Jimmy Orr - Managing Editor, Online
Jimmy Orr was named managing editor, online, of the Los Angeles Times in February 2011. Orr directs the strategy for latimes.com, supervises the team that produces the site, and oversees the Los Angeles Times Media Group’s growing portfolio of digital and mobile properties, including Android, iPad and Windows applications.
Orr joined The Times in August 2010 as deputy editor, online focusing his efforts on improving reader acquisition, retention, and engagement through content selection, frequency, usability and promotion strategies.
Prior, Orr served as online editor at the Christian Science Monitor where he helped transform the newspaper into an online-only journalism model — the first major U.S. publication to do so. Orr helped convert the Monitor’s newsroom into a 24/7 operation and then focused on building traffic through an emphasis on ‘real-time reporting,’ the creation of rolling deadlines, new blogging strategies, search engine optimization and social networking. Readership soared under Orr’s guidance, quadrupling its monthly page views in just over one year.
Orr has had successful and innovative careers in both journalism and politics. Before joining the Monitor in 2007, he served as chief Internet strategist for both President George W. Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also served as a White House spokesman for President Bush.
In his online roles, Orr received much national media recognition for his groundbreaking efforts in interactivity, live video streaming, and innovative video creation. While at the White House, Jimmy was named one of the most influential people in the world of politics and the Internet by Politics Online. Orr graduated from Principia College in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He lives in West Hollywood.
