Open to opportunities

Hana Hong

@hanahong

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Fashion and beauty editor specializing in creative direction, content strategy, and team leadership.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I seek a senior editorial role where I can lead creative direction and content strategy, collaborate cross-functionally, mentor teams, and drive high-impact digital and e-commerce storytelling.

I am a fashion and beauty editor with broad experience leading creative direction and content strategy across digital and e-commerce platforms. I translate seasonal trends into high-impact visual storytelling while maintaining a cohesive editorial voice.

At Real Simple I oversaw all fashion and beauty stories, led styling and production of editorial and e-commerce content, and managed teams of freelancers and cross-functional partners to deliver polished, on-brand assets. I consistently wrote, assigned, edited, and published multiple daily stories while collaborating with photo, video, and creative teams.

Earlier roles at Marie Claire, Hearst Beauty Group, Reader's Digest, and InStyle strengthened my editorial writing, pitching, and content-production skills across print and digital, including video and social platforms. I have experience building content strategy informed by analytics and optimizing content for audience engagement.

I bring multilingual fluency (English, Korean, Spanish, French), technical proficiency in Airtable, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, HTML, WordPress, Drupal, and Asana, and a proven record of winning journalism awards and completing industry programs that sharpen my editorial judgment and leadership.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Fashion & Beauty Editor

Real Simple

Nov 2021 - Oct 2025 (3 years 11 months)

Oversaw all fashion and beauty stories, leading styling and production of editorial and e-commerce content and managing 20+ freelancers while publishing 4–5 stories daily to maintain a cohesive, trend-driven brand voice.

Content Strategy Team Management Freelance Management Editorial

Associate Editor

Real Simple

Feb 2020 - Oct 2021 (1 year 8 months)

Wrote and edited 4–5 beauty and fashion stories daily, managed freelancers, produced video content, and oversaw the brand's Instagram to grow audience engagement and representation at industry events.

Editing Social Media Management Video Production CMS SEO

Beauty Assistant

Marie Claire

Nov 2018 - Jan 2020 (1 year 2 months)

Pitched, wrote, and edited print and digital beauty and fashion stories, coordinated call-ins, hired and managed interns, and represented the brand at industry events to support newsroom production.

Reporting Feature Writing Pitch CMS Research

Beauty Assistant

Hearst Beauty Group

Jun 2018 - Nov 2018 (5 months)

Wrote stories and executed market work for Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Women's Health, and other Hearst titles to support cross-title beauty coverage and rapid editorial production.

Editorial Multi Title Coordination Content Editing Research CMS

Freelance Writer

Reader's Digest

Aug 2017 - May 2018 (9 months)

Wrote health, lifestyle, beauty, and feature articles, pitched trending topics, and tracked social metrics to inform content strategy and drive engagement.

Feature Writing Pitch SEO Social Analytics Content Strategy Editing Research

ASME Intern

Reader's Digest

Jun 2017 - Aug 2017 (2 months)

Pitched and wrote analytics-driven beauty and wellness articles, built a beauty closet resource, and tracked post performance to shape editorial strategy.

Feature Writing Analytics Content Planning Research Asset Management Performance Tracking

Jewelry Stylist

Rocksbox

May 2015 - Jul 2017 (2 years 2 months)

Curated personalized jewelry boxes based on customer style preferences and provided styling notes to enhance customer experience and retention.

Customer Service Personalization Communication Inventory Coordination

Freelance Writer

InStyle

Aug 2016 - Jan 2017 (5 months)

Produced viral travel and lifestyle stories, supported branded content and affiliate optimization, and created multimedia content to increase readership and revenue.

Content Writing Brand Content SEO

Editorial Intern

InStyle

May 2016 - Aug 2016 (3 months)

Assisted fashion and beauty departments, transcribed interviews, and wrote digital features and SEO-focused stories to support daily editorial output.

Transcription seo writing Research Feature Writing CMS

Style Guru / Editorial Intern

CollegeFashionista

Aug 2014 - Jun 2016 (1 year 10 months)

Wrote weekly fashion content, was promoted from writer to editor, edited student submissions, and scouted fashion-forward contributors to grow community-driven coverage.

Fashion Writing Editing Talent Scouting

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Science, News-Editorial Journalism

2014 - 2018

Activities and societies: ASME Internship Program Graduate; Teen Vogue Fashion University Graduate; winner of Hearst Journalism Awards (Feature Writing).

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a News-Editorial Journalism major and an English minor, focusing on reporting, writing, and editorial production.