Home / Andrea Yu – Toronto Freelance Writer

Toronto Life • 14th January 2020

How James Hobson (a.k.a. The Hacksmith) brings in six figures a year building superhero props on YouTube

Suddenly, we were a mid-sized channel that was making money off YouTube ads. Sponsorship deals started rolling in from companies like LG, and Google.

The Globe and Mail • 13th January 2020

Canadian True Crime’s Kristi Lee: I didn’t expect to get to 'a point where I would be able to monetize the podcast’

Kristi Lee is an Australian-born Torontonian behind one of Canada’s top independent podcasts.

Toronto Life • 10th January 2020

How Mitch Moffit (a.k.a. AsapSCIENCE) got 9 million followers making science videos on YouTube

The revenue we were making allowed us to bring on more people and create more videos. By 2017, we’d assembled a team of six people.

The Globe and Mail • 6th January 2020

Q&A with Real Housewife Ann Kaplan

As a single mother, Ann Kaplan started iFinance Canada, a small consumer loans business. But Kaplan is better known as one of the Real Housewives of Toronto.

The Globe and Mail • 23rd December 2019

Fashion Santa Paul Mason: ‘I never knew about this minor celebrity stuff.’

Model Paul Mason became an internet sensation in 2015 after his campaign with the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto as a stylish Santa went viral.

Toronto Life • 13th December 2019

A look at Terra Lumina, the Toronto Zoo’s trippy, multisensory nighttime walk

Terra Lumina, a new multimedia experience at the Toronto Zoo, transports visitors 80 years into a future, a time when balance is restored on the planet.

Toronto Life • 12th December 2019

The best places to skate in Toronto this winter

The only upside to the coming onslaught of freezing temperatures: skating season. We’ve found the coolest skating trails and rinks in the city to visit this winter, all of which are of free to use.

The Globe and Mail • 9th December 2019

Q&A with ethical hacker Dustin Heywood

Dustin Heywood, also known by his online handle EvilMog, began hacking into computer networks as a teenager in the mid-1990s. Now the 36-year-old is using his hacking skills for good.

The Globe and Mail • 6th December 2019

How to avoid employment scams

'Financial agent’ job scams are on the rise. “The victim’s job is going to be to receive payments, take that money out and convert it to bitcoins to send it back to the company.”

Escapism TO • 19th November 2019

Meet the females transforming Okanagan Valley's wine scene

Winemaker Severine Pinte honed her craft in France, where an old man’s club of winemakers still prevails. But she fell in love with Oliver-Osoyoos, where she was encouraged to create and explore.

The Globe and Mail • 18th November 2019

Sarah Casorso: ‘You collaborate and you work it out to get the job done’

A Q&A with former professional women's hockey and Niagara-based head brewer Sarah Casorso.

The Globe and Mail • 8th November 2019

Looking to hire Gen Z? Try Instagram or video ads

“Companies forget that candidates are choosing us just as much as we’re choosing them. They do research, they look at reviews, they go to our Instagram page, they watch our Instagram stories.”

Blog Viarail • 8th November 2019

A feel-good wellness weekend on Bowen Island

Bowen Island is a cute destination with small-town charm, offering Vancouverites the opportunity to leave behind the urban hustle and bustle in exchange for a quieter pace of life.

Toronto Star • 7th November 2019

Millennials have become the renovation generation

Millennial homeowners, rather than sell their starter homes and move, are staying put and spending their money on expansions and improvements, according to a recent survey from HomeStars.

WestJet Magazine • 1st November 2019

Everything You Need to Know About Whisky

A guide to the different styles and the regions known for producing whisky, plus get a recipe to make your own Boulevardier.

The Globe and Mail • 21st October 2019

Morning mentorship with UNICEF Canada’s Rowena Pinto

When chief program officer Rowena Pinto looks back on her career in public policy and administration, she distinctly remembers the managers and supervisors who mentored her early on.

Foodism TO • 9th October 2019

What's in Store: Brodflour

Dara Gallinger toured bakeries in both North America and Europe to discover bakers that work closely with their flour millers. She brought this idea home with her to launch Brodflour in early 2019.

Escapism TO • 8th October 2019

A five-day kayaking trip into B.C.'s wilderness

“Are we halfway there?” I asked, trying to mask the exhaustion I felt two hours into my first-ever kayaking trip. “Not quite, but close,” our guide replied with a hint of concern about whether I’d make it to our final destination, an off-grid lodge in the Sunshine Coast.

LOJEL • 5th October 2019

Memento: Andrea Yu

No matter where we travel to, there are things we take with us—or things we bring home to remember a place. That’s the purpose of this series: to learn about the #LojelCollective's favorite items or keepsakes, and the stories behind them.

Toronto Star • 23rd September 2019

How intuitive eating got this woman off the diet roller coaster

Nadine Collison has tried every diet out there. But two years ago, she adopted a different approach to eating known as intuitive eating, and now she has stopped obsessing over food all the time.