Pulitzer-nominated film and TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz has been named the new editor-in-chief of the redesigned RogerEbert.com. Chaz Ebert, publisher at the website, states that “Matt brings his own loyal followers and fans to help build on Roger’s enduring legacy.”
Aside from being the television critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, where he writes insightful, in-depth recaps for smart shows like “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad,” Seitz is also the founder and original editor of The House Next Door movie blog, now part of Slant Magazine. A staple for Seitz are his carefully crafted video essays, which he features on Indiewire Blog Network’s Press Play, where he is the publisher; his five-part 2009 video essay on Wes Anderson has spun off into the book The Wes Anderson Collection, to be published in October.
Check out Seitz’ essay introducing himself on RogerEbert.com here. In the piece, he elegantly relays a conversation he had with his daughter about the importance of Roger Ebert:
“He was not just a man, or a critic. Roger Ebert was an idea… The idea, I told her, was that the critic’s great calling — beyond reviewing movies and putting them in a wider context — was to stir the
reader’s interest in learning more, and in so doing, deepen the relationship
between the medium and its audience.”
He mentions that most of the site’s regular features will continue, but that there will be some change-ups, too:
“As the weeks and months roll on, there will be more
accessible, provocative writing about genre movies — science fiction, horror,
action, noir — and thoughtful pieces on race, feminism and representation in
popular culture. There will be original video essays, and a podcast, and video
roundtable discussions about film and TV.”
The site’s new advisory board will consist of award-winning Chicago journalist Frank Sennett, Dynamic Performance Institute founder Janelle Brittain and Keywell, a co-founder of Lightbank, Groupon and several other companies.
The site’s relaunch was underway at the time of Ebert’s death on April 4.
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