Kevin Cortez is a service and product journalist. He currently serves as deputy editor at HuffPost Shopping, where he covers daily deals, assigns and edits commerce content, and identifies new opportunities for audience and revenue growth. Previously, he was a Reviews Editor at Hearst Magazines, creating content for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Best Products, and Biography. In 2021, he was hired as a staff writer at Reviewed, owned by USA TODAY, to serve under its style vertical. SEO prefers when he covers tech, outdoor gear, games, coffee and clothing.

Before, after and in between, he wrote elsewhere. He covered music for Mass Appeal (RIP), Genius, Leafly, and Ambrosia For Heads (RIP); audio culture and podcasting for Hot Pod News (RIP) and The A.V. Club; wrote consumer reviews and buyer’s guides for Apartment Therapy, Gear Patrol, WSJ’s Buy Side and The Wall Street Journal; and covered video games and gaming culture for Input and Mothership. He has been writing professionally since 2013.

Over the years, his work has shifted from culture reporting to service journalism and product testing. He has reviewed everything from camping tents and coffee gear to clothing subscription services, video games and everyday carry tech. His reporting combines hands-on testing, research and a healthy respect for the fact that most people would rather be doing something else than reading a singular product review.

Working across editorial, commerce and audience strategy has given him a front-row seat to the evolution (and collapse) of digital media. He has written for legacy newspapers and magazine brands, startups and several outlets that no longer exist. Through a decade and some change of platform shifts, algorithm updates and changing reader habits (no one reads anymore), his goal has remained the same: create useful journalism that honors one’s time and attention.

Recently, he started producing, writing and editing short-form videos on his personal social media accounts, covering games, tech, products, comics and manga. The goal is largely the same as it's always been: help people find cool stuff. In the last 30 days, his Instagram Reels content reached more than 300,000 views, while his TikTok videos generated 1.4 million views over the last 60 days (Editor's note: as of June 11, 2026).

These days, when he's not working, he's usually doing some version of the same thing anyway. He plays video games, keeps up with the latest tech, reads trend reports and frequently digs through old magazines. He also collects too many things.

In 2026, Kevin finally made a website. He lives in Washington, DC, with his media wife and senior cat.