The Wrap Adds Jose Alejandro Bastidas As TV Editor, Kristen Lopez As Film Editor

The Wrap has hired new editors to head up its film and television coverage. Kristen Lopez will serve as the site’s film editor and Jose Alejandro Bastidas joins as its new TV editor.

Lopez and Bastidas will be responsible for managing, mentoring and growing their respective editorial teams, in addition to editing and writing film and television news and features. The new hires come on the heels of the Jan. 1 promotion of two new co-executive editors, Adam Chitwood and Jethro Nededog, who were former assistant managing editors at The Wrap.

“The Wrap continues to build out the most talented editorial team covering entertainment, and Kristen and Jose are smart, passionate and very exciting additions to that roster,” said Sharon Waxman, The Wrap founder and editor-in-chief. “I am so excited to see their ideas enhance our editorial offerings.”

Lopez most recently was the TV editor at Indiewire, where she was nominated for a SoCal Journalism Award and National Journalism Award by the L.A. Press Club. A pop culture essayist, critic and editor, Lopez has also written for Variety, MTV, TCM and RogerEbert.com. Her first book, But Have You Read the Book: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films, is due out from Running Press and TCM on March 7.

“I am thrilled to be joining The Wrap,” Lopez said. “I’m eager to work with its talented group of writers and start exploring the new year of cinema.”

Bastidas comes to The Wrap after three years as the San Francisco Chronicle’s assistant arts and entertainment editor. Prior to that role, he was a staff writer at PopCulture.com, a CBS Interactive publication based in Nashville, and a food reporter and digital producer for The Desert Sun, a Gannett publication based in Palm Springs, Calif.

“I am beyond excited to take over the reins of the mighty TV team at The Wrap,” Bastidas said. “As a self-proclaimed ‘TV addict,’ I’ve been working toward a position like this for my entire career. The Wrap is already a big player in covering the TV business and what consumers want to learn about, and I am thrilled to bring my perspective into molding the publication’s coverage of the industry.”

Lopez starts on Jan. 18, Bastidas starts on Feb. 13. Both will be based in Los Angeles.