CV

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TWO-SENTENCE BIO

Jeff Kuntz is an American journalist based in London. He writes for UK and US newspapers, speaks three languages fluently (Italian, Portuguese, Japanese) and has worked for the World Health Organisation and the UN Mission of Japan (see CLIPS).

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Born in Missouri, Jeff Kuntz began studying Japanese and teaching himself guitar at age 13. In 1997, he won a scholarship for jazz guitar from the University of Missouri where he studied literature, creative writing, and foreign languages.

In 2000, Jeff studied Romance Philology and Italian at L’Universita degli Studi in Bergamo, Italy. The following year, he tutored Japanese, Italian, and Academic Writing at the University of Missouri where he graduated with a BA English in 2002.

In 2003, Jeff taught English in Brazilian Amazon’s two largest port cities, Manaus and Itacoatiara. He learned Portuguese and attended the Boi Bumba and other folkloric events while living in a vibrant community of fishermen, soy-workers, Scandinavian lumber exporters, and South American travellers.

In 2005, Jeff taught in the northern Japanese port town of Sakata. Over three years, he worked at 14 rural schools on the Japan Exchange & Teaching Programme (JET). He was elected President of the Yamagata Association of JET Teachers, co-authored a unique primary school English curriculum for Sakata Board of Education, and launched weekly radio show JEFF TIME! on Sakata Harbor Radio. In his freetime, he performed with Irish bagpiper and real-life ninja, Pol MacFionmhacain.

In 2009, Jeff moved to New York, where he represented Japan at the UN and managed the Japanese PM visit to New York for the UN Mission of Japan. On the side, he translated Italian clinical research for the World Health Organisation’s Global Burden of Disease Study.

In 2010, he moved to London and completed an NCTJ Newspaper Journalism course at Lambeth College. Since then, he has written for Time Out, South London Press, Sutton Guardian, Morning Star, and Hackney Gazette. Last summer, Jeff twice made front-page of successful New York City local paper, the Queens Ledger, covering voting reform and the ’Ground Zero mosque’ (see CLIPS).