USA TODAY Entertainment Expands Team
USA TODAY welcomes new editorial leaders and reporters across entertainment, culture, style, beauty and new media to further expand entertainment coverage.
These additions reflect USA TODAY’s continued investment in premium entertainment, lifestyle and culture journalism, while expanding coverage of the topics and personalities shaping today’s media landscape.
Charlie Carballo joins as West Coast Editor, based in Los Angeles. Most recently Executive Digital Director at Women’s Wear Daily, Carballo brings extensive experience overseeing breaking news coverage, audience development, SEO and analytics.
Paris Close joins as Weekend Editor. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Close served as a copy editor at Stacker Media, where he was known for his expertise in entertainment and pop culture coverage. He has also held editorial roles at iHeartRadio and PopCrush.
Sameen Chaudhry joins as Breaking & Trending Reporter. Based in New York, Chaudhry was previously a global staff writer at digital media outlet Narcity, where she covered breaking news, entertainment and culture for a wide digital audience, and later worked as a copywriter at luxury fashion retailer SSENSE.
Morgan Evans joins as Style & Beauty Reporter. Based in New York, Evans has contributed to publications including Vogue and InStyle and has covered many of the industry’s most prominent fashion and entertainment events.
Moises Mendez II joins as YouTube & Creators Reporter, covering the digital creators, platforms and personalities transforming the entertainment landscape. Based in New York City, Mendez was previously a culture reporter at Time and an associate editor at Out Magazine, with his work also having appeared in The Atlantic and Rolling Stone.
Zachary Pincus-Roth joins as New Media Editor, where he will oversee coverage of internet culture, content creators, influencers and emerging digital platforms. Based in Washington, D.C., Pincus-Roth most recently served as Senior Editor in The Washington Post’s Style section.
Kalia Richardson joins as Entertainment Reporter covering documentaries and nostalgia. Based in New York, Richardson most recently reported for Rolling Stone, covering a range of entertainment and culture stories. Previously, she was a culture reporting fellow at The New York Times.
Krystie Yandoli joins as Senior Entertainment Reporter, focusing on enterprise and investigative storytelling. Based in Los Angeles, Yandoli is an award-winning journalist whose previous reporting at BuzzFeed News and Rolling Stone has driven national conversations and earned industry recognition.