To lead the effort, Fusion hired Laura Feinstein as Head of Social Stories to oversee the team that works on its social media channels, including Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, and Tumblr.
The new studio, which according to a company spokesman, has no specific name, falls under the purview of the editorial department, headed by Fusion Editor-in-Chief Alexis Madrigal.
The creation of the social content studio means some current employees will be transitioned into new roles: Roberto Grossman – Vine/Snapchat Manager + Special Projects Video Producer; Danilo Lauria – Creative Director, Social Video; Elisa Rodriguez-Vila – Social Art Director + Instagram Manager; Nuria Net – Editor, Social Storytelling and Special Projects; Fidel Martinez and Myrna Perez – Social Storytellers; and Hope Sincere and Jacqui Roberts – Social Designers.
Here’s the email from Fusion’s Chief Digital Officer Daniel Eilemberg announcing the creation of the new studio:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Daniel Eilemberg
Date: Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 7:51 AM
Subject: FUSION Social Content Studio
Hola FUSION,
With our audience spending more and more of their time on mobile and social platforms it is imperative that we are reaching them with compelling content, tailor-made for each platform. This has been a top priority for us over the past year, especially as new platforms and tools have been made available to media organizations, and we have had some great successes — including our Instagram winning a Clio Award and being recognized as one of the best brands on Instagram (and we also do a kickass job on Vine!). Plus, we have collaborated with the Guggenheim, Stella McCarthy, Converse and others on some really compelling content.
Another example has been our commitment to producing original content for Snapchat. Earlier this year we put additional resources behind building out a team that would service both our brand account on Snapchat and our channel on Snapchat Discover’s international offering — we now have eight people working on those efforts. We will continue to invest in quality programming Snapchat in the coming months, like our upcoming series with Sofia and Manolo Vergara debuting later this month.
As we look to take our social storytelling to the next level we are going to be launching a social content studio that will be tasked with creating native-social content that connects with our young, diverse audience.
With that, I am pleased to announce that Laura Feinstein is joining FUSION as Head of Social Stories. Laura will focus on making sure we continue to harness the individual power of each social platform in our storytelling. She will oversee the team that works on our creative-driven social media channels including Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, and Tumblr.
Laura was previously the Editor in Chief at The Creators Project, VICE Media’s site dedicated to covering the intersection of creativity, arts, and global culture. Most recently Laura served as Deputy Editor at GOOD, known as the magazine for the global citizen. She has served as a freelance writer for a diverse group of publications including The Guardian, T/The New York Times, VICE International, BOMB Magazine, PSFK.com, Pitchfork/Nothing Major, and Details Magazine (among others). Laura says she is always on the lookout for the new and unboring — making her a perfect fit for FUSION.
As we look to organize and grow the social studio, some members of our team will transition into newly defined roles including Roberto Grossman (Vine/Snapchat Manager + Special Projects Video Producer); Danilo Lauria (Creative Director, Social Video); Elisa Rodriguez-Vila (Social Art Director + Instagram Manager); Nuria Net (Editor, Social Storytelling and Special Projects); Social Storytellers Fidel Martinez and Myrna Perez; and Social Designers Hope Sincere and Jacqui Roberts.
Please join me in welcoming Laura to FUSION and congratulating the team on all their success to date.
Danny