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Gabriel Bell

@gabrielbell

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Editorial leader at Collider who rebuilt publishing workflows and grew user acquisition 78% in the first full year.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I’m open to full-time, contract, interim, and fractional roles in New York (on-site or hybrid) or remote. I’m equally at home leading a newsroom, running content operations, or making brand work that earns attention on its own merits.

At Collider, I rebuilt editorial workflows around article types and editor capacity, helping scale publishing from roughly 30 to 100–120 posts a day while maintaining the publication’s quality bar. In the first full year under those standards, user acquisition rose 78% and active sessions rose 44% year over year.

I led a team of editors and freelance contributors, set standards and final edits, and hired and coached editors. I also directed Collider’s coverage of the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and launched a weekly newsletter that sustained about a 30% open rate.

At Salon Media Group, I ran the culture desk and directed coverage of the Manchester Arena bombing, then stepped up to lead breaking coverage of the Las Vegas shooting while senior editors were away. I grew culture vertical engagement 150% in six months through headline and visual optimization.

Earlier, I helped build Refinery29’s branded content studio and managed editorial execution of campaigns for Target, Revlon, and Ray-Ban. Across my work at NYLON, Vocativ, Surface Magazine, and other publications, I’ve worked across news, culture, and branded editorial.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Freelance Writer & Editor

Current

Various

Jan 2004 - Present (22 years 9 months)

Editorial bylines for New York Magazine's The Cut, Fast Company, Playboy, Domino, NYLON, and others. Commercial clients include Victoria's Secret, Assouline Publishing, and Hearst Media.

Writing Editing Freelance

Managing Editor

Collider

Mar 2022 - May 2025 (3 years 2 months)

Led a global team of 30+ editors and 300+ freelance contributors with full authority over ideation, commissioning, standards, and final edits. Built style guides, workflows, and AI-assisted systems, scaling output from 30 to 100-120 posts a day.

Editorial Leadership Content Strategy Workflow Management AI Content Production Google Analytics Sistrix Newsletter Strategy Budget Management Cross Functional Partnership

Freelance Editor & Writer, Branded Content

Hearst Media

Jan 2020 - Dec 2022 (2 years 11 months)

Created sponsored and branded content for Elle, Cosmopolitan, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Country Living.

Branded Content Sponsored Content Writing Editing

Commercial Editor

Surface Magazine

Mar 2019 - Feb 2020 (11 months)

Edited branded editorial for brand partners, translating advertiser objectives into contract-standard content without compromising tone or reader trust. Directed cross-functional campaigns with editorial, design, and sales.

Branded Content Editorial Management Cross Functional Collaboration Client Management

Culture Editor

Salon Media Group

Apr 2017 - Apr 2018 (1 year)

Ran the culture desk at a national publication, assigning and editing essays and reported features. Directed coverage of breaking news events and grew culture vertical engagement by 150% in six months.

Editorial Leadership Commissioning Editing Breaking News Coverage Chartbeat Headline Optimization

News Editor

NYLON

Jul 2015 - Feb 2017 (1 year 7 months)

Expanded a fashion and beauty publication into hard news, culture, and society coverage through the 2016 election cycle. Coached junior editors and writers on reporting and editorial standards.

News Editing Editorial Standards Coaching CMS

Homepage Editor

Vocativ

Jun 2014 - May 2015 (11 months)

Directed live breaking coverage for a national digital news platform, programming the homepage and app front page 24/7. Built a headline testing and metadata framework behind 50% content growth and 75% year-over-year engagement growth.

Breaking News Homepage Programming Headline Testing Metadata Dataminr CrowdTangle

Staff Writer

Refinery29

Sep 2011 - Mar 2014 (2 years 6 months)

Helped build the branded content studio from the ground up, managing editorial execution of seven-figure campaigns for Target, Revlon, and Ray-Ban. Wrote more than 1,200 editorial posts during the publication's fastest growth period.

Branded Content Campaign Management Writing Editing Sales Partnerships