Hey there, I’m Jessica Doherty. I’m a writer, editor, and content producer from New York City living in Los Angeles.
I am currently the Associate Content Director of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, where I produce video, social media, and editorial content about the programming of one of the largest regional theater companies in the nation. I’m also a Researcher with Hearst’s Alta Journal, a Reporter for The Eastsider LA and Outlook Newspapers, and the Reported Features Editor for Crybaby Press’ The Dry River.
I’m a six-time finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club Awards, on local and national levels, and one of my pieces won a second-place award for Best Commentary/Analysis of TV/Film Across All Platforms (Print, Radio, TV, Online). I was also a 2023 Foot in the Door Fellow with the organization.
In May 2020, I graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Journalism and a B.A. in Theatre. I continued my education at USC and graduated with an M.A. in Specialized Journalism (The Arts) focusing on arts, culture, and entertainment reporting in May 2022. I write about the arts, entertainment, internet culture, music, breaking news, and more.
Recent Writing
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Getting to Know Kristina Wong
Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, opening the Kirk Douglas Theatre season this February, recounts Wong’s rise to “mutual-aid doomsday cult leader” and “sweatshop overlord” after creating a community of Aunties to sew masks for vulnerable communities at the start of the pandemic.
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Alta Journal and North Figueroa Bookshop Partner for Literature and Laughs
An evening celebrating the food and culture of Baja, Mexico, with Issue 26 contributors Gustavo Arellano, Monica Corcoran Harel, and Bill Esparza.
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Reflecting on History, Oneonta Club Turns to Making Impact
On the heels of the Oneonta Club’s Golden Anniversary and looking ahead to the Oneonta Club Foundation’s 50th anniversary, both organizations are celebrating community and connection across generations.
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Heavy Manners Library Amplifies Echo Park's Creative Community
Local resident Matthew James-Wilson founded Echo Park’s Heavy Manners Library in 2021 with the goal of making art books and other expensive and rare reference materials more accessible.
News & Press
Alta Journal celebrated the release of Issue 24. I was fortunate to research and fact-check stories about electrifying homes, an Arizona skate conference, and a hair salon in the heart of North Long Beach.
The issue was celebrated at Chevalier’s Books in Larchmont. Read my recap of the event here.
BroadwayWorld mentioned my article, 21 Questions with Alexis Scheer, in their review of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord.
The Dry River (Crybaby Press) was featured alongside TQR Magazine at Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Learn more about the event.
Alta Journal celebrated the release of Issue 23 in Culver City. For this issue, I researched and fact-checked a piece about accessible architecture and design with Erick Mikiten.
The Dry River (Crybaby Press) was a part of Blum & Poe Los Angeles’ Acid-Free Art Book Market & Bazaar. Learn more about the event.
I was selected to join Center Theatre Group’s Leadership Circle, a cohort of early-career staff members who spent six months developing our leadership and management skills alongside a career coach, mentoring new staff members, and engaging in conversations around the company’s AREDI (Anti-Racist, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) initiatives and goals. Read the full press release here.
The Dry River was featured in the Los Angeles Times’ feature on literary readings across Los Angeles.
I was selected as a Foot in the Door Fellow with the Los Angeles Press Club for 2023. This six-month fellowship is dedicated to mentoring and supporting early career reporters from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in media. Read more about the fellowship and my cohort here.
I returned (virtually!) to USC Annenberg to speak with students in the Journalism and the Audience class, taught by Robert Hernandez, about navigating post-graduate life, job hunting, and other advice about pursuing a career in media.
My piece, A New Generation of Zines, about three Zines led by Gen-Z creators challenging traditional print and digital media, won a Third Place Award for the National Arts & Entertainment Awards from the Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Arts or Entertainment Feature (Student Journalism).
My piece, A New Generation of Zines, about three Zines led by Gen-Z creators challenging traditional print and digital media, was a finalist for a Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Arts Writing (Print or Online) (Student Journalism).
I graduated from The University of Southern California with my Master of Arts in Arts, Culture & Entertainment Reporting! I was recognized as a top scholar in my graduate program and for my 4.0 GPA with the Outstanding Specialized Journalism (The Arts) Award (Recognition) Award upon commencement.
I joined USC Annenberg Media’s Equity Board as they presented at the Associated Collegiate Press Conference in Long Beach on our work with the Poynter Institute to develop and define equitable reporting strategies and workflows in our newsroom—and how other newsrooms can do it, too!
I was selected by The Kennedy Center as a National Fellow Finalist for the Institute for Theater Journalism and Advocacy at the American College Theater Festival from the Los Angeles region. Throughout the programming, I wrote reviews and articles about theatre and equitable arts criticism, engaged in workshops and panels, and was mentored by Ashley Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
My piece on the Netflix Original Series Selling Sunset was a finalist for a National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award from the Los Angeles Press Club Finalist for Best Commentary/Critique (Student Journalism).
My piece on the series finale of BoJack Horseman for AmpersandLA, BoJack Horseman is Over and Everything is (Maybe) Better Now received a second-place award for a Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Commentary/Analysis of TV/Film Across All Media Platforms (Print, TV, Radio or Online).
I reflected on the experience of graduating in 2020 with The Review at the University of Delaware. Read the article here.
My review of the series finale of BoJack Horseman for AmpersandLA was selected as a finalist for the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards from the Los Angeles Press Club for Best Student Journalism Commentary/Critique.
I was interviewed for Courier Newsroom about the experience of graduating college in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Annenberg Radio News interviewed me about the current mental health climate at USC and a recent Undergraduate Student Government town hall meeting on the issue. My interview is at 14:00 here.
I was interviewed by the Los Angeles Playwrights Initiative and the Daily Trojan about my role as a director in the Climate Change Theatre Action event. The event was a part of the larger Climate Change Theatre Action series of readings of different plays about climate change. This production was part of USC’s Visions and Voices arts and humanities initiative and the School of Dramatic Arts’ Institue for Theatre & Social Change.
I asked Presidential Candidate Michael Bennett his opinion on the U.S. rejoining the UN Paris Agreement and his international approach to climate change at the MSNBC Climate Forum 2020. The forum, hosted by Chris Reyes and Ali Velshi, was live-streamed over 2 days in association with MSNBC, New York Magazine, and Our Daily Planet. The forum was hosted by Georgetown University and live-streamed at different campuses across the country.
Watch a recap of the event here and watch my segment here.
I was also interviewed by NBCLA about my participation in the event. Watch the full story here.
The Today Show interviewed me about Felicity Huffman’s sentencing in the Varsity Blues college admission scandal. Watch the package here.
I was selected to join USC Annenberg for a Maymester career immersion course in New York City, where I was able to visit newsrooms and media companies and learn from industry professionals and alumni from ABC, The New York Times, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and many more.