about KELSEY BARNES
“Kelsey Barnes is a cultural connoisseur” — bbc
“A TAYLOR SWIFT HISTORIAN” — ITN 5 News
“AFTER 3 YEARS, THIS WAS OUR SECOND INTERVIEW AND SHE HAS the most wonderful energy […] I WAS doing thE junket all day and OUR CONVERSATION WAS the most expressive i’ve been — SHE IS the one person I connected with.”
- Dove Cameron, actress and singer
“before our interview i read all of kelsey’s work and i was amazed at what she’s done. IT’S ALWAYS SO EXCITING TO SEE SOMEONE KILLING IT IN THEIR INDUSTRY AND THAT’S WHAT SHE’S DOING.”
- Maria Bakalova, Oscar-nominated actress
“Thank you for this beautiful piece. It was an honour to have spoken with you.”
- Elizabeth Gilpin, actress & author
“I would say this is my most accurate interview to date. No performative ramblings, just exactly how it’s been. [...] It’s rare to have questions about [BPD] that actually understand the nuances of it and Kelsey did it so beautifully.”
- Odette, singer-songwriter
“Constantly in awe of Kelsey’s ability to really get to know the people she interviews, like they're a best friend she just hasn't had the chance to meet yet.”
- Lucy Ford, journalist & presenter
“She asks amazing questions […] thank you for the space to be open, Kelsey.”
- Molly Quinn, producer & actress
Kelsey Barnes is a writer, interviewer, and creative consultant from Toronto and London. She has a decade of experience working across digital and print, writing for and acting as Editor at publications like Schön! Magazine and 1883 Magazine, as well as being a contributing writer for publications like The Line of Best Fit, Alt Press, Coup de Main, and others.
Her work focuses on entertainment, culture, lifestyle, and beyond, and has been published in outlets like The Independent, Teen Vogue, Nylon Magazine, Jezebel, GRAMMYs, The i Paper, i-D, Paste Magazine, Clash Magazine, She Knows, tmrw Magazine, TORONTOVERSE, MTV, The Hamilton Spectator. As a culture commentator, she has spoken live on-camera on CBC, BBC, and beyond.
As an interviewer specializing in long-form profiles, she ensures every conversation is approached with grace, respect, and openness. To date, she’s interviewed the likes of Jacob Elorid, Anya Taylor-Joy, David Harbour, Dove Cameron, Hozier, Suki Waterhouse, Cailee Spaeny, Maria Bakalova, and hundreds of other talents in pop culture.
Known for having a finger on the pulse of what’s about to trend, she has a knack for selecting talent just before they break the surface — like Joe Locke and Kit Connor from Heartstopper and Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things. In turn, her work has resulted in some of the biggest viral stories of last year.
Through her creative production work, she’s crafted branded stories for the likes of Gucci, BMW, and Nike, in addition to producing eye-catching shoots with talents like David Harbour, Joseph Quinn, Ben Barnes, Kit Connor, Benedict Wong, and others.
“Thank you for the chat — you’re a great interviewer, very thoughtful and well-researched.”
- David Harbour, Stranger Things actor
“KELSEY’S piece was so wonderfully written. It always says a lot when I read something I’ve said and don’t hate it because I ramble, but SHE’S put everything together so beautifully.”
- Erin Kellyman, Marvel + Star Wars + Willow actress
“I think KELSEY conducted my favourite interview I’ve ever done.”
- Kayli Carter, actress
“I had loads of interviews recently and I enjoyed my chat with KELSEY the absolute best! SHE IS so lovely and genuinely interested in what I was saying. Interviewers can oftentimes be very, very probing. I really appreciated HEr very classy style.”
- Leah McNamara, Normal People actress
“I had so much fun talking to Kelsey, I wouldn’t shut up.”
- Charli Adams, singer-songwriter