About Me
Abrar Al-Heeti is a writer, video host and producer at CNET covering technology and culture, with a particular interest in phones, streaming, digital accessibility, internet culture, entertainment and diversity & inclusion in Hollywood. She graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Abrar was named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019 and won a Telly award for CNET’s video: Kelly Slater creates the perfect wave in the middle of nowhere. She was also a winner of SPJ NorCal’s Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 in the Arts and Culture category, and has won third and second place (twice) in the LA Press Club’s National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. She’s based in San Francisco.
Abrar is a member of Qwoted’s Media Advisory Board. She regularly appears on segments for This Week in Tech, and is a guest co-host for Tech News Weekly.
Linktree with work samples: https://linktr.ee/abraralheeti
Work Samples
Articles from CNET
Culture features:
As Hollywood lures back ‘runaway productions,’ the Bay Area steps into the spotlight
Move over, Instagram influencers: The magic of TikTok is authenticity
Without Google, people behind bars pen their questions to librarians
Memes on Instagram, Reddit bring comfort to people struggling with depression
At home in my hijab: How the internet helped me embrace modest clothing
Trying Impossible Foods’ fake pork as a practicing Muslim was super weird
In a world of Google and Amazon, libraries rethink their role
Instagram and TikTok are failing everyone with an eating disorder
TikTok is full of homemade lip glosses. But should you buy them?
Send your ashes into orbit for a funeral in space
Beyond Tinder: How Muslim millennials are looking for love
Coronavirus memes help an isolated world cope with ‘existential dread’
Mobile stories:
I Ditched My Android for an iPhone, and I Don’t Regret It
iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: This Ex-Android Lover Has Thoughts
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro: Which Phone Is Worth the Upgrade?
How I Feel One Year After Ditching My Android for an iPhone
An Inside Look at How Google Built Its Immersive View for Maps
At MWC 2024, the Future of Display Tech Is Clear (and Bendy)
Glued to Your Phone? Here’s Why, and How To Stop
As Broadband Access Lags, Cities Build Their Own Networks to Get Communities Online
Movie reviews and commentaries:
Avengers: Endgame is here — How I survived Marvel’s 59-hour movie marathon
Pixar’s Onward a touching reflection on alienation in a tech-filled world
I watched Lost for the first time. Here’s why it’s the perfect 2020 binge
Happier Than Ever might be the best way to see Billie Eilish
Toy Story 4 shows how far Pixar’s animation has come
‘Ms. Marvel’ on Disney Plus Is the Muslim Representation I’ve Been Waiting For
‘Ms. Marvel’ Creators Talk Identity, Culture and That Surprise Ending
Celebrity interviews and features:
How video illusionist Zach King enchants millions on TikTok and Instagram
Kelly Slater made the perfect wave… in a desert
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Don’t chase Instagram likes and YouTube followers
The Boys on Amazon: Star Erin Moriarty talks superhero mania, Marvel, #MeToo
For Stuber stars, the Uber insanity is all too real
Audible adds Harry Potter ‘Beedle the Bard’ starring Jude Law, Bonnie Wright
Disney Plus’ Secrets of the Whales gives intimate look at lives of belugas, orcas and more
Accessibility stories:
As Hollywood and tech look to boost diversity, accessibility is finally having its moment
COVID-19 exposes hypocrisy over lack of disability accommodations
How tech is slowly working to make elections more accessible
COVID-19 showed digital accessibility is critical. Advocates don’t want you to forget
Diversity and inclusion stories:
Hollywood is slowly working to rectify decades of Muslim misrepresentation
NASA engineer tells women in STEM: Don’t be hidden figures
Disney Plus Launchpad film series wants to give diverse stories a screen
Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz on Black Lives Matter and her father’s legacy
Ramadan during coronavirus means ‘a complete reevaluation’
Commentaries:
Instagram for kids could be coming, and it would be disastrous
Why TikTok’s inverted filter is turning people’s self-esteem upside down
Hala on Apple TV Plus: A missed opportunity to shatter Muslim stereotypes
Netflix’s Episode Release Experiment Is Long Overdue
Videos from CNET
Watch me try the wave machine: Kelly Slater creates the perfect wave in the middle of nowhere
Abrar Al-Heeti 