Congratulations to Mara Shalhoup, named Editor in Chief of Creative Loafing Atlanta!
January 15th, 2010 Posted in UncategorizedATLANTA, GA
Mara Shalhoup, senior editor of *Creative Loafing* Atlanta, has been named editor in chief of the paper, which is the Southeast’s largest newsweekly.
Shalhoup joined *Creative Loafing* Atlanta in 2000 and has served as a staff writer, news editor, and senior writer. Since November 2008, she has served as part of a four-person editorial leadership team that includes Managing Editor T. Chante LaGon, Online Producer Alejandro Leal, and Arts & Entertainment Editor Debbie Michaud.
“With Mara’s rich history in the community and deep knowledge of journalism and Atlanta, she is the perfect choice to lead our editorial team,” said Luann Labedz, publisher of *Creative Loafing* Atlanta. “Mara is a standout executive who has been a leader in innovation and is a great example of the paper’s next generation of leaders.”
Shalhoup is the recipient of a number of awards that recognize her journalistic talent. Among them is the Atlanta Press Club’s 2007 Journalist of the Year award. She also was named Best Local Reporter in 2007 by *Atlanta Magazine*. In 2007 the Association of Alternative Newspapers awarded Shalhoup first place for a web feature for her “BMF: Hip-hop’s shadowy empire.” That 2006 series in *Creative Loafing* Atlanta, about a national cocaine and hip-hop syndicate, is the subject of Shalhoup’s first book,
BMF:The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family, which will be published in March by St. Martin’s Press.
In 2005 Shalhoup also received a first place Clarion Award for feature writing for Learning to Hit a Lick. And she is a two-time finalist for the Livingston Award, which honors journalists under the age of 35. Before joining *Creative Loafing* Atlanta, Shalhoup was a crime writer for the *Macon Telegraph*.
Marty Petty, CEO of CL Media, *Creative Loafing* Atlanta’s parent company,
said: “Mara’s keen sense for the influencers and hot spots that make Atlanta special uniquely positions her to take on this prestigious assignment. CL Atlanta’s readers are in for a treat.”
“Ever since I was a teenager growing up in the burbs, I’ve had much respect and admiration for *Creative Loafing*,” Shalhoup said. “It’s scrappy and smart and provocative and cool. The paper speaks to people in a way that matters, and I’m thrilled to lead a super-talented staff through some changes that will make *Creative Loafing* even more essential. I’m also eager to hear from readers and the community about how we can do a better job.”
ABOUT CL Media. CL Media owns six of America’s leading urban weeklies ‹ the Chicago *Reader*, the Washington (DC) *City Paper, Creative Loafing Atlanta, *Creative Loafing* Tampa,* Creative Loafing* Charlotte, and *Creative
Loafing* Sarasota. Its holdings also include websites associated with those newspaper properties, the Straight Dope (straightdope.com) and Listen.com sites, and the Digital Advertising Network.
ABOUT *Creative Loafing* Atlanta. *Creative Loafing* Atlanta, founded in 1972, today is Georgia’s second-largest newspaper, with a national reputation for its coverage of news, culture, contemporary music and the arts in its community.