Entertainment Journalist Matt Donnelly Joins Variety

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Variety has hired entertainment journalist Matt Donnelly as a senior film writer.

Donnelly, who most recently served as a senior reporter for The Wrap, will cover the major studios, the indie film market and the talent agencies. He will be based at Variety’s Los Angeles headquarters.

Donnelly joins Variety’s sterling team of writers and editors both in Los Angeles and New York.

He will report directly to Brent Lang, executive editor of film and media.

“I’m thrilled that instead of having to compete against Matt for scoops, we’ll now have him as part of the Variety family,” said Lang. “I’ve been a long-time fan of his work, and appreciate the energy and drive he brings to the beat. Matt is a thoughtful and witty writer who will be a great addition to our staff.”

Donnelly will be responsible for producing breaking industry news and analysis for Variety.com and writing cover and feature stories for the weekly magazine. He will also contribute to Variety’s annual awards race coverage in film and television.

In his former job, he contributed exclusive reporting to industry-defining moments like the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, groundbreaking moves for inclusion and representation in film as well as leadership and infrastructure changes in traditional media and the dawn of the streaming revolution.

Before joining The Wrap, Donnelly served as a founding writer for the Los Angeles Times celebrity and culture section Ministry of Gossip, crossing over to contribute news and lifestyle content to the newspaper’s Calendar section. His work has appeared in InStyle magazine, Yahoo, E! News and E! Online and in the New York Post.

“Matt was a colleague of mine at the Los Angeles Times and I always admired his work,” said Claudia Eller, Variety editor-in-chief. “I am thrilled that he is coming aboard, and am so looking forward to working with him.”

Donnelly is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Temple University. A fan of creative people and cocktail attire, he thrives in his natural habitat of Los Angeles.