A Look at Elaine Welteroth’s Career in Journalism and TV

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist, New York Times–bestselling author, and television host.

She grew up in Newark, California, and attended California State University, Sacramento, where she earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies. Elaine launched her career at Ebony and Glamour magazines before making history at Teen Vogue as the publication's first Black Editor in Chief.

After leaving Teen Vogue, Elaine went on to other highly visible positions in television, including serving as a judge on Project Runway.

In 2008, Elaine Welteroth started her career in journalism, working her way up from intern to Teen Vogue's Editor in Chief. Here is a breakdown of her career in women’s magazines:

• Ebony: Post-graduation, Elained moved to New York to intern at Ebony magazine; later, she became the Beauty and Style Editor.
• Glamour: After three years at Ebony, Elaine went on to Glamour, first as a​​​ Beauty Writer and Editor and then the Senior Beauty Editor.
• Teen Vogue: At Teen Vogue, she became the first Black Beauty and Health Director, a role she held for almost four years. At 29, she became the first Black Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue. At the time, she was also the youngest person to helm a Condé Nast publication.

The former editor details her journalism career in More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say), the New York Times bestseller published in 2019.

Elaine’s career in television began when she appeared as herself on an episode of Black-ish. She has gone on to work on other TV projects, such as:

• Grown-ish: Elaine wrote "Starboy," a 2018 episode of Grown-ish. That same year she also appeared as herself on the show.
  
• Project Runway: In 2019, she became a judge on Project Runway, a fashion competition series on Bravo.
• The Talk: Elaine is a co-host on CBS' The Talk, where a group of celebrities weigh in on current events.

During Elaine's tenure at Teen Vogue, she highlighted the stories of marginalized communities and brought attention to issues of racism and cultural appropriation. She has continued to lend her voice to other social causes since then, including joining Michelle Obama's “When We all Vote” initiative and helping to launch the 15 Percent Pledge, which seeks to get more Black-owned businesses at major retailers.

Elaine has credited several women with inspiring different aspects of her career, including:

1. 1. Oprah: As a child, she mimicked Oprah and conducted her own interviews. "I've always loved me some Oprah," she says. "I watched it every day at 4 after school. It was an influence on me. It ignited something within me that lit me up and that made me excited."
2. 2. Harriette Cole: Elaine repeatedly reached out to Harriette Cole's office until she landed an informational interview with the then creative director of Ebony. To this day, Elaine cites Cole as a major mentor figure and the one who gave her the opportunity that kick-started her career.
3. 3. Tyra Banks: From supermodel Tyra Banks, Elaine learned about the concept of a mind map. Tyra's map had "little circles [representing] all the different industries that Tyra wanted to build businesses in." Elaine followed Tyra’s lead and created a road map for herself, which she updates every time she's about to make a big life decision.
4. 4. Priya Parker: The author Priya Parker taught Elaine to schedule time for joy. "Literally put an appointment on your Google calendar...and when that invite pops up, treat it like you would any other meeting,” Elaine explains. “Show up on time, don’t skip it, don’t cancel it last minute. Be there, and be present for that invitation to experience joy in the moment.”

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