Andrew Daniels

I’m an exceptionally creative editor, content director, and strategist with 13 years of experience generating irresistible stories and special projects at thriving national brands, as well as leading record growth in audience and consumer revenue at legacy titles. My performance history shows a large volume of work production, excellent user engagement, and an intrinsic understanding of what makes clickable content that turns casual readers into lasting customers, coupled with the editorial skills to ensure the material meets the highest standard of quality.

What I’m Up to Right Now

Since July 2021, I’ve been the Director of Membership Content for the Enthusiast Group at Hearst Magazines. I lead the efforts of three brands (Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling) to use content to convert non-paying audiences into paying members and to boost membership renewals. In one year, I drove a 35% year-over-year gain in new members (+20,000).

In my role, I work across brands to guide all editorial teams—Service & News, Features, Video, Gear, Commerce, Social, and Design—in the ideation, development, testing, and tuning of organic new content and distribution methods that maximize subscriber acquisition and retention. I execute live events and build benefits (deals, special products, gear-testing opportunities) that foster member engagement, and I analyze analytics and distribute learnings and successful strategies for improving the efficiency of content creation to relevant stakeholders.

I also oversee the growth strategy of email newsletters for all publications. I increased year-over-year open rates by 70% for free daily newsletters and transformed each brand’s weekly membership newsletter from a standard email promoting existing on-site content into a freestanding platform to engage members within the email itself: a premium product with original columns and longform stories from editors, experts, and members.

I supervise a membership team of staff editors and contributors who exclusively interact with and create content for 82,000 paying members. I closely manage their workflow and deadlines; help them improve their brand-specific editorial skills including voice, serviceability, and expertise; and implement plans to support their career development and provide regular feedback on their performance. I also completed the Hearst Leadership Development Program through Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning.

Plus, I top-edit 144 pages across 18 annual print issues our magazines, including feature profiles of members and advice columns from running and cycling coaches.

In a Past Life…

Before my current gig, I was the senior editor at Popular Mechanics, where I led the content creation, strategy execution, and day-to-day operations for the 120-year-old Hearst title’s Service and News team, from pitches and assignments to editing, publishing, and distribution. My purview included all daily trend- and study-based news stories; SEO- and commerce-driven guides and explainers; and member-exclusive features across the science, space, military, aviation, automotive, DIY, and tech verticals.

At Pop Mech, I steered unprecedented digital growth for the brand—including a 66% year-over-year audience gain from 9 million unique monthly users (Sep. 2019) to 15 million uniques (Sep. 2020)—by using a superior news sense and knack for persuasive display copy to attract new users. I also led efforts to optimize Pop Mech's digital content to establish connections with readers and compel them to take further actions that increase consumer revenue and loyalty. This included implementing inbound marketing strategies in news stories to convert readers to the Pop Mech Pro membership program, and tactically integrating products into articles to boost affiliate revenue.

I managed a team of staff editors, cultivated a deep bench of contributors, assigned and edited several front-of-book columns in each print issue, set the brand’s digital editorial calendar, and ideated on new social initiatives and video franchises.

Earlier in my career, I spent seven years climbing the masthead at Men’s Health, the world’s largest men’s magazine brand. As the senior editor for MensHealth.com, I wrote, assigned, and edited more than 50 weekly news and feature stories covering culture, sports, health, science, fitness, sex, relationships, travel, and food and nutrition, all designed to exceed ambitious traffic goals while continuing to serve readers.

At Men’s Health I managed the creation of dozens of custom edit centers to fulfill high-revenue advertising campaigns; developed ambitious, ongoing features like Everyday Heroes—a showcase of regular, inspiring Men’s Health readers—that utilized all of the brand’s editorial arms, including video; spearheaded the efforts to boost affiliate commerce-driven sales through organic, compelling content; closely top-edited all social media and newsletter copy to establish the Men’s Health voice across channels and improve reach, shares, and open rates; supervised junior staffers, and coordinated all assignments and deadlines.

And then there was the really fun stuff: I interviewed hundreds of celebrities and athletes ranging from Mike Tyson to Vanilla Ice; cohosted and produced several podcasts including Men’s Health Live, a weekly radio show and podcast syndicated in 45 national markets; starred in dozens of goofy web videos; covered music festivals and Super Bowls; and voluntarily conducted experiments like wearing high heels for a day and pitching colossally dumb business ideas to the billionaires on Shark Tank.

After Men’s Health, I joined Playboy as a contributing editor—for the articles, I swear!—where I tackled news, trends, and aspirational features across a variety of digital lifestyle verticals, especially food and drink, tech and gear, and travel. Some of my favorite Playboy clips include visiting Mexico's Jalisco Highlands in an attempt to learn to love tequila, tracing the origins of the boozy brunch revolution, and investigating whether or not cannabis can ever disrupt the alcohol industry, among many other highlights. 

I then spent time as the executive editor for Talent Quarterly, a B2B magazine that elevates the quality of the discussion about corporate talent issues by providing challenging, insightful, and practical articles by global thought leaders. In my position, I edited all content, ranging from front-of-book reports to 5,000-word features; recruited contributors; managed copy and production deadlines; closely collaborated with the art director and managing editor to shape the book's design; and led digital and social media operations. We distributed the magazine to all Fortune 1,000 CHROs, as well as a rapidly growing online and app subscriber base.

I also cut my teeth as a content marketing consultant for Kate Farms, a leader in plant-based, ready-to-drink meal replacements for athletes and families, and tube-feeding formulas for people with food sensitivities, digestive issues, and other medical conditions that require special nutrition. I wrote human interest profiles on ambassadors who have used and benefitted from Kate Farms products, including cancer survivors and cystic fibrosis patients.

As a freelance writer and editor, I regularly contribute original reported stories and custom branded articles to diverse outlets such as Men’s Journal, Billboard, VICE, Ford Motor Company, Spartan Race, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sodexo, Silver Sneakers, Apple Autos, Athene, Crazy Good Turns, Lodging magazine, and petMD.

Finally, I'm the author of The Barstool Book Of Sports: Stats, Stories, and Other Stuff for Drunken Debate (Lyons Press, September 2017). From proposal to publish, I spent more than a year researching and writing this debate bible that’s packed with punchy, quick-hitting lists, illustrations, and sidebars to help fans transform their sports knowledge and sound smarter and more confident in drunken trivia duels—even when they can’t quite see straight. I tackle hard-hitting questions like these: What’s the easiest sport for a hefty athlete to play? Where’s the saddest fan base in America? What are the dumbest sports injuries ever? Which NFL player should star alongside CGI animals in the football version of Space Jam? Consider the book a toast to every intoxicated sports argument you’ve ever had.

A graduate of Lehigh University (we beat Duke), I’m usually on Twitter (@skippyd) waxing poetic about various things (Philly sports, punk rock bands, and my dog, Draper). In my spare time I drink beer, make music in my basement, and frequently wonder what story I’d tell if and when I’m a contestant on Jeopardy. It took me an hour to write this.

I’m forever chasing the most captivating stories that haven’t yet been told, and I welcome all opportunities to share them with new audiences. Please say hey: andrewjdaniels@gmail.com.