TheWrap continues to expand its best-in-class editorial team, and has hired new editors to advance its film and television coverage. Kristen Lopez will serve as the site’s film editor and Jose Alejandro Bastidas will join as its new TV editor, the company announced Tuesday.
Lopez and Bastidas will be responsible for managing, mentoring and developing their respective editorial teams in addition to editing and writing film and television news and features. The new hires follow the promotions of two new co-executive editors, Adam Chitwood and Jethro Neddog, the former assistant managing editor at TheWrap, who was promoted on January 1.
“TheWrap continues to build the most talented editorial team covering entertainment, and Kristen and Jose are smart, passionate and very exciting additions,” said Sharon Waxman, founder and editor-in-chief of TheWrap. “I’m very excited to see their ideas enhance our editorial offerings.”
Lopez most recently served as the TV editor at Indiewire, where she was nominated for a SoCal Journalism Award and a National Journalism Award by the LA Press Club. A pop culture essayist, critic and editor, Lopez has also written for Variety, MTV, TCM and RogerEbert.com. His first book, “But Have You Read the Book: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films,” is set to be published March 7 from Running Press and TCM.
“I’m thrilled to be joining The Rap,” Lopez said. “I look forward to working with its talented group of writers and beginning a new year of cinema exploration.”
Bastidas comes to TheWrap after three years as assistant arts and entertainment editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that role, she was a staff writer at PopCulture.com, a CBS Interactive publication based in Nashville, Tennessee, and a food reporter and digital producer for The Desert Sun, a Gannett publication based in Palm Springs, California.
“I am very excited to be leading the mighty TV team at The Wrap,” said Bastidas. “As a self-proclaimed ‘TV addict,’ I’ve been working toward this kind of position my entire career. TheWrap is already a big player in covering the TV business and what consumers want to learn , and I’m thrilled to bring my perspective to shaping the publication’s coverage of the industry.
Lopez will start on January 18, Bastidas will start on February 13. Both will be based in Los Angeles.
About TheWrap
The Wrap News Inc. is the leading digital-first news organization covering the business of entertainment and media through digital, print and live events. Founded by award winning journalist Sharon Waxman In 2009, The Rap News Inc. includes the award-winning, industry-leading website for its high-profile news breaks, investigative stories and authoritative analysis; It also includes premium, glossy magazines with stunning original photography and editorials delivered to entertainment industry professionals; A series of high-profile gatherings of thought leaders, including wrap events, the Power Women Breakfast Summit, the Oscar season screening series, and The Grill, an executive leadership conference focused on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology.