EW announces new staff hires and promotions

Entertainment Weekly Editor Henry Goldblatt sent the following note to staff on Thursday

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As we embark on 2018, I’d like to inform you of some staffing changes at Entertainment Weekly as we begin preparing for our relocation to L.A. during this exciting and important time for the brand.

First of all, I’m thrilled to announce that BILL KEITH is being promoted to Deputy Editor effective March 1. Bill joined EW as a fill-in editor in November 2013, and during his time here, he has edited the movie reviews section, coedited News & Notes, then transitioned to Senior Editor for movies until ascending to Features Editor in the TV department. Prior to EW, Bill — a native of Hudson, Ohio, and graduate of Tulane University — was a ghostwriter for Simon & Schuster and a freelancer for a variety of titles, including GQ and Maxim. Bill has also served as the deputy editor of Out magazine and a senior editor of Giant and Stuff mags.

As EW begins its new chapter in L.A., there is no one more qualified for the job as Deputy Editor — he approaches his work with a spirit and creativity that are unrivaled. Bill has a sterling reputation in the industry and is respected by publicists, talent, colleagues, and fellow Murder, She Wrote fan-club members alike. In this job, Bill will be the chief of staff of the brand, running meetings and operations when I’m away. He’ll continue to oversee most of our TV coverage, run all our digital and print Oscar coverage, and be in charge of myriad special projects and brand extensions.

It’s no secret that Bill will be filling the very big shoes worn by the incredibly talented MEETA AGRAWAL, who has served as Deputy Editor since 2015 and has decided to remain in NYC to pursue new opportunities. The caliber of EW’s TV coverage — actually, all of Entertainment Weekly’s coverage — is a testament to Meeta’s wide-ranging connections and personal passions. She has shaped EW’s innovative, industry-leading TV coverage both in print and digitally, spearheaded EW’s forays into live events, and managed the staff in the most kind and gracious way imaginable. I’m so grateful for her creativity and the tremendous momentum she leaves us with. Please join me in thanking Meeta for her monumental contribution to EW during her decade here and wishing her and her family the best of luck.

Also moving into a new role is TIM LEONG, who will be transitioning from Creative Director to Executive Editor of Entertainment Weekly effective immediately. In his new capacity, Tim will oversee superhero, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Comic-Con coverage across all platforms and mediums. That means Tim will not only be guiding the movie coverage of these subjects, but will oversee how we report on and write about the CW and Netflix/Marvel suites of superhero shows. (Oh, and Supernatural, too, considering he’s one of the biggest fans on staff.) Tim, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is the acclaimed author of Super Graphic (2013) and Star Wars Super Graphic (2017). In many ways, Tim has already been acting as an Executive Editor, working closely with me on newsstand/consumer marketing strategy as well as creative development with the PEOPLE TV team, so I’m thrilled to be able to elevate him. We are very lucky to have a deep bench in our design department, with Keir Novesky continuing his excellent, industry-leading work as EW’s Design Director.

I’d also like to welcome five new staffers, all of whom will be working out of our new L.A. home:

PATRICK GOMEZ has joined EW as Senior Editor, TV effective Tuesday, Jan. 2. I was fortunate enough to work with Patrick during my stint at PEOPLE and was impressed by his keen editorial judgment, creativity, and ridiculous sourcing. A native of Houston, Patrick graduated from USC before moving to PEOPLE, where he quickly rose to become one of the brand’s most prolific senior writers, covering stories such as Thomas Gibson’s mea culpa exit from Criminal Minds, hanging with Shonda Rhimes after her “year of yes,” breaking season upon season of Dancing With the Stars exclusives, and most recently wrangling PEOPLE’s TV previews. Patrick is also already an acclaimed EW writer, having been published on our mail page in September 2002 defending the Broadway production of Hairspray. With his TV taste, Patrick will fit right in here, with favorites that include The Walking Dead, Survivor, and The West Wing.

SEIJA RANKIN joins EW as Digital Features Editor on Jan. 24. For the past three years, Seija (pronounced “Say-yah”) has served as features editor at E! News, where she was responsible for many of the network’s cross-platform initiatives and spearheaded feature news planning, awards-show coverage, and celebrity profiles. Prior to E!, Seija was entertainment editor at Refinery29 and had stints at W and InStyle. At EW, Seija will be in charge of all movie and books digital features, working closely with her co-Digital Features Editor, Marc Snetiker, who will continue to oversee TV and music digital features and will take over editing duties of The Must List starting in the Feb. 16 issue. Seija says her special talents include being able to recite any Friends scene on demand and “making a taco dip that will make even the most pessimistic person believe in joy again.” Challenge accepted!!!

CAROLYN CUTRONE will be joining EW as Editorial Manager; she will be splitting her time between EW and PEOPLE for the next eight weeks before moving to L.A. with EW in March. I consider this job to be the central nervous system of a brand, so I chose very carefully when I faced the herculean task of replacing Andrea Adams. Carolyn embodies the best qualities for this role: She’s cheerful, kind, and patient, but knows how to crack the whip when necessary. A native of Queens, Carolyn went to Ithaca College and has worked at Inc. as a reporter and assistant managing editor before her time at PEOPLE as content coordinator. She is extraordinary and I look forward to all of you getting to know her.

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