hollywoodlife.com
Fuller is one of America's most well-known print journalists. She has made a name for herself in the world of digital media, where few people are unfamiliar with her name. Fuller has worked in several high-profile positions at some of the most popular publications in the world.
Bonnie Fuller was born in Toronto, Canada to an upper-middle-class family. She graduated from Jarvis Collegiate Institute in 1974 and then went on to the University of Toronto, where she achieved her B.A. in 1977.
History
It didn't take Fuller any time at all to begin making waves in the world of entertainment and style reporting. In one year after graduating with her B.A., Fuller landed a job as a fashion reporter at the Toronto Star. And only two short years later, she became the editor of the sportswear section of Women's Daily. By 1983, Fuller had landed her first editor-in-chief position, at Flare magazine - where she only stayed for three years.
After Flare, Fuller went over to YM magazine, also as editor-in-chief. And this is when her career really started to ignite. From there, she created an American version of the popular British publication, Marie Claire magazine. Then, in 1996, Fuller became editor-in-chief at the infamous Cosmopolitan magazine. From 1998 to 2001, she was an editor at Glamour magazine - eventually becoming editor-in-chief at Us Weekly, where she conceived of her signature columns: ?Stars are Just Like Us,? ?The Buzzometer,? and ?Who Wore It Best?? The latter column has been emulated by nearly every entertainment publication since then whenever there is a red carpet event.
In 2003, Fuller was appointed the executive vice president and chief editorial director of American Media Inc. Here, she oversaw 16 weekly, biweekly, and monthly periodicals- such as Star magazine, Shape, Natural Health, Country Weekly, and Men?s Fitness. Fuller is an ambitious woman and it is safe to say that she has achieved a great deal in her career.
She has an impressive resume and track record of always putting out high-quality work. Throughout her career, she's always wanted more and more, to climb higher and higher. And this has resulted in her being asked by a very powerful media magnate to run her very own online publication.
In July of 2009, Jay Penske (of Penske Media Corporation) approached Fuller to invite her to restart Hollywood Life, a then defunct Hollywood news site. Fuller happily agreed and is, to this day, the site's president, editor and chief, and a senior advisor for Penske Media Corporation. In addition to her duties as editor and president of the online publication, she also hosts the Hollywood Life podcast available on iTunes.
Bonnie Fuller is still a journalist and she is also a contributor to many media outlets. She has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, Good Day New York, Access Hollywood, Nancy Grace, Fox Digital News, CTV News, CNN New Day, Nancy Grace, Inside Edition, and WPIX. On Tuesdays she appears on Sirius XM Radio's Cosmo Radio. Bonnie Fuller is very busy and she might be the busiest person in the entire entertainment news industry.
Design
I think Hollywood Life looks like a celebrity-focused entertainment news website. I don't want to mislead you, Hollywood Life is not a tabloid. It doesn't deal in blatant falsehoods printed as truth. It does, however, verge on the speculative a bit, the gossipy. And, therefore, the splashy, flashy, hot pink/white / black theme of the site feels appropriate.
The layout, color scheme, and icons seem to work well for Hollywood Life. The site isn't overly text-based like many other news sites, and there are a lot of images of celebrities with short and quippy headlines beneath them - not a lot of text at all, actually. This site is clearly aimed at the ADHD generation. Even the articles are short and sweet - maybe a few paragraphs tops.
and focus more on the content.
I don't really like the site's design, mostly because it is so cluttered and chaotic. The eye has no idea where to land. There is too much color and vibrancy all over the place. I wish the site would calm down a bit and focus more on the content.
Content
So, the content on HollywoodLife.com varies a lot. Some articles are just speculation or gossip about the private lives of celebrities, but others are about politics or actual entertainment news. The majority of the content on HollywoodLife.com is geared towards celebrity gossip and news that I would call more vapid celebrity news.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
I just gave a breakdown of why I dislike the in-browser site experience. I'm happy to report that there is an alternative to be found in the Hollywood Life mobile app. Although it is equally flashy, it is at least slightly less chaotic, a bit more soundly organized and easier to navigate. Everything, every article, is clearly delineated into its own separate section, not too much text is bleeding into the images.
For Hollywood Life, the app format caters to their site's image-based focus much more appropriately than an in-browser site. Clicking on an image quickly opens a short article with push notifications for the latest celebrity news. People seem to agree, with the app getting an average rating of 4.7 stars on the Apple App Store.
Pricing and Plans
Hollywood Life does not traffic in the subscription service game whatsoever. So, if you're a fan of Hollywood Life, I have great news for you: enjoy it whenever you want to your heart's content without ever having to pay a dime. Sure, there will be ads, but, hey, nothing is ever truly free, right?
Suggestions that I have for Hollywood Life
I think Hollywood Life could use a makeover. It's too chaotic and confusing, and it's distracting for me. I don't think they should scale it back so much, though, because I want to be able to see all the news about entertainment easily. Instead, maybe they could redesign the site in a more minimalist way that would make things easier to read for me.
Also, although it's convenient that you don't have to register as a user to use Hollywood Life, maybe it wouldn't hurt to offer some sort of upgrade option. Say, exclusive content, ad-free reading, anything at all. I have a feeling that people who really love Hollywood Life would probably be willing to shell out a few bucks a month in order to get some kind of exclusive, VIP, "red-carpet" treatment.
Conclusion
All in all, Hollywood Life may be just the online publication you've been waiting for, so long as celebrity gossip and speculation is your wheelhouse. They have tons of articles, many of which are quick reads - this site is perfect for the celebrity news junkie who, like Bonnie Fuller herself, is always on the go. I am not a huge fan of the flashy and chaotic site design, but maybe that's just me - after all, the taste is purely subjective. I have a feeling that a lot of people will really love this site, even if it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea.
If you're a fan of the Hollywood Life site and accompanying app, be sure to check out the Hollywood Life podcast, hosted by Bonnie Fuller.
Popular search queries
