Carla Sosenko
Verified Expert in Marketing
Marketing Expert
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since June 5, 2024
Carla is a writer and editor with 20 years in print and digital media. With experience working in capacities as editor-in-chief of Time Out New York and executive editor of Entertainment Weekly, she also acted as the ghostwriter for TikToker Melissa Pateras' 2023 book A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home. Carla has freelanced with brands ranging from Popular Science to DoorDash to help craft punchy, addictive, and organic sponsored content optimized for search and social.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Writer, Editor, and Copywriter
Self-employed
- Worked with various brands and clients across multiple industries, including DoorDash and Caviar, People, Popular Science, Scholastic, Sweetn, and Penguin Random House.
- Stepped in as a full-time contract executive editor to cover maternity leaves and other open positions.
- Mastered the brand tone to turn around tight copy on short deadlines for big companies and solo clients alike.
- Pitched, reported, and wrote essays, round-ups, celebrity interviews, recaps, and reviews for publications including Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Self, Refinery29, and Well+Good.
- Ghostwrote Melissa Dilkes Pateras' debut book, A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home, which made the Best Nonfiction list on Amazon.
- Completed and sold my memoir, Such a Pretty Face, to Dial Press. It will be published in the spring of 2025.
- Moderated panels and Q&As for organizations including The Paley Center, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, and the 92nd Street Y. Interviewees included Gal Gadot, Jessica Biel, Kate Bosworth, and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Deputy Editor
Us Weekly
- Treated, assigned, and wrote features for the Well and top-edited every page of the print magazine.
- Supervised a small team of staff writers and stringers, art directors, and photo editors.
- Trained green journalists through constant feedback, edits, revisions, and check-ins.
- Coordinated with the digital, video, marketing, and sales teams to successfully deliver content on every platform.
Executive Editor
Entertainment Weekly
- Oversaw the Must List, Music, Stage, and News and Notes verticals and spearheaded multiple celebrity interviews and shoots.
- Headed up EW's biggest special issues, including Best and Worst and Untold Stories. Pitched, commissioned, wrote, and edited features for print and digital platforms.
- Worked on sponsored special projects, like EW's Binge Guide, driving conversions and new subscriptions.
- Represented the brand on national television and PeopleTV, formerly the People Entertainment Network. Interviewed many guests on PeopleTV, including Glenn Close, Eddie Izzard, Kristen Bell, and Emma Roberts.
- Departed my post when EW relocated to Los Angeles, staying on to see the brand through the transition.
Editor-in-chief
Time Out
- Managed all KPIs of the print magazine, the website, social, video, and the newsletter, working with the national and global editorial teams, including marketing and sales, and the executive vice president to strategize content across all products.
- Worked with professionals, from executives in the C-suite to entry-level editorial assistants, on company issues big and small, including team morale, fair hiring practices, pay equity, and staff recognition.
- Interviewed, hired, and mentored green journalists and marketers.
- Promoted from my role as deputy editor, which included supervising the digital content director.
Managing Editor
Bauer Publishing
- Worked as copy chief and managing editor at Life & Style and its sister publication, InTouch Weekly. I simultaneously served as copy chief and managing editor for Life & Style.
- Created maps, liaised between the ad sales and editorial teams, enforced all deadlines and schedules across both magazines and ensured the copy was error-free and stylistically sound, which included updating our style guide.
- Pitched, treated, and edited stories for the well and back sections of the book.
- Promoted to acting executive editor when that role was vacated.
Project History
Freelance Writer and Editor, Popular Science
https://www.popsci.com/authors/carla-sosenko/I pitched, assigned, wrote, edited, and optimized affiliate round-ups. I used keyword research via JungleScout to choose topics and products with the best search.
Freelance Writer, The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/by/carla-sosenkoI pitched, reported, and wrote stories for different verticals of the Times, including Well and Travel.
Staff Editor
https://www.carlasosenko.com/I worked in multiple positions in print and digital media, including copy chief, managing editor, executive editor, and editor-in-chief.
Education
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Emerson College - Boston, MA, USA
Bachelor's Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in English
Boston University - Boston, MA, USA
Bachelor's Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Journalism
Boston University - Boston, MA, USA
Skills
Core
Writing & Editing, Google SEO, SEO Tools, Social Media Marketing, Marketing Design, Branding
Platforms & Tools
Adobe InDesign, Content Management Systems (CMS)
Other
Adobe InDesign, Reporting, Teaching, Content Writing, Interviewing, Affiliate Marketing, WordPress Development, Squarespace Development, Slack Development, Business Intelligence Development, Website Traffic, Branded Content, Events, Books, E-commerce marketing, Digital Newsletters
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