Netflix is making some edits to its editorial and publishing team.
Longtime Hollywood insider Krista Smith is being promoted to head of publishing at the streamer, an expanded role that will see her assume oversight of fan site Tudum and all podcast operations. She will continue to run Queue, the print and digital magazine, and host her podcast Skip Intro, a series featuring conversations with actors, directors and writers. Smith, who has been at Netflix since April 2019, will report to vp publicity Michelle Slavich.
Michelle Lee, who had been global head of publishing since July 2021, is exiting Netflix to “pursue other opportunities,” a Netflix rep confirmed. Lee joined the streamer after six years at Allure, where she had served as editor-in-chief and helped spearhead major change at the publication, like banning the word “anti-aging” and shining a light on diverse talent. At the time, Lee, a vet of Nylon, tweeted that she was excited to join Netflix and work for chief marketing officer Bozoma Saint John, who exited in March.
As for Smith, she’s been knee deep in Netflix’s editorial operations while working on Queue and her own podcast. But with the new role, she expands her purview and does so at a time of change. Netflix was hit with layoffs this past spring and summer, with some of the trims coming in editorial and social operations. However, it’s known that the editorial remains an integral part of the studio’s publicity and promotion strategy with the wealth of content and awards fare, areas Smith knows well from her 25-year run at Vanity Fair.
Since joining Netflix in 2019, Smith helped developed Queue while serving as its editor, overseeing stories, content and interviews about Netflix’s film and TV offerings. She is the host and producer of Skip Intro which has featured recent interviews with Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes 2), Hillary and Chelsea Clinton (In Her Hands), Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmaye (The Good Nurse), Naomi Watts (The Watcher), Mila Kunis (Luckiest Girl Alive) and Tyler Perry (A Jazzman’s Blues), among dozens of others.
Outside of VF, Smith co-wrote and edited a celebration of designers intrinsic to the identity of Los Angeles, Fashion in LA (Phaidon, 2019). She serves on the board of SeriesFest and is on the advisory board of TheSkimm and the wellness brand HappyNotPerfect.