Jacob Brown

You know that cliché story of picking up your life and everything you had ever known to come out to the mystical land of Los Angeles for your dream job. That's my story in a nutshell.

I should probably mention that being an automotive journalist has always been a life goal of mine. Getting to it was the tough part, though, having emigrated from 18 years of living in the sleepy suburb of North Canton, Ohio, to the University of Pittsburgh for my education, and then immediately out to the Golden State on a 2,500-mile roadtrip in an old economy car. Despite my car burning oil and misfiring all the way, it was one of the best experiences of my life. And so is working at Automotive.com.

I'm a car enthusiast through and through. But as much as cars that run on a mixture of 93-octane and testosterone have been my cup of tea since age 4, I come from a practical background of studying the past 60 years of the automotive industry—products, politics, lore, and all—and taking a realistic approach with good value-for-money cars and trucks. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, whether criticism or praise, about a particular product or position. Nor should anyone in this industry be. If we're to do our jobs correctly, then we have to help educate you, the consumer, to make the best purchase decisions.

In my free time, I enjoy long walks on sandy beaches discussing books—wait, that's for the other bio I have to fill out. Seriously, I read up on government, politics, business, and world events almost constantly. And cars. I enjoy seeing how everything is interrelated, and enjoy participating in the world. And cars. And I'm still busy gaining my bearings in Los Angeles, discovering all this city has to offer.