theenvelope.com Launches with more videos, voices and images

l to r: Greg Braxton, Rachel Abramowitz, Geoff Boucher, Sallie Hofmeister, Lisa Fung, Elena Howe, Patrick K. Day. (photo courtesy MAYO Communications)

West Hollywood, CA – Several hundred mostly Los Angeles Times writers, editors and staffers from LAT packed into a launched party on the top floor of a swank West Hollywood Hotel to launched theenvelope.com and awards season coverage.

“When we launched the Envelope a couple of years ago, we didn’t have as much video, we didn’t have as much breaking news and mainly covered Hollywood events and film festivals with all the guilds,” said Associate Editor Patrick Kevin Day. “We now have a lot more voices and videos.”

TheEnvelope.com, which is billed as the “ultimate awards site,” has helped the Los Angeles Times to significantly broaden its coverage of the entertainment business over the past year,” according to Film Critic Betsy Sharkey, formerly the editor.

Sallie Hofmeister, Lisa Rosen, Elena Howe, Patrick Day

The new editor is Sally Hofmeister, who introduced additional writers and staffers at this week’s (10-05-09) launch party.

The Envelope’s purpose, according to promotional materials, is to raise awareness of award contenders, drive box office numbers, boost DVD sales, influence voting considerations of Academy and guild members and target consumers.

The Envelope receives five million visitors during the off season and much higher numbers during the high season – between November and February. It features interactive photo galleries, video clips of red carpet coverage, celebrity podcasts, blogs and a “Buzzmeter.”

Associate Editor Patrick Kevin Day at Launch event of theenvelope.com.

This writer asked Day how new media has impacted coverage in the weekly printed version of Envelope and the Online version.

“I think speed is the biggest thing,” said Day. “We have a host of competition from various websites trying into the entertainment awards area, so we have to keep an eye on them constantly and we can’t fall down at any point and be at the top of our game.”

Elizabeth Snead listens to staffer at theenvelope.com launch event. Photo by MAYO Communications.

“Don’t call me,  email works best,  because I work  out of my home  literally blogging  all day,” said  Elizabeth Snead,
(left) contributing  editor of The  Envelope. “I don’t  go to as many  mixers and late  night parties as  before, because  now I have people I can send to them, so just being here is a rare thing for me.

Elizabeth Snead is the former fashion editor and entertainment writer for USA Today prefers “10 days advance notice of story pitches,” since she covers three events a night. “I might not get back to you right away, but I do read my emails,” she said.

For almost two years now, Snead has been writing for thehttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag blog. She focuses on news, celebs, awards, politics and pop culture.

A tip: don’t pitch a hodge-podge of clients to The Envelope. “We’re looking for a window into the lifestyle of a person so exclusives are given much more consideration,” said Snead.

The LAT re-launched The Envelope to make it “more accessible to our users and the industry,” said its former senior producer Joseph Kapsch.  He is now a producer of the Zap2it.com site of entertainment videos.

LA Times Publisher Eddie Hartenstein kicks of launch party of theenvelope.com n West Hollywood, CA.

The site is broken down into sections on awards and includes photos, features and anything to do with the awards show in the subsections.

For example there are sections with videos and celebrity images on VH1’s Hip Hop Honors, 2009 ‘VH1 Divas’ Arrivals, 2009 Latin Grammy Awards Nominees, 2009 ALMA Awards Arrivals and Red Carpet Rewind: 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards.

“There is Academy news and breaking news on the site. We’ve created these multimedia models on each page for photos. We also host podcasts of nominees or anyone associated with the awards show,” said Kapsch, who is now working for Zap2.it.com, as editorial director.

President Aida Mayo, MAYO Communications stands by theenvelope.com lit up pool on the top floor of the W. Hollywood hotel.(image by MAYO Comm.)

Kapsch was the former managing editor of AccessHollywood.com, as well as a producer of TV sites at ABC, NBC, Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment and Viacom.

One of the most spectacular highlights of the launch party was being on the top floor of the West Hollywood hotel, where you could see for miles 360 degrees, which was awesome at night. And the swimming pool was lit up with the words THE ENVELOPE.CO Los Angeles Times. President Aida Mayo, MayoCommunications. comfound it also a nice classy touch. Food was good, LAT was friendly, and we saw quite a few Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS) members at theenvelope.com launch party.

Lisa Fung has been named Online arts & entertainment editor for the Los Angeles Times.

An L.A. Times veteran, Fung has been with the paper for more than 20 years and has overseen its arts and culture coverage for the past nine, including classical music, dance, opera, theater and architecture. In her time at the newspaper she also helped launch the national edition, and worked in Metro and Business before joining the Calendar staff in 2000.

In this expanded role, she will oversee the paper’s multimedia coverage of all arts and entertainment, including Calendar, The Envelope and Company Town, as well as more than a dozen latimes.com blogs, according to an L.A. Times report.

As far as pitching the writers and editors, all say email pitches are preferred.

‘The Envelope’ Contacts:

Sallie Hofmeister, Editor
Sallie.Hofmeister@latimes.com

Elena Howe, Editor, theenvelope.com
Elena.howe@latimes.com

Betsy Sharkey

film critic

Betsy.sharkey@latimes.com

Elizabeth Snead

contributing editor

Elizabeth.snead@gmail.com

Patrick Kevin Day
Patrick.day@latimes.com

Joseph Kapsch

Zap2it.com

Joseph.Kapsch@latimes.com

Be sure to visit our sister blog: MAYO PR