ReedPop has hired former Newsarama Senior Editor Chris Arrant as its Editor-in-Chief, responsible for developing comic book content for its digital properties. Arrant will lead editorial projects across all ReedPop’s events to create different types of online experiences for fans that don’t depend on attending a physical convention.

In addition to spending six years as Editor and then Senior Editor at Newsarama, Arrant has written for Life, Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Comics, Publisher's Weekly, and MTV, and has served as a judge for the Eisner, Harvey, and Stan Lee awards. 

“After years of covering ReedPop’s conventions as an outside journalist, I’m thrilled to join the team and help evolve their brand to meet its full potential as the ultimate pop culture news destination,” Arrant said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “ReedPop has a hugely passionate fanbase and I look forward to leading the team in offering Con-goers an unparalleled level of digital content through our editorial channels.”

Last year, ReedPop started adding online initiatives, including the Metaverse and The Haul, to its programming, and reducing its dependence on live events (see “ICv2 Interview: ReedPop President Mike Armstrong”).

In other event news, Gina Gagliano has been appointed Executive Director of the Boston Book Festival. Gagliano was the founder and Publishing Director of Random House Graphic (see “Random House Adds Graphic Novel Imprint”), and prior to that, she was Associate Director, Marketing & Publicity, at First Second Books. The festival has been virtual for the past two years but will return as an in-person event in September and October 2022. Gagliano will be in charge of the festival’s year-round programming as well as strategic planning for 2022 and the future.