Donnelly brings a long and diverse journalism background in both established print media and startup publications to the position. From 2002 through 2008 he was Deputy Editor of the LA Weekly, during which time the paper was among the most lauded alternative weeklies in the country, winning a record number of awards, including a Pulitzer. Following that, Donnelly was the founding publisher and co-editor of Slake: Los Angeles, an award-winning, best selling quarterly magazine serving the greater Los Angeles region. Donnelly served as Arts Editor for New Times Los Angeles prior to joining the LA Weekly. Earlier in his career Donnelly worked for RayGun publishing where he was the editor of seminal pop-culture magazines, Bikini and Stick. Donnelly was also instrumental in launching EXPN.com, ESPN’s extreme sports web site. He is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Donnelly has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions as editor, designer and writer. Describing what attracted the board to Donnelly, board chair Steven Ainsley commented, “Joe has been recognized for a broad range of journalistic efforts, ranging from hard news, feature stories, arts coverage and magazine design. Just as significant is his history in bringing startup publications to life. His proven experience in this regard along with an impressive record of developing journalists made Joe an easy choice for this position.
“It became clear from our first conversations with Joe,” Ainsley continued, “that he believed strongly in the collaborative opportunities the Initiative could and should pursue with established area media outlets. This will be an important driver for everything the Initiative hopes to accomplish and it was critical the editor understood this. Joe clearly endorses this approach.”
Donnelly will be starting in his new role in early January and plans to be relocating to the Santa Barbara shortly thereafter.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this project,” says Donnelly. “I think a close-knit, civic-minded community is the perfect place to start exploring the best ways to deliver quality, community-based journalism in the 21st century. I’ve always said journalism is a collaborative process between the public and the profession that works best when both parties demand the most of each other. I think we have an opportunity to do just that here in Santa Barbara with this initiative.”
For further information contact Steven Ainsley at 805.899.8620, ext. 234 or at ainsley@psmag.com.