Content is created by CNN Underscored’s team of editors who work independently from the CNN newsroom. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more
Our mission
As CNN’s service journalism site dedicated solely to product recommendations and reviews, CNN Underscored is here first and foremost to inform. We aim to provide context for consumers to make better purchasing decisions through rigorous and unbiased reviews, product news, deals coverage and expert insights.
The basis of everything we do is the question: What would an everyday shopper need to know? We provide context and guidance throughout the purchase funnel so that — whether you’re perusing one of our gift guides or comparing the top sneakers on the market — you, as our reader, can be confident you’re spending your money wisely.
Though we operate separately from CNN’s newsroom, we use the same rigor to provide you the guidance you need to make the smartest purchases. Our editors and writers, who are not only journalists with decades of experience in the consumer space but also everyday consumers ourselves, spend hundreds of hours a week testing products in the real world, ensuring they stand up to how and where you’d use those same products. For anything we don’t directly test, we use insights from top experts to help point you to the information you need to know. If we don’t feel confident in a product, we’ll direct you to a better option; anything we recommend is something we as editors have, or would, spend our own hard-earned dollars on.
Our aim is to put the why behind your buy.
Who we are
Editorial
Rachel Quigley
Managing Editor
Chelsea Stone
?Editorial Director
Rick Stella
?Senior Editor, Testing
Tamara Kraus
?Senior Editor, Lifestyle
Andrew Kunesh
?Senior Editor, Travel & Money
Mike Andronico
?Senior Editor, Tech
Rikka Altland
?Senior Editor, Deals
Suzanne Kattau
Editor, Testing
Sophie Shaw
?Editor, Fashion & Beauty
Amina Lake Abdelrahman
?Editor, Home & Gifts
Tobey Grumet Segal
?Editor, Health, Fitness & Food
Kai Burkhardt
?Editor, Testing, Outdoors, Sustainability & Pets
Kyle Olsen
?Editor, Travel
Jacqueline Saguin
?Editor, Deals
Henry T. Casey
?Writer, Electronics
Michelle Rae Uy
?Writer, Testing & Updates
Ellen McAlpine
?Writer, Updates
Jillian Tracy
?Associate Editor
Elena Matarazzo
?Associate Editor, Deals
Joe Bloss
Associate Writer, Testing
Carolina Gazal
?Associate Writer, Testing
Gareen Puglia
?Associate Writer, Testing
Maxwell Shukuya
?Associate Writer, Updates
Daniel Toy
?Chief Copy Editor
Rachel Dennis
?Editorial Coordinator
Stephanie Luna
?Editorial Coordinator
Molly Flores
Photo Editor
Enrique Perez
?Senior Video Producer
Stephanie Griffin
?Director of Social
Hannah Lauson
?Senior Digital Content Strategist
Madison Yerke
?Digital Content Strategist
Tyler Holender
?Social Strategist
Gabriella Triolo
?Social Coordinator
Lindsey Smith
?Associate Editor, Newsletters
Daniel Rathburn
?Associate Editor, Programming
Kevin Martinez
?Associate Editor, Programming
Money
Emily McNutt
Editorial Director
Jasmin Baron
?Lead Editor, Credit Cards
Kristen Coates
?Lead Editor, SMB
Paul Curcio
?Lead Editor, Investing
Roxanne Downer
?Lead Editor, Home Services
J.R. Duren
?Lead Editor, Insurance
Adam McFadden
?Lead Editor, Banking
Andrew Pentis
?Lead Editor, Loans and Mortgages
Melanie Pincus
?Deputy Editor, Credit Cards
David Tony
?Deputy Editor, Investing
Tori Roughley
?Deputy Editor, Insurance
Katie Lowery
?Deputy Editor, Loans and Mortgages
Allaire Conte
?Deputy Editor, Home Services
Jason Cother
?Deputy Editor, SMB
Jason Ruger
?Reviews Editor, SMB
Sierra Rogers
?Reviews Editor, SMB
Search
Katelyn Gendron
?Senior SEO Manager
Dan Hollister
?Senior SEO Analyst
Ellysha Gravel
?SEO Analyst
Product & Engineering
Simone Nili
?Director, Product
Andrew Ross
?Product Manager II
Fahad Zafar
?Director, Engineering
Sandy Dinh
Senior Software Engineer
Breiden Busch
Senior Software Engineer
Nam Vuong
Staff Software Engineer
Alex Vohs
Software Engineer II
Liam Wilkinson
?Senior Software Engineer
Jose Corcino
?Software Engineer II
Yunior Almengo
?Senior Software Engineer
Oliver Felix
Senior Software Engineer
Charlie Garcia
Staff Software Engineer
Rodwel Polanco
Software Engineer II
Kyle Kilbride-Lavictoire
Senior Software Engineer
Design
Mark Amadio
?Senior Manager, Product Design
Agnes Kroczek
?Senior Product Designer
Brett Ferdock
?Product Designer II
James Harris
?Senior Visual Designer
Business Development & Revenue Insights
Hunter Capobianco
?Director, Business Development
Hayley Kinne
Manager, Business Development
Julia Leinhauser
?Associate Manager, Affiliate Partnerships
Richa Srivastava
?Associate Manager, Business Development
Fred Wills
?Associate Manager, Affiliate Operations
Marc Wiesyk
?Director, Revenue Insights
Maureen Clark
?Business Intelligence Analytics Manager
Katie Peters
?Business Intelligence Analyst
Strategy & Operations
Roy K. Lee
?Director, Commerce Operations
DaVonne Bacchus
?Strategy and Operations Manager
Devin Zacchino
Business Coordinator
Leadership
Mike Bruno
?VP Commerce
How does CNN Underscored test and review products?
At Underscored, we design testing to fit the product with an eye to how readers are likely to use it in the real world — that means while we put each product in our Best Of pieces through a thorough round of testing, we don’t subject them to abstract or unnecessary laboratory testing. We feel that readers can get specifications anywhere, so we cut to the chase and make nuts-and-bolts measurements that really matter: how fast a charger tops up a phone, how quickly a pizza oven comes up to temperature, how smoothly a moisturizer goes on and so forth, keeping careful notes on each model we bring in for testing.
Once we’ve collected our data, we make the tough calls, ranking our products on the criteria we’ve tested and assessing details like warranty coverage, customer service and price — and only then can we decide which products are the best.
Some of our top reviews
The best grill brush
We spent weeks grilling dozens of burgers and chicken leg quarters to test our pool of grill brushes?—?and this was the winner.
The best over-ear headphones
We put the latest and greatest full-size headphones to the test, checking out sound quality, usability, comfort and features to find the best over-ear headphones for you.
The best cordless vacuum cleaner
For two months, we put seven cordless stick vacuums highly rated by professional reviewers and everyday users to the test.?
What does it mean when CNN Underscored labels a product as ‘the best’?
The products we call “the best” are those that have come out on top of the rankings on the majority of the criteria we’ve tested for during the reviewing process. We realize that no one product is likely to satisfy every reader, as their needs are as diverse as they are, but we aim ideally to find a product that can satisfy as many people as possible. Where we can’t do that, we offer options — for different budgets, different tastes and a variety of specific goals.
Editors’ Picks — what are they and how do they differ from other picks?
As mentioned above, we often spend weeks, if not months, comparatively testing products. But, sometimes, everyday products our editors use don’t make it into our in-depth, long-form comparative pieces in which we vigorously test similar products head-to-head. That’s where our Editors’ Picks come in — where we highlight everyday products we personally stand by and use on a daily basis, and think you should too.
These are products we editors use on a daily basis, are often inexpensive, and solve some type of conundrum for their users.
How does CNN Underscored find and evaluate the best sales and deals?
We employ a range of techniques and consider a variety of factors to determine whether a deal is worthy of coverage — price history checks, available coupon codes, competitor pricing and cost of shipping among them. We also choose not to limit ourselves to any specific set of products when it comes to our coverage; whether it’s a deal on garbage bags or the shiniest, newest Apple product, we want you to know about it. Additionally, our team is constantly working to secure exclusive deals for our readers directly from brands that we personally love (keep an eye out for our annual Days of Deals event).
Aside from looking out for your wallet on the daily, the Deals team is here for you on the biggest shopping days of the year. Come Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and every long weekend in between (Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and so on), we put in the extra hours — we’re talking 3 a.m. wake-up calls and 12-hour shifts — to ensure our readers can smartly navigate major sale events with an understanding of what’s actually worth buying.
Ultimately, our editors are a group of service journalists who are passionate about unearthing deals that we ourselves would be tempted to shop, and for us, finding a great deal on a coveted item is a genuine thrill, because it means that our readers are getting the best possible value on the products that they need.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is how we fund our journalism. The way it works: Each product link that takes you to a retailer site is coded to track clicks. If you happen to click from one of our articles to a retailer, we may earn a commission. If you do not click those links, or don’t purchase a product, we don’t earn anything.
Retailers and brands cannot influence our coverage in any way — neither through sending us unsolicited products nor by paying for coverage. While we do run sponsored content, that is handled by a team separate from our editorial team and is clearly labeled.
How does Underscored relate to CNN.com?
Content is created by CNN Underscored’s team of editors who work independently from the CNN newsroom.
The Underscored team works with editorial independence. That means anything we recommend has either been thoroughly tested firsthand and compared against similar options on the market or vetted and curated by our vast team of subject experts (often in tandem with other experts in the field we have spoken to).
Licensing and reuse of CNN Underscored content
Contact our official partner,?Wright’s Media?about available usages, license fees, and award seal artwork at?[email protected]. Please note that Wright’s Media is the only authorized company that can provide CNN Underscored brand materials.