Cary Darling

Oversee the coverage of arts, entertainment and culture at the Houston Chronicle, the leading newspaper and website for local news in Houston, the country's fourth-largest city.

Assign and edit stories from staffers and freelancers for the Friday entertainment tab, Preview.

Wrote the Houston Chronicle's weekly entertainment newsletter until late 2023.

Because the Chronicle did not have anyone covering film/TV, I decided to take on these duties so that the paper could have its own voice. This helps drive traffic as reviews for such movies as "Society of the Snow" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" received 50,000+ page views.

Some of the stories that I assigned, edited, wrote or co-wrote include: the Houston Hot 100, our favorite songs by Houston musicians; ZZ Top's 'Tres Hombres' turns 50: Blues, brothels and a beloved Houston Tex-Mex restaurant; Willie Nelson and his guitar Trigger: A love story; Some of the best bands skip Houston in favor of Dallas and Austin. Here are some reasons why; Why can't Houston get a new movie theater inside the Loop.

Wrote arts, entertainment, lifestyle and travel features as well as film, music, restaurant reviews and a daily celebrity column.

Oversaw print production for daily publication.

Managed and edited the Star-Telegram's digital media outlets such as DFW.com, Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Developed SEO and meta titles to ensure stories were easily found by readers online.

Dispatched to South Africa to report on the culture a decade after the demise of apartheid.

Wrote a monthly world-music column.

Represented the paper in TV/Radio appearances to provide expert opinion on trends.

Responsible for editing and assigning stories for the Sunday arts section, the part of the paper that took an in-depth look at movies, music, theater, visual arts, architecture and books.

Worked closely with the page designers to come up with engaging and compelling presentations that would draw readers into taking a chance on longer, more involved stories that went beyond the news of the day.

Wrote trend stories about music, film and pop culture, ranging from an interview with author David Sedaris to a feature on how advertisers are using electronic music/EDM to sell their products.

Assigned and edited stories from features staff and freelancers.