Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Entertainment Editor

🎯 Role Definition

Are you the person your friends turn to for the best TV show recommendations? Do you have your finger firmly on the pulse of pop culture, from blockbuster film franchises to viral TikTok sounds? This role requires a visionary Entertainment Editor to shape and drive our entertainment content strategy. In this role, you will be the creative force behind our entertainment vertical, responsible for managing a team of writers, commissioning groundbreaking stories, and ensuring our content is sharp, engaging, and ahead of the curve. You will be a player-coach, equally comfortable line-editing a celebrity profile, crafting a data-informed content plan, or representing our brand at a major film festival. This is a crucial role for our newsroom, and you will be instrumental in defining how our audience understands and engages with the world of entertainment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Staff Writer / Senior Writer (Entertainment)
Associate Editor / Assistant Editor
Social Media Editor / Strategist
Freelance Entertainment Journalist

Advancement To:

Senior Entertainment Editor / Deputy Editor
Managing Editor
Director of Content / Head of Editorial
Editor-in-Chief

Lateral Moves:

Branded Content Editor
Video Producer / Creative Director
Audience Development Strategist
Podcast Producer / Host

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conceive, assign, and edit a high volume of daily and long-lead entertainment content, including news, celebrity interviews, critical reviews, explainers, and in-depth features.
Manage and mentor a team of staff writers and a network of freelance contributors, providing constructive feedback to elevate their writing and reporting.
Develop and execute a comprehensive content strategy for the entertainment vertical, utilizing analytics and SEO insights to drive traffic and grow our audience.
Oversee the editorial calendar for all entertainment coverage, ensuring a consistent and balanced mix of content across film, television, music, and general pop culture.
Spearhead coverage of major industry events, such as the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and film festivals, coordinating assignments and live coverage.
Write compelling, high-quality content yourself, including urgent news coverage, thought-provoking essays, and high-profile interviews.
Collaborate closely with the social media and video teams to create platform-specific content and multimedia packages that amplify our reporting.
Uphold and refine the brand's voice, tone, and editorial standards, ensuring all content is accurate, fair, and impeccably written.
Build and maintain a strong network of industry contacts, including publicists, studio representatives, talent agents, and creators.
Analyze performance data and audience metrics to identify content trends, coverage gaps, and opportunities for innovation and growth.
im- Pitch and develop new editorial franchises, recurring columns, and special projects that distinguish our brand in a crowded market.
Top-edit and copy-edit articles for clarity, grammar, style, and factual accuracy, serving as the final eyes on content before publication.
Manage the entertainment section's budget, including freelance commissions, travel, and other editorial expenses.
Optimize all content for search engines, including crafting SEO-friendly headlines, meta descriptions, and URLs without sacrificing editorial quality.
Act as a public-facing representative for the brand at industry panels, events, and in media appearances.
Stay relentlessly informed about the entertainment landscape, identifying emerging trends, new talent, and compelling stories before they become mainstream.
Work with the art and photo departments to ensure all stories have compelling and legally cleared visual elements.
Ensure diversity and inclusion in our coverage, actively seeking out underrepresented voices and stories in the entertainment world.
Field and approve pitches from a wide range of writers, guiding them from initial idea to final published piece.
Collaborate with the audience development team to strategize on newsletter content, distribution partnerships, and other growth initiatives.

Secondary Functions

Assist with special editorial projects and tentpole event coverage across other verticals as needed.
Contribute to the evolution of the brand's style guide and editorial standards.
Partner with audience development and commerce teams to identify growth and revenue opportunities.
Engage in cross-departmental brainstorming sessions to foster innovative content ideas and collaborations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert-Level Editing & Writing: Masterful command of grammar, syntax, and AP Style; ability to sharpen copy and elevate a writer's voice.
Content Management Systems (CMS): Proficiency in publishing platforms like WordPress, Chorus, or similar systems.
SEO Best Practices: Deep understanding of keyword research, on-page SEO, and content optimization for search visibility.
Web Analytics: Strong ability to interpret data from tools like Google Analytics, Chartbeat, or Parse.ly to inform content decisions.
⚫ Social Media Platforms: In-depth knowledge of how to leverage Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), and Facebook for newsgathering and content promotion.
Digital Asset Management: Familiarity with sourcing and properly crediting photos and videos.

Soft Skills

Creative Vision & Storytelling: An instinct for what makes a story compelling and the ability to package it for a digital audience.
Leadership & Mentorship: Proven ability to manage, inspire, and develop a team of writers and editors.
Exceptional Communication: Clear, concise, and professional communication skills for collaborating with internal teams and external contacts.
Critical Judgment: Strong news judgment and ethical compass, especially when handling sensitive information or breaking news.
Time Management & Organization: Ability to juggle multiple deadlines, projects, and priorities in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
Adaptability: Flexibility to pivot strategies quickly in response to breaking news or changing audience behavior.
Networking & Relationship Building: A natural ability to forge and maintain relationships with key industry players.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master's Degree in a relevant field

Relevant Fields of Study:

Journalism
Communications
English / Creative Writing
Film Studies
Media Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5-8 years of progressive experience in digital media, with a significant portion focused on entertainment journalism.

Preferred: Direct experience managing writers and a proven track record of growing an audience for a digital publication. A robust portfolio of published work and a strong network of contacts in the entertainment industry are highly desirable.