A creative and insightful writer and editorial strategist, I have the know-how and determination to make storytelling work for you, while driving digital metrics essential to viability in today’s landscape. I love making an impact on audiences by delivering content in a relevant and easily accessible way. My forward-thinking, easygoing, problem-solving management style brings out the best in teams and elevates the process, as well as the product.
Audible
Senior Manager, Editorial, July 2017-Present
Yahoo
Senior Editor, Celebrity, May 2016 – July 2017
Assigning, editing, curating, and writing celebrity news.
Texture by Next Issue
Content Strategist, freelance, December 2015 – May 2016
Working with the editorial lead on new ways to position content for existing and new audience. Creating new editorial content to complement and highlight the product.
ESSENCE.com
Executive Editor, August 2013-December 2015
Developed strategy for desktop, mobile, and social content direction and growth.
Led an editorial team of eight through a period of downsizing, while continuing to deliver year over year uniques growth.
Aligned editorial growth strategy with revenue goals to help define an annual roadmap, and execute site enhancements and product launches.
Added the Life section, a vertical that created a home for news and substantial topics on the site, more in line with the magazine’s legacy and target audience’s needs.
Revamped the Hair and Video sections, enhancing user experience, creating more sponsorable opportunities, and increasing uniques and streams.
Oversaw development of unique editorial packages, giving sponsors new opportunities and placements to align with robust collections of digital content.
Continually evolved the site’s voice and depth of the new sections of the site, working with the strong staff to best showcase the brand’s expertise, while adding new voices.
Ideated and executed the digital editorial and social strategy for ESSENCE’s signature live events, such as ESSENCE Festival, the brand’s annual Fourth of July weekend music and empowerment event in New Orleans, and the Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon, the annual newsmaking Oscar-week event.
Oversaw editorial video content and helped create new online series (Essence Live, Essence Eats).
Entertainment Weekly/EW.com
Senior Editor, January 2012—August 2013
Launched and ran the Family Entertainment section of the EW.com site, with news, reviews and commentary about children’s entertainment, highlighting that interesting space where pop-culture and parenting overlaps. Garnering over 10M pageviews and 800K UVs at launch, the channel consistently delivered 2-4 million pageviews and hundreds of thousands of UVs a month and created a new revenue opportunity.
Worked with networks and studios to feature exclusive content within the channel and make it a new destination point within the larger site.
Staff Editor, August 2008—January 2012
Assigned, edited and published all photo galleries on the site, managing dozens of writers daily. Generated long-range ideas, quickly turned around news-pegged galleries, and maintained relationships with a wide range of networks and studios for exclusive content. Coordinated our efforts to hit pageview goals for site specials and major ad buys. Delivered millions of pageviews a month, with double digit YOY growth, often by maximizing our content through social media (Facebook, Twitter).
Managed the online version of our What to Watch section.
Previously coordinated, assigned, edited and published all the television recaps (20+ weekly) on the site, as well as helped supervise the television coverage on various blogs across the site.
I also wrote about television on our Popwatch and InsideTV blogs.
Associate Editor, August 2006—August 2008
Edited copy in various parts of the magazine, including the News and Notes section, review sections and feature stories. Acted as the hub for art, photo, and edit.
Worked in WoodWing to fit stories across the magazine.
Wrote soap opera coverage and TV recaps on the website.
Reporter/Senior Reporter, June 2004—August 2006
Fact-checked News and Notes, Books section and various features.
Wrote book reviews and contributed to various sections across the magazine.
Various reporter & editor roles:
People, Reporter, March 2003—June 2004: Celebrity and true crime stories
Teen People, People Special Issues, Entertainment Weekly, Freelance reporter, Feb. 2000—Feb. 2003
Stamford Magazine, Associate Editor, June 2000-Dec. 2000
Stamford Advocate, Reporter, May 1997—Oct. 1998: Covered health and housing issues in Stamford, Conn.
Norwich Bulletin, Reporter, Jan. 1996—May 1997: Covered all news in two municipalities in eastern Connecticut, general assignment stories, and finance.
Education
Queens College (1996)
Political Science, Journalism
References furnished upon request.