Matt Haines – Former Contributor, CNN Underscored
Kai Burkhardt – Editor, Outdoors, Sustainable Living & Pets, CNN Underscored.
Kai Burkhardt joined CNN Underscored in 2019 as an intern and has grown into his role as editor to help readers find the best products under the outdoors, sustainability and pet verticals. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Burkhardt spends his time testing and editing stories about all sorts of products, from bidets and rooftop tents to pet hair cleaners and hiking boots.
Kai earned a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from New York University in 2019 and moved back to Colorado in 2022. When he isn’t finding the latest and greatest products, Burkhardt enjoys slowly trail running, rock climbing and watching his two dogs, Miso and Dashi, compete in dog sports.
Maxwell Shukuya – Associate Writer, Updates, CNN Underscored.
Maxwell Shukuya is an associate writer at CNN Underscored, where he contributes to updates and writes the occasional piece for the site’s many verticals.
As a journalist, Shukuya got his start in Sacramento, first as an intern at the NPR affiliate Capital Public Radio, then as a writer for the arts and culture magazine Submerge. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a bachelor’s in literature. His love of languages and the humanities led him to Germany, where he completed a master’s at the University of Cologne.
Today, he lives in Los Angeles, where you can find him rock climbing, hiking and enjoying the city’s eclectic restaurant and music scenes.
