Good morning, Lakeland. Editor Kaylee here. Since LALtoday launched in 2018, it has been both an honor + a privilege to share parts of Lakeland’s grand and growing story with you all — my fellow Lakelanders.

Like most of you, this new year is bringing in some new changes for me, including a new role at 6AM City (LALtoday’s parent company) as a Senior Editor — a position that includes supporting the incredible teams both at LALtoday + other 6AM City’s sister cities (GVLtoday, AVLtoday, COLAtoday, CHStoday, NOOGAtoday, RALtoday, and NASHtoday).

So, we’re looking to fill my job as Editor of LALtoday with a locally-based multimedia storyteller who’s fired up about all things Lakeland. It’s a fast-paced, exciting job that includes both newsletter creation and our social media. Oh, and you’ll have the best co-editor ever – Katelyn Schur.

You might be a good fit if –

You know Lakeland like the back of your hand, from current city commission meeting topics to the buzziest restaurant openings.
You’re engaged on social media, and always ready to try new things.
You’re excited to dig into topics ranging from civic and development to food + bev, history, and the great outdoors.
You love to write. You’ll be doing a lot of it.
You’re a team player and you see feedback as a gift.
You think on your feet and work fast, but diligently.

You’ll get more details about the job here, but I wanted to share the top five things I’ve loved about being a LALtoday Editor –

The community. Our Lakeland-based team, the 6AM City ecosystem, our local partners, and, most importantly, you – our readers. I wake up excited every morning to find out what you’re curious about. Answering your thoughtful emails is a highlight of my day.
The stories. Some of the local topics I’ve written about include The mystery of the SS Lakeland Victory ship, Black entrepreneurs to watch, love bug season, a trip to Richmond Hill, Polk's moon soup, the Florida skunk ape, the three ghosts at the Polk Theatre, and, of course, Lakeland name drops.
Growing our social media. Over 37,000 of you follow us across Instagram, Facebook + Twitter. I’ve loved innovating in this space, which always challenges my creativity (see: my Zoom-Cat impression 😂).
The workflow. We produce a lot of content every day. But we also have it down to a science.
Our company culture + values. Our five values – Responding with Agility, Leveraging Engagement to Achieve Synergy, Listening with Intentional Curiosity, Acting Like an Owner by Delivering Solutions that Move Us All Forward, and Pride in Place – are more than buzzwords. They underpin everything we do. If you’re the next Editor, you’ll learn all about them through our Mentorship Program.

Ready for your dream job? Click here to apply.