Connie Emerson
City Expert
Connie Emerson has been a travel journalist for more than three decades. A member of the Authors Guild and Society of American Travel Writers, her articles have appeared in more than 100 magazines and newspapers.
She is also the author of four books for writers, one of which--The 30-Minute Writer--is used as a text for college writing courses around the world.
Emerson’s interest in Las Vegas began shortly after she and her family moved to Nevada in 1971. “It has been fascinating to watch the city’s evolution into one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. I feel privileged to have been able to watch the process of reinvention from a small gambling-based city to a metropolis that offers the finest in accommodations, dining, shopping, and entertainment. And the excitement continues.”
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Rabia Malik
Photographer
Rabia has always been a story teller, whether through still photography, video editing, writing, or simply applying makeup on a face. Her mom says that if she compiled all the stories Rabia used to tell her as a child, she would have a library full of work by now. She has devoted herself to understanding photography and other forms of art in countless classes, through amazing work experience, and in everyday life.
Her Grandpa was the main reason she stepped into this world. She moved from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan at age six, and in order to overcome the language barrier and to form a bond between her Grandpa and herself, she started to watch the daily newscasts with him. Slowly she found herself more interested than afraid of all the things happening in the world.
Over the past 24 years, she has traveled to more than 23 different countries, exploring the world and recently practicing her art too. She is continually inspired by the details, colors, and faces in the different countries and cultures. This insight has definitely influenced the way she approaches her work.
After traveling and exploring exotic places, she packed her bags and made the big move to the 'Big Apple' in 2005. New York City taught her more about life, love and work in a short time than she'd learned in her entire previous life. After becoming a more confident storyteller, she moved back to Las Vegas (the city that holds all the wonders of the world on seven miles of "The Strip"). There, she has found a source of beauty that she failed to see when she was growing up. In a way, she had to travel around the world to find out that everything she was looking for was in her own backyard.
She now speaks Urdu, Punjabi, and English fluently, can converse in French, Spanish and Hindi, and can read and write Arabic. She produced a documentary that placed third in "The National Christop Documentary Competition", edited newscasts for NBC, ABC, CBS and BET news, applied makeup on models for photo shoots from the East coast to the West, and last month, she took pictures of her handsome three year old cousin for his up-coming birthday. She has always worked with one thought in mind: "No story is too big or too small", and so she ventures into anything that seems interesting and different to her.
Superhero: Superman, because he has all the cool powers
Fave food: Chicken Makhani (Pakistani), Coconut Mushroom Soup (Thai), Steak Gyros (Greek), Hotdogs (All American!) - Actually I'll try anything spicy!
Preferred escapes: I loved Austria and Switzerland (I was called "exotic" there! LOL) The Bahamas, Cannes and Pakistan are warm and fun, and I'm looking forward to exploring Morocco, Egypt, and Australia soon.
My ultimate professional goal: I want to design the opening Ceremony for the Olympics one day.
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