S1E8 - Sarah Bennett

Sarah Bennett @thesarahbennett is a professional journalist, editor, designer and publisher who experimented in the field for nearly two decades before entering education and advising student media.

Sarah began her career at Santa Ana College, writing and editing for the award-winning el Don student newspaper and started freelancing for her local alternative weekly while still a student. After transferring to the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, she earned a BA in Communications and an MA in Specialized Journalism with an emphasis on arts and music criticism, all while editing local media and maintaining bylines in the L.A. Times, Los Angeles Magazine, CNN, Paper Magazine, NBC News, Thrillist, L.A. Weekly, OC Weekly, Culture Magazine and more.  

After graduation, she became the executive editor of the Long Beach Post, where she implemented new digital strategies that turned the former political blog into one of the city's most respected online news outlets. She has since consulted with a handful of newsrooms to help them develop news products with audience engagement and growth in mind. 

When she's not teaching full-time at Santa Ana College, Sarah remains active in building local opportunities for media experimentation and self-publishing. She co-founded PLACE LB --a volunteer-run community print studio, zine hub + DIY media lab --and is on the board of Long Beach Public Media, which manages low-power FM station KLBP. She is a co-founder of the Long Beach Zine Fest and believes everyone should exercise their right to a free press in a free society.

Support her and her projects! @eldonnews @place.lb @lazinefest @klbpfm