Hi, I’m
Joanna Powell
Summary
ASME Award-winning writer, editor, editor-in-chief with an excellent reputation for translating ideas and information for a wide audience. Career highlights: Launched O, The Oprah Magazine; booked best-selling celebrity covers at Good Housekeeping; interviewed hundreds of notable public figures; book critic for People magazine. Specialties: Celebrity profiles and Hollywood news, health and fitness, anti-aging, fashion, travel, and general lifestyle for mass-market audiences. Contributor to TIME, People, Billboard, Reader's Digest and other top publications.
Overview
37
years of professional experience
Work History
Centennial Media
Editor-in-Chief
01.2020 - 01.2023
Job overview
- Produced best-selling special interest magazines (bookazines) sold in 40,000 stores including Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, CVS, Target and Walmart.
- Oversaw editorial content from initial concept to publication.
- Titles include the bi-monthly Mindfulness Journal, The Complete Guide to Keto, The New Superfoods, Doris Day, Tiger King, The Birth of Jesus
- Managed editorial team creating high-quality content on tight deadlines
- Top-edited, copy edited, and proofread articles for tone, style, grammar, and accuracy
- Developed and managed budgets for the editorial team.
Life & Style Weekly
Health Editor
01.2012 - 01.2016
Job overview
- Launched and oversaw the popular 'Diets That Work' section
- Conceived, reported, and wrote weekly stories, coordinating a team of photo editors, designers, and reporters
- Interviewed celebrities, doctors, nutritionists, trainers, and other wellness specialists
- Tracked scientific research.
Pacican Academy
ESL Instructor
02.2011 - 01.2012
Job overview
- Developed and implemented lesson plans to improve students' English proficiency
- Tutored businessmen seeking to improve their command of English.
People Magazine
Senior Writer
01.2001 - 01.2007
Job overview
- Produced cover stories for America's most popular magazine (audience of 46 million at the time) , including Sexiest Man Alive and 100 Most Beautiful People
- Reviewed new fiction and non-fiction books for 'Picks and Pans' [2006-2015]
- Launched spin-off magazines: People's Your Diet and PeopleCountry
- Developed fashion and beauty stories for People Stylewatch
- Appeared on radio promotion tours.
O, The Oprah Magazine
Writer/Editor
01.1999 - 01.2000
Job overview
- Collaborated with Oprah Winfrey to develop the concept for the most successful magazine launch in history
- Proposed the publication's name and drafted the original table of contents for the prototype
- Edited and wrote sample features, columns, and front-of-book sections.
Good Housekeeping
Entertainment Editor, Celebrity Booker
01.1994 - 01.1999
Job overview
- Boosted newstand sales 80% by booking cover stories with Hollywood A-listers
- Assigned feature stories to a prestigious roster of writers
- Reported and wrote stories on top TV, film, and music personalities, pro athletes, and political figures
- Prescreened celeb biographies for first-serial book buys
- Liaised with the marketing team on cover concepts and reader contests.
Redbook Magazine
Entertainment Editor
01.1993 - 01.1994
Entertainment Weekly
Reporter, Researcher
01.1991 - 01.1993
Glamour Magazine
Associate Entertainment Editor
01.1986 - 01.1988
Education
New York UniversityNew York, NY
English Literature from English
Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
Bachelor's from English Literature
12.1982
Skills
- Writing
- Reporting
- Editing
- Researching
- Copy Editing
- Language teaching
- Online journalism
- Grammar
- Headline writing
- Interviewing
- Creative writing
- Book author
- Classroom Management
- Tutoring
- Celebrity wrangling
- Story development
Timeline
Editor-in-Chief
Centennial Media
01.2020 - 01.2023
Health Editor
Life & Style Weekly
01.2012 - 01.2016
ESL Instructor
Pacican Academy
02.2011 - 01.2012
Senior Writer
People Magazine
01.2001 - 01.2007
Writer/Editor
O, The Oprah Magazine
01.1999 - 01.2000
Entertainment Editor, Celebrity Booker
Good Housekeeping
01.1994 - 01.1999
Entertainment Editor
Redbook Magazine
01.1993 - 01.1994
Reporter, Researcher
Entertainment Weekly
01.1991 - 01.1993
Associate Entertainment Editor
Glamour Magazine
01.1986 - 01.1988
New York University
English Literature from English
Georgia State University
Bachelor's from English Literature