok debunking. Propose multimedia narratives where each platform component adds unique value - Instagram carousels visualizing wealth disparity metrics, or podcast interviews analyzing vocal stress patterns during CEO apologies.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Lifestyle, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
