ALESSANDRA FORESTO

New York, NY • ale.foresto @ gmail.com 

Lifestyle Group, Vox Media 

Chief of Staff, Lifestyle Group
April 2024 - Present

  • Serve as a strategic advisor for the Publisher for Eater, Punch, PS and Thrillist, maintaining and strengthening the health of the editorial organization and aligning editorial leadership on priority initiatives.

POPSUGAR, Vox Media 

Executive Director of Operations
January 2022 - April 2024

  • Own production, newsroom operations, and resource management for POPSUGAR, creating high-performance and efficient editorial systems and ensuring projects are appropriately staffed, funded, and resourced across the editorial, social, distribution, creative and video teams.

  • Own the brand’s operating budget, including headcount allocation, tool and vendor management, freelance operations, and cost-saving initiatives.

  • Oversee all audience growth initiatives, including audience development, SEO, social distribution and newsletter teams. 

  • Run all affiliate commerce operations and strategy, including management of multimillion-dollar flat fee, editorial inclusion, and GMV partnerships.

  • Establish the brand’s analytics-driven content strategy, including setting traffic, engagement, and output goals for the newsroom.

  • Guide the Vox Media engineering and product teams through a multi-year CMS and front-end transition for POPSUGAR, prioritizing streamlined content creation workflows, SEO referral growth, loyal reader retention and recirculation, user experience, and brand impact.

  • Develop and lead POPSUGAR’s talent recruitment strategy, ensuring roles are quickly filled with industry-leading talent and upholding commitment to an equitable and unbiased hiring process.

  • Collaborate with Head of Content to direct editorial strategy across the brand, driving brand clarity and identity, comScore growth and revenue.

  • Led the integration of POPSUGAR into Vox Media, guaranteeing fast and efficient mergers across legal, finance, marketing, and HR best practices.

POPSUGAR, Group Nine Media

Deputy Editor
August 2020 - December 2021

  • Developed and executed content strategy (in partnership with President, General Manager and Executive Editor), leading the editorial team to create engaging, service-driven, viral content for 300 million monthly readers.

  • Managed the copy team, guaranteeing correction-free content across the .com, socials, newsletters, and YouTube. 

  • Established and strengthened centralized processes and strategy across the editorial department, including legal-compliant photo guidelines, tagging rules, and growth-focused SEO planning.

  • Spearheaded DEI+ initiatives through leadership in POPSUGAR’s Representation Steering Committee and Group Nine Media’s IDEA Council’s Career Committee, as well as supervision of a revamp of the brand’s style guidelines that focused on inclusive language and newsroom practices.

Editorial Operations Director
January 2019 - July 2020

  • Partnered with consumer marketing and sales teams to lead operations and execution for sold editorial destinations.

  • Acted as the liaison between edit and product teams, creating CMS tools and unique solutions to drive audience growth.

  • Managed PS Fitness, including content strategy and day-to-day operations with a strong focus on SEO, leading to a 50% increase in audience.

POPSUGAR

Director, POPSUGAR Voices
October 2017 - December 2019

  • Evaluated traffic data to direct editorial strategy for POPSUGAR’s contributor network, including monitoring ROI and reallocating resources as needed.

  • Managed six editors who oversaw all freelance content for PS, producing 400-600 monthly pieces responsible for over 25% of SEO referrals to the site.

  • Guided product team to build innovative tools for our exclusive contributor platform to increase output and reduce inefficiencies. 

  • Forecasted contributor budget, and managed payment approvals and contract creation, working with finance, legal and operations.

Content Director, POPSUGAR Family
January 2017 - October 2017

  • Guided editorial strategy for PS Family, leveraging metrics to guide compelling trending and evergreen content, SEO tactics, and social programming.

  • Enhanced and streamlined processes to increase productivity, and developed editorial partnerships to drive traffic and brand exposure.

  • Engineered large monetizable tentpoles and long-form features to increase brand impressions and secure revenue.

Founding Editor / Senior Editor / Content Director, POPSUGAR Latina
April 2015 - October 2017

  • Launched PS Latina, creating an editorial voice, content calendars and tentpoles, social media and audience growth strategies, and efficient workflows.

  • Increased the brand’s Latinx comScore from 800K to 6.7 million Hispanic multi-platform unique visitors.

  • Secured and managed editorial partnerships to significantly increase traffic, including social sharing programs with Latinx media, and recruitment of celebrity contributors with large social followings to build brand awareness.

  • Ideated revenue-driving destinations, including the brand’s first identity-driven destination for Latinx Heritage Month package, featuring exclusive essays by A-list celebrities.

  • Closely supported the branded content team in creating advertising packages and content for the multicultural market.

Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health, American Media

Beauty Editor
September 2013 - March 2015

  • Led the redesign and rebranding of the beauty pages on both titles, partnering with ad sales, design, marketing, and photo departments. 

  • Packaged and edited up to 20 monthly pages, including service-oriented tips and news, and features.

  • Attended sale pitches and cultivated relationships with advertisers in the beauty industry.

O, the Oprah Magazine, Hearst Magazines

Assistant Beauty Editor / Associate Beauty Editor
June 2009- August 2013

  • Wrote and edited 10+ pages a month including news items, award-winning reported features, and Oprah’s Favorite Things.

  • Produced beauty photo shoots from casting to concept in close partnership with the photo and art departments.

FREELANCE: Dr. Oz The Good Life, Martha Stewart Living, The Knot, Birchbox, Women’s Health, Parents Latina, CosmoGirl.com, SELF, and more

AWARDS: 2016 The Fragrance Foundation Award for Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage - Article for Dr. Oz The Good Life’s “Oooh...I Love That Scent” • 2014 National Magazine Awards in Leisure Interests for O, the Oprah Magazine’s “Hair Extravaganza”

EDUCATION: Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY • Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Studies and Political Sciences • Full-tuition scholarship arranged by the Fulbright Commission • Magna Cum Laude • Phi Beta Kappa