Contributing Culture Editor

Today, SFGATE is a digital-only publication that reaches more than 28 million readers every month and tells the stories of the people, places and ideas that make San Francisco, and the Bay Area at large, the weird and wonderful place that it is. We help readers navigate their day, whether it’s by keeping them updated on big breaking news, guiding them to interesting local experiences or sharing a part of the Bay they haven’t seen before.

The site is home to eight verticals: Culture, offering a unique mix of the entertainment news you actually need and the underground stories from hidden corners of the Bay Area you want; Local, the premier destination for everything that life in San Francisco encompasses (from wildly expensive real estate to schools to what it’s like to live above a raucous bar); Sports, covering the intersection of sports and culture; Tech, covering the intersection of tech and culture; Travel, covering everything from flight deals and travel news to hotel hacks and under-the-radar day trips; Politics, where we keep you up to speed on all local, state and national politics that have implications on the Bay Area; Food + Drink, where we tell you the backstory of the people behind the bar and in the kitchen; and News. Plus, the site has expanded to cover much of the rest of the state with satellite editors writing on Lake Tahoe, California Parks, Disneyland and the Central Coast, in addition to new ventures targeting Hawaii and Cannabis.

Your Impact:

Under the direction of SFGATE’s SoCal Bureau Chief, the 20-hours-per-week contributing Los Angeles culture editor will be a versatile journalist with a deep understanding of their region (in this case, the LA area) and enough intellectual curiosity to want to tell stories that matter to both the people who live there, and the people who visit. The contributing editor will be able to write fast-paced breaking news stories when necessary, but really this job is about well-sourced, deep-dive features that remind people why Los Angeles is such an important place to Californians.

What you’ll do:

Consistently have ideas — you’ll be given a blank canvas to tell stories that matter across a broad range of categories for a region that has an endless number of opportunities to write definitive pieces of journalism about important people, places, or things. You need to have a constant stream of ideas to paint this, whether it be a profile of a fascinating Lucha Vavoom wrestler or a deep dive into the Skid Row Running Club. We want you to really explore unique LA subcultures.
Be autonomous — this is a remote position that comes with a lot of trust, to both keep an editorial calendar, meet deadlines, understand analytics and communicate with the copy and photo desks in SF.
Have a fantastic network — a big part of this role is being someone who already has the network to be able to tell these stories. We want someone who is — and has been — part of the community they write about, that already knows who should be profiled, what places are beloved, and what topics will hit a chord with locals and visitors.
Be consistent — you’ll be writing two digital-sized features a week, we want someone who can move the audience with every single piece, and have the planning foresight to make sure they have something really great lined up for weeks to come.

Who you are:

You have 3 to 4 years of relevant experience writing and editing at a publication or in a digital media environment.
You’re based in the Los Angeles area.
You have a deep knowledge of the area that spans beyond a single discipline (we're not looking for a film critic)
You have a passion for journalism and telling stories.
You’ve read SFGATE and have an understanding of the brand and voice.

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in California. The reasonable estimate is between $40,000 and $45,000. Please note this information is specific to those hired in Los Angeles. A final decision on the successful candidate’s starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education.