Teo Popescu

I help people understand the news.


I’m an award-winning graphics journalist and the design, graphics, and data editor at KUOW, Seattle’s NPR station. I also co-host the data explainer podcast Control F with Clare McGrane.

I came to KUOW in 2018 as their first in-house designer. In the last seven years, I created the station’s graphics and multimedia standards and style, co-developed and led the station’s interactive feature stories lab, launched the station’s TikTok channel, and co-managed the station’s Instagram account.

My work has appeared on PubliCola, KUOW, ProPublica, NPR, and the HBO show Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas. Outside of work, I teach multimedia and graphics journalism at UC Berkeley and the University of Washington.

In a previous era, I was a state political correspondent, a board member of the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro Chapter, and the content editor of Nightingale, the magazine of the Data Visualization Society.

In all roles, my goal is to create useful things for the audience — and do it in a kind and fun way for my team.

You can view my latest stories on KUOW.org.

A sample of my work is available below.

 


INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES


Navigating the maze that rules Olympia (and your life)

How familiar are you with the Washington Legislature? The state's governing body adjourned in April with a new budget and hundreds of policy changes. Find out how bills become laws and what happened during the session in this choose-your-own-adventure experience from KUOW.

View the full story.

Opioids on the Peninsula

They say that if you’re from the Olympic Peninsula, you know someone addicted to drugs. The peninsula has consistently had the highest rate of overdose deaths in Washington state, nearly twice that of King County. These two stories look at the opioid crisis on the peninsula.

View the full story.

 


DATA VISUALIZATION


 
 
 


ILLUSTRATIONS & FEATURE ART


 
 
 


INFOGRAPHICS


 
 
 


VIDEOS


@kuow949 Seattle has its own deep water exploration. Story: KUOW staff Appearance: Vaughan Jones (they/them) Sources: Coastal Sensing and Survey, GUE Seattle, DCS Films, Washington State Department of Natural Resources Design: Teo Popescu (she/her) Social editor: Stephen Howie (he/him) #seattle #titan #shipwreck #seattlehistory #ww2 ♬ Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz - MaSssuguMusic
@kuow949 Washington state’s drug possession law imploded. KUOW’s Clare McGrane hunts down the facts of the case, #wesanderson style. #wesandersonaesthetic #seattletiktok #waleg #blakebill ♬ Obituary - Alexandre Desplat
@kuow949 If anyone dares to ask, “Who is Sue Bird?” send them this video. Story: KUOW staff Appearance: Paige Browning (she/her) Design: Teo Popescu (she/her) Photos: Seattle Storm, Getty Images, Keith Allison, Luis Antonio Rodriguez Ochoa, U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Samuel Morse, and Bidgee Social editor: Stephen Howie (he/him) #seattlestorm #suebird #wnba #seattletiktok ♬ original sound - KUOW Public Radio
@kuow949 Decades ago, states began putting bundles of tires on the seafloor as "artificial reefs." Story: Alec Cowan Photos: Washington Scuba Alliance, Mark Stone/University of Washington, Coastal Sensing and Survey, Science Magazine Design: Teo Popescu Social editor: Stephen Howie #seattle #seattletiktok #seattlenews #publicradio #environment #tires #pugetsound #pugetsoundnews #pnw #kuow #tirereef #washingtonstate #publicradiotok #npr #nprseattle ♬ Under the Sea (Instrumental) [From "The Little Mermaid"] - London Music Works
@kuow949 Welcome to spider season! Story: Stephen Howie Appearance: Teo Popescu Photos: Istock and the Burke Museum Design: Teo Popescu #Spiders #FallIsComing #FriendlyNeighborhood #FearNot #PublicRadio #SeattleNPR #HouseSpiders #TheMoreYouKnow #spiderseason ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
@kuow949 Election day is over, but ballots are still being counted. Here's how that works with KUOW's David Hyde. Story: KUOW Staff Appearance: David Hyde, Julie Wise Design: Teo Popescu #waelex #kingcounty #votetiktok #mailinballots #seattle #learnontiktok #electionsecurity #election ♬ Say So (Instrumental Version) [Originally Performed by Doja Cat] - Elliot Van Coup