The editor-in-chief of Hearst UK entertainment website Digital Spy has left to lead the push to attract a younger audience at Reach.
Laurence Mozafari has been named editorial director – youth audience at Reach, meaning he will take on responsibility for growing the national and regional publisher’s Gen Z readers and viewers (aged approximately 13 to 27).
Mozafari will also be responsible for building Reach brand Curiously, which launched in late 2022 and publishes across its own site, Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat targeting 16 to 34-year-olds.
Starting this month, Mozafari will work with Reach’s various editorial teams to ensure they are producing content that is “accessible to under-35s”.
The publisher said in a statement that it has already been putting focus on reaching this audience over the past year resulting in a 2.5% year-on-year increase among under-35s.
Mozafari said: “There’s so much potential to draw this demographic to content across all of Reach’s fantastic brands.”
Mozafari will report to Reach chief digital publisher David Higgerson who said the new hire will “drive forward our plan for attracting, keeping and growing younger audiences, which is crucial to the success and sustainability of our journalism and brands.
“Laurence is an award-winning journalist and editor with a passion for helping Gen Z and younger audiences appreciate the value of news, and has expert knowledge in driving record-breaking traffic for younger audiences across multiple platforms, so he’ll be a great fit for the role and for Reach.”
Mozafari has been at Digital Spy for around nine years, working his way up from associate editor and deputy editor. He was previously digital editor for Heat at Bauer.
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