Whitney Pastorek

Whitney Pastorek is a writer and photographer based in Los Angeles and/or wherever the bus just dropped her off. She spent six years on staff at Entertainment Weekly, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Details, the Village Voice, and Fast Company, among many others.

Stories by Whitney PastorekRSS

Fast Company

One Man’s Quest To Donate Flights To People Visiting Their Dying Loved Ones Finally Comes True

Matt Dimmer’s organization The Extra Mile–like many well intentioned nonprofits–came close to not getting off the ground at all. But now, after a moving first donated trip to connect a son to his estranged father, he’s ready for more.

Fast Company

How The Team Behind Thinx Created One Of The Sexiest Ways To Give Back

Buy a pair of Thinx and you’ll be putting on underwear that looks good and is ingeniously designed. More importantly, perhaps, you’ll be helping girls in Africa to not let their periods disrupt their lives. Here’s the story behind the social innovation.

Fast Company

Kids Want To Make A Difference, Too–RandomKid Lets Them Do It Themselves

10-year-old Talia Leman started her career by organizing to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. She’s grown up, and so has her business, which now offers a platform for kids to make their own change.

Fast Company

Bringing Design Thinking To Social Problems, Ideo.org Focuses On The People In Need

The nonprofit spin-off of the huge design firm takes on issues like sanitation and clean cook stoves from the unique perspective of the design world.

Fast Company

Africa’s First Fair-Trade Garment Manufacturer Is A Model For Women’s Empowerment

Liberty and Justice not only employs hundreds of women, but focuses on an age group that usually gets ignored in the garment industry–women who are over 30.

Fast Company

How One Young Car Sharing Entrepreneur Keeps Disrupting How We Get Around

Before he started pink-mustache-branded Lyft, John Zimmer had already co-founded Zimride. What’s next in his quest to figure out how to make better use of our roads?

Fast Company

Creating A Salesforce For Products In Africa By Turning Young People Into Salespeople

All the kids living in Kenyan slums were already selling things for a living. LivelyHoods takes that expertise and uses it to sell solutions.

Fast Company

Helping People Get To See Their Dying Loved Ones, One Mile At A Time

The Extra Mile lets you donate unused frequent flyer miles to help people be at the bedside of sick family members. For founder Matt Dimmer, its creation was part of the grieving process–and then became so much more.

Fast Company

The Inside Story Of Soma, The Gorgeous Compostable Water Filter Company

Before he was launching Kickstarter-famous design projects, Mike Del Ponte was well on his way to becoming a priest. But then he found he could impact the world through other, more tangible, means.

Fast Company

Meet The Inspiring Woman Breaking News About Syria As She Reinvents Digital Journalism

With her ultra-focused site, Syria Deeply, Lara Setrakian is changing how journalists cover global crisis.

Ideas

This Outdoor Gear For Good Company Proved You Can Be A Benefit Corporation From Day One

Ideas

This New Meal Kit Delivery Service Isn’t For Tired Home Cooks–It Fights Hunger

Ideas

The Most Charitable Cities In America

Entertainment

Here’s Everything You Need To Know About VidCon

Entertainment

Microsoft Launches New Branded Podcast On How The Future Of Tech Is Decided Today

Entertainment

“Bajillion Dollar Properties” Creator Kulap Vilaysack Wants To Be the Asian Shonda Rhimes

Co.Design

Product

Ikea And Apple May Be Cooking Up The Next Big Thing In Retail

Spaces

This Pavilion Is Designed Around The Solstices Like A Modern Stonehenge

Innovation By Design

Meet The Biohacking Pioneers Who Are Redesigning Their Own Bodies

Fast Company

Ideas

This Outdoor Gear For Good Company Proved You Can Be A Benefit Corporation From Day One

Entertainment

Here’s Everything You Need To Know About VidCon

Ideas