Executive Editor, Entertainment/USA TODAY Network – From $163,000/year
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a scalable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. We endeavor to deliver essential content, marketing solutions, and experiences for curated audiences, advertisers, consumers, and stakeholders by leveraging our diverse teams and suite of products to enrich the local communities and businesses we serve. Our current portfolio of trusted media brands includes the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ, uses innovation and software to enable small and medium-sized businesses to grow, and USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, our events division, creates impactful consumer engagements, promotions, and races. Gannett open roles are featured on various external job boards. When applying to a position at Gannett, you should be completing an application on Gannett Careers via Dayforce. Job postings directing you to complete an application on other external sites may not be valid. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com
Executive Editor of Entertainment USA TODAY NETWORK
The USA TODAY NETWORK, which boasts a local portfolio of more than 200+ newsrooms, is excited to take entertainment coverage to a new level. This leadership opportunity will help strategically execute and expand our audience as we deliver on our mission to be essential in the communities we serve with trusted content and information.
The Executive Editor of Entertainment will have a broad portfolio and work collaboratively with USA TODAY and entertainment editors across the USA TODAY NETWORK to rapidly expand our reach by taking advantage of the entertainment content being created by USA TODAY’s entertainment team and the local network of entertainment staff, as well as our unified visual, video and audio team. This leader will report to USA TODAY’s Senior Vice President with a dotted line to the Senior Vice President of Local News as well as USA TODAY’s Editor in Chief.
The person in this role will directly oversee a standalone entertainment team that serves the USA TODAY NETWORK and, working directly with a networkwide entertainment planner, be responsible for setting the vision and strategy for all levels of entertainment across the USA TODAY NETWORK to drive audience and revenue growth. The Executive Editor will be a trusted partner with business leaders to drive revenue, including a focus on audience, sponsorships, sales, subscription, events, product and video/gallery growth.
The USA TODAY NETWORK has a rich history of providing the latest news in entertainment covering pop culture, celebrities, movies, television, music, books, things to do, dining and more. Entertainment ranks among our highest performing topics for engagement attracting loyal readers. We are seeking a change agent and innovative leader who can help us transform, develop and execute a strategy focused on initiatives to drive even deeper, and more loyal, audience and content engagement.
We are seeking a leader who has a passion for entertainment news as an evolving topic encompassing a range of media that educates, informs and inspires. Gannett I USA TODAY NETWORK understands the value of entertainment news as a powerful means to connect with consumers and shape society. We believe entertainment plays an integral part of our lives, fostering social connection – and we will deliver that for our audiences in a fun and impactful way.
This role is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii. Los Angeles based candidates are a plus.
Responsibilities:
- Setting vision and implementing strategy for Entertainment verticals and staff
- Achieving KPIs for growth
- Managing performance of key leaders and staff
- Collaborating with other senior leaders
- Driving revenue growth
- Budget management
- Other duties as assigned
Accountabilities:
- Oversee Entertainment coverage across USA TODAY Network through a highly matrixed organization in which some segments report directly to executive editor/entertainment while others have a dotted line relationship to this position.
- Responsible for analyzing content performance, staying ahead of industry trends, and driving innovation in content formats.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive content strategy. This includes aligning content with brand objectives and market needs.
- Develop and implement new and innovative content formats to attract audiences and drive monetization, as well as establishing best practices and identifying the best platforms for this content.
- Build and maintain relationships with freelancers and external partners working with freelance writers, editors, and other industry professionals as appropriate.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 10 years journalism experience
- 7 years leadership experience with increasing levels of responsibility
- Advanced understanding and expertise in Audience Science
- Advanced understanding and expertise in Entertainment/Features journalism
- Ability to manage a complex budget
Application Instructions
We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:
- Your resume – one to two pages.
- A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.