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Evolve’s TotallyHer Acquires AfterEllen.com

Readers, I have some big news to share. I’m so pleased to announce that our Managing Editor, Trish Bendix, will be taking over as the new Editor-in-Chief of AfterEllen.com. Trish has long been our source of all the best and breaking lesbian/bi entertainment news and now she’ll be stepping into her well-deserved new role. As any AE reader already knows, Trish has always brought so much passion, integrity and creativity to her work on the site. She’s traveled all over the U.S. as an AE representative, chairing panels on lesbian/bi representation in the media, hosting meet-ups for the AE community and making sure that all of the showrunners, writers and stars at the Television Critics Association know exactly how important their accurate depiction of our community is to us and to the world at large. Trish has been a tireless champion of the lesbian and bi characters and storylines that we love, and she’ll continue to advocate for all of us from her new (virtual) corner office. Coming aboard as her second-in-command will be Staff Editor (and occasional Fandom Balladeer) Dana Piccoli. Dana has done fantastic work as recapper, vlogger and red carpet reporter since she joined us in 2012. Her enthusiasm, humor and perfect pitch will be a great new addition to the staff, and Trish and I are both thrilled that she’s taking on this role. As for me, I’m stepping down from my role as Editor-in-Chief and embarking on some new adventures. Can it really be nine years since I wrote my first article for AE as a freelancer? It’s hard to fathom, but it’s been a wonderful ride. When I first started working with AE founder Sarah Warn, I’d come home from my day job and immediately set to work on editing and formatting articles to publish on AE the next morning. Back in the olden days, we only posted one or two posts per day via a creaky FTP publishing tool. Soon after, the site was acquired by Logo and we immediately expanded our content exponentially, hired a full staff of editors and grew into the largest lesbian entertainment site in the world. Today, I’m confident that our new parent company, TotallyHer Media, a publishing division of Evolve Media, along with the new leadership will leave AE readers in excellent hands, and I can’t wait to watch my favorite website as it continues to grow. Karman AfterEllen friends, readers and family, I’m so excited to be a part of the next phase of the site with you all. As a fan since AE’s beginnings, it’s such an honor to have worked with creator Sarah Warn and under a great boss and even better friend, Karman Kregloe. I see my work as an extension of theirs and consider myself incredibly lucky to have been with the site since 2008. I started as a freelancer, moving up to blog editor and later managing editor, and it’s kind of amazing to see how AfterEllen, just like LGBT visibility, has grown in that time.

While some of you might fear change, I can assure you there’s nothing to be afraid of, as the content you’ve come to us for in the last 12 years will continue to have a home on AfterEllen. Evolve Media and TotallyHer are encouraging us to do what we do well and offering us opportunities to do even more, which means you can expect some cool new things as well. That means more video content, podcasts and coverage of events and people that you have told us you want. We couldn’t be happier to provide those things to you because we’re all on the same page. What you want is what we want and that’s why I also want to take this opportunity for you to tell us what that is for you. We’ve always encouraged and appreciated your feedback, but in time of growth, we really need your input. Comment on this post, Tweet us, email myself or our new staff editor, Dana. We’re listening.

Thank you for being a smart, funny, diverse readership full of opinions, questions, commentary and suggestions on how our community can and should be seen and heard. AfterEllen is so proud to be a way to make those voices heard. We’ll only get louder and prouder together.

Trish Bendix, Editor in Chief @trishbendix

I first came across AfterEllen nearly 12 years ago, while living in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Yes, it’s a real place.) It was the first time I truly felt connected to the lesbian community. I have faithfully read AfterEllen nearly every day since.

When a goofy little song I wrote called “The Ballad of Rosewood” was featured on AfterEllen back in 2012, my heart nearly burst with happiness. It was shortly thereafter that I began writing and vlogging for the site. With the steadfast encouragement of my now dear friend Heather Hogan, and the endless support of Trish Bendix and Karman Kregloe, I started on a fast and furious journey to becoming a full time writer. I tapped into a part of myself that I never knew existed, and pushed myself harder than I ever had before. When I was approached to join AfterEllen as the Staff Editor, I finally knew what it was like to have a dream come true.

I’m thrilled to be working alongside AfterEllen’s new Editor in Chief, Trish Bendix, whose vision and drive has always been an inspiration to me. The women who write for AfterEllen amaze me on a daily basis with their wit, kindness and brilliance. I know that change can be stressful, but AfterEllen has found a true ally in TotallyHer Media. We will continue to bring you the best in queer entertainment and pop culture, while also taking AfterEllen to new and exciting heights. AfterEllen has thrived because of you, our readers. Your support means everything. Here’s to new adventures together!

Dana Piccoli, Staff Editor @danapiccoli

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