Today The Loop 21 announces that Ken Gibbs will join the staff as Chief Operating Officer & Executive Editor. Danielle Belton, Janee Bolden, Michael Brody and Keli Goff have all been named Editors. Theloop21.com, a leading African-American website for economic and political news, has made key alliances with media companies and has steadily grown their audience over 2010. This has prompted them to expand and invest in some executive-level talent.
Ken Gibbs is a digital media pioneer, serving as a critical member of the founding team for Africana.com, which was later acquired by Time Warner and rebranded as AOL Black Voices. He has also contributed here at Black Web 2.0 and held senior positions at InteractiveOne and Essence.com. Gibbs will run the overall editorial processes at The Loop 21, including oversight of the management and editorial staff.
Danielle Belton, writer and creator of the award-winning politics and pop culture blog blacksnob.com, will become the Money & Politics Editor. Janee Bolden, previously Managing Editor at Bossip.com, will serve as Culture & Entertainment Editor. Michael Brody, formerly a national news editor for the Fox News digital platform and Editorial Manager at PR Newswire, steps in as Front Page & News Editor. Keli Goff, an accomplished author and analyst for networks including MSNBC and CNN, will serve as Contributing Editor for Special Reports.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said Darrell Williams, founder & publisher of theloop21.com. “We’ve achieved and surpassed a number of key milestones in 2010 and we are building on the momentum. I’m extremely pleased to welcome a wealth of senior operations and editorial talent to our team who are committed to our vision and mission.”