TheWrap

• 1. Introduction

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  TheWrap launched in January 2009, right as the entertainment industry was trying to figure out what the internet would do to it. Sharon Waxman, a reporter who had covered Hollywood for The New York Times and The Washington Post, decided to build something new. Not a trade publication in the old mold, but an online news organization focused on the business side of entertainment. The questions it set out to answer were the ones nobody else was asking in quite the same way: who actually controls the money in Hollywood, how does a streaming deal get made, and what does the collapse of old media mean for the people who make movies and television? Over the years, TheWrap grew from a startup into an outlet with enough standing to win the Southern California Journalism Award for Best Online News Site not once but twice, first in 2009 and again in 2012.

• 2. Sharon Waxman's Bet

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  Waxman's background made her an unusual founder for a digital outlet. She had spent years inside the traditional press, reporting on Hollywood for two of the most prestigious newspapers in the country. When she launched TheWrap, she was placing a bet that the entertainment industry needed a publication dedicated not to celebrity gossip but to the actual mechanics of the business. The site offered original reporting, analysis, and editorial opinion, with a particular focus on film, television, and streaming media. Waxman herself kept a public presence on the site through a blog called WaxWord, which earned first place in the Blog Individual category at the Los Angeles Press Club's National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards in 2016.

• 3. Building the Newsroom

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  In November 2015, TheWrap made a round of hires that signaled its ambitions. Tim Molloy rejoined as Deputy Managing Editor, working alongside Thom Geier on editorial operations. Joan Solsman came aboard as Business and Technology Editor, based in New York, to lead coverage of digital media. Andrew Curry was brought in as Director of Audience Development, taking responsibility for editorial partnerships, social media strategy, and audience engagement. Solsman's role also connected to TheWrap's annual Grill conference, an event the outlet ran to bring together executives and journalists from across the entertainment and media industries. That same year, TheWrap took second place for Best Entertainment Website at the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards.

• 4. Film and TV Coverage Deepens

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  January 2023 brought two editorial hires aimed squarely at TheWrap's core beats. Kristen Lopez joined as Film Editor, coming from IndieWire and with credits at Variety, TCM, and RogerEbert.com. Jose Alejandro Bastidas was hired as TV Editor after serving as Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. Their arrivals followed internal promotions as well: Adam Chitwood and Jethro Nededog were elevated to Co-Executive Editors, reshaping the leadership structure at a time when streaming had fundamentally altered the landscape that TheWrap had been covering since its founding.

• 5. 2025 Expansion

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  February 2025 marked the most concentrated burst of senior-level hiring in TheWrap's history. Tom Lowry joined as Senior Vice President of Editorial Strategy, charged with building out business and tech coverage and developing subscription products. Graham Starr came in as Business Editor to oversee business and PRO coverage. Brian Lowry shifted into the role of Media Editor, focusing on the intersection of media and politics. Jennifer Laski was appointed Director of Photography and Video after having already created the "Visionaries" video series for the site. Drew Taylor and Umberto Gonzalez were also promoted to senior positions on the film team, broadening the editorial bench at a moment when TheWrap was investing in new revenue streams beyond advertising.