New heads of video, US news are named

Here is the memo from Executive Editor Julie Pace, Vice President and Head of Global News Gathering Paul Haven, and Vice President and Head of Global News Production Derl McCrudden:

We are thrilled to share two important News leadership appointments: Sara Gillesby will be AP’s new director of global video and Josh Hoffner steps into the role of director of U.S. news. These moves put two of AP's most innovative and ambitious leaders in key roles at a transformative time for the company.

Sara Gillesby As the leader of global video, Sara will have a wide range of responsibilities, including keeping us fast and competitive in the daily report, expanding our successful live news coverage, and driving greater consistency across a wide range of video output. It’s a crucial role at a time when video has never been more important to the AP, our customers and audience. Sara has been news director for the U.S. East region since 2018, overseeing all-format teams across 10 states from Ohio to Maine. She oversaw regional coverage of the impact of the pandemic, the social justice protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in 2020, and the last presidential election in which Pennsylvania played a pivotal role. Previously, as video news assignment manager in New York for nine years, Sara led video coverage of stories that resonated globally, including the impact of Hurricane Sandy, the mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and the Boston marathon bombings. She joined AP as a video producer in 2005. Sara is the first woman and the first Latina to lead global video at AP. She will relocate to London and report to Derl McCrudden, vice president and head of global news production. She’ll begin her new role on June 1.

Josh Hoffner As director of U.S. news, Josh will lead efforts to modernize our U.S. coverage, making it faster, more ambitious and better aligned with the needs of customers in a digital age. A key element of the transformation will be the addition of a substantial number of new video staffers across the country. Josh joined AP in 1998 and has most recently served as news editor for national beats. He has a breadth of experience that has thrown him into practically every type of assignment and role across U.S. news, most recently in directing coverage of the pandemic in the U.S. and abroad and leading a team of journalists covering immigration and family separation in the Trump administration that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He’s fast and competitive in breaking news situations, has a knack for spotting the larger narrative and trend in a developing story, and has a great ability to leverage the AP’s vast reach to tell the story in authoritative fashion. Josh’s first AP gig was as night supervisor and reporter in Bismarck, North Dakota. He then jumped to the national desk at AP headquarters in New York, where he served as overnight supervisor and had a hand in editing big stories such as the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. He was New York City news editor from 2005 to 2009, and later helped launch the West Regional Desk. Josh’s promotion takes effect immediately. He will report to Paul Haven, vice president and head of global news gathering, and relocate to New York in the coming months. With Josh’s appointment, Noreen Gillespie now fully moves into her new role as head of global business news. Please join us in congratulating Sara and Josh! Julie, Paul and Derl