McKenna Grant

McKenna is an award-winning editor and content strategist, specialising in storytelling in the digital space with 17+ years experience. She has managed large editorial and publishing teams at renowned publications in the UK and UAE, from The Telegraph to Time Out GCC. Creating flawless, engaging copy that cuts through the noise across platforms is her specialty.

Head of Content – Time Out GCC at ITP Media: May 2023 – December 2025

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

● Lead the publishing strategy of Time Out’s editorial publications in the Middle East across digital, social media, video, print magazines and events. Serve as head of editorial for Time Out Dubai, Time Out Abu Dhabi, Time Out Riyadh, Time Out Jeddah, Time Out Bahrain, Time Out Doha, Time Out Ras Al Khaimah and Time Out DXB

● Manage a region-wide editorial team of 22 editors, writers, social media editors and designers across the GCC, with the largest teams based in our Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi offices

● Reached a record-breaking monthly audience of 56 million for Time Out GCC titles across digital platforms, including unique users, social reach, newsletters and more. Time Out Dubai’s Instagram has the second-highest following globally for Time Out brands, only slightly shy of the original London account

● Collaborate with commercial and sales teams to produce paid-for content in the form of video series, print products, advertorials and social campaigns for prominent clients across the GCC

● Mentor editors to adhere to high editorial standards whilst embracing cutting-edge digital and social innovation. Ensure all content, from breaking news to evergreens, is SEO-savvy and cuts through the noise

● Manage both English and Arabic editors to guarantee Time Out’s brand shines across both languages in the GCC

Head of Lifestyle Publishing – The Telegraph: Oct 2022 – May 2023

London, United Kingdom

● Oversaw the digital and print publishing strategy across The Telegraph’s 12 lifestyle verticals, implementing the highest standards of storytelling that will not only attract quality subscribers, but retain them

● Managed a team of 24 digital strategists, digital editors, production journalists, as well as print and digital sub-editors to ensure a jam-packed editorial calendar and publishing workflow runs smoothly

● Collaborate with the SEO, social media, community, Snapchat, graphics, data, video, newsletters, homepage and app teams to elevate the production and promotion across Telegraph.co.uk and third-party platforms

● Execute The Telegraph’s digital-first strategy by advising editors on how to best commission pieces specifically for the core digital audience, which are then adapted for print, highlighting a digital-first approach

● Analyse reader behaviour through site analytics to identify opportunities for subscriber growth and retention

● Oversee the affiliate and commerce-driven lifestyle editorial content, ensuring journalistic values are always first and foremost

● Optimise existing long-term content to ensure evergreen pieces are enhanced for search, social and more to coincide with website traffic and online interest

Head of Digital Lifestyle and Features – The Telegraph: Jan 2020 – Oct 2022

London, United Kingdom

● Oversaw the digital strategy and online execution of lifestyle verticals and two magazines, working directly with commissioning editors to ensure all pieces prioritised digital-first story angles, user-friendly formatting, video, imagery and journalist-reader interactives to guarantee a 360 piece of content

● Served as quality control with an eye on punchy headlines, engaging narrative and visual storytelling

● Analysed reader trends through analytics programs, highlighting wins and areas for improvement – adapting to changes in reader behaviour and content consumption, especially during Covid

● Managed a team of nine, including digital editors, production journalists and lifestyle writers

Digital Lifestyle Editor – The Telegraph: Mar 2019 – Jan 2020

London, United Kingdom

● Served as deputy editor to the Head of Digital Lifestyle, liaising with The Telegraph’s lifestyle desks to enhance and optimise digital content across all platforms, as well as strengthen promotion strategy

Snapchat Senior Content Editor – The Telegraph: July 2017 – Mar 2019

London, United Kingdom

● Published The Telegraph’s daily edition on Snapchat Discover, writing and editing copy, crafting social-savvy headlines and collaborating with designers to create engaging visuals

● Adapted print and online content, written for its core audience, for Snapchat’s 15-24 age demographic

● Received the Gold Award for Innovation at 30 To Watch: Young Journalist Awards in 2018 for my work on Snapchat, the top award for digital storytelling out of 400 entries from more than 90 media brands

SEO and Social Media Editor – The Telegraph: Jan 2016 – July 2017

London, United Kingdom

● Managed social platforms, including 11 Facebook accounts, 15 Twitter accounts, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat, whilst adhering to a fast-paced and jam-packed editorial schedule

● Pushed breaking news notifications to drive social shares and website click-throughs

● Reported on camera in Facebook Lives. Trained reporters to ensure quality from a tone and tech perspective

● Monitored trending content to pinpoint rising stories and provided real-time SEO analysis to the newsroom

Copywriter – Halpern PR: Dec 2014 – Dec 2015

London, United Kingdom

● Edited copy for consumer lifestyle and beauty brands, utilising my journalism and social media expertise to elevate clients’ appeal within digital platforms to drive engagement

● Compiled daily, weekly and monthly coverage and social media and engagement reports

Editor – USA TODAY: Aug 2013 – Nov 2014

USA TODAY Headquarters, McLean, VA, USA

● Managed 20 correspondents for USA TODAY’s Education section – the top US newspaper in total daily circulation as of May 2014

● Approved pitches, edited copy, built online content, managed social media and provided feedback to writers

● Published 15 stories per day, as well as wrote my own breaking stories and features

● Increased USA TODAY College’s Facebook following by 570 percent between January 2014 and October 2014

● Managed content partnerships, as well as liaised with the wider newsroom to create multi-desk packages

Associate Digital Producer – USA WEEKEND magazine: Aug 2012 – Nov 2013

USA TODAY Headquarters, McLean, VA, USA

● Published magazine content through CMS, contributed to blogs and analysed website traffic

● Wrote features and edited copy for the magazine’s lifestyle and celebrity interview sections

● Managed social media channels, produced community projects, online campaigns and partner promotions

Editorial Intern – Woman’s Day, Hearst Magazines: May 2012 – Aug 2012

New York, NY, USA

● Assisted features editors with researching, fact-checking, reporting and social media promotion

● Achieved bylines in the September and November 2012 issues – only summer 2012 editorial intern to do so

Digital Communications Intern – Jewelers of America: May 2012 – Aug 2012

New York, NY, USA

● Curated JA’s two websites, tailored to both trade and consumer audiences

● Wrote press releases, assisted with event planning and strengthened e-marketing strategies

Editorial Intern – USA TODAY: Jan 2012 – May 2012

USA TODAY Headquarters, McLean, VA, USA

● Wrote lifestyle features for USA TODAY’s Your Life section and USA WEEKEND magazine

University of Maryland, College Park - USA

News-editorial journalism, Bachelors