Most of you went out this holiday season and got fancy gifts like game consoles. We got a pair of new staffers just in time for the upcoming relaunch of GamesBeat Community (formerly GamesBeat Unfiltered).
GamesBeat is happy to announce a pair of hires today. Dale North is our new senior editor, and part-timer Mike Minotti has been promoted to a full-time role overseeing the new GamesBeat Community.
North comes to GamesBeat after helping make Destructoid one of the must-read publications in the enthusiast press. He was among the site’s founders when it launched in 2006, and he left as its editor-in-chief in October. He helped make Destructoid a trusted source for game reviews, and he served as a judge for the Game Critics Awards.
While he was the EIC, North saw Destructoid land three Webby nominations and one Game Media Award.
As GamesBeat’s senior editor, he will work with lead writer Dean Takahashi and managing editor Jason Wilson in running the publication.
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2015 than starting in a new role as senior editor at GamesBeat. I’m fortunate to be able to welcome the new year working alongside such a talented, passionate team,” North said.
Mike Minotti is an example of how user-generated content can lead to a career.
He started as a community writer for Bitmob, the site that former GamesBeat editor-in-chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu cofounded with former EGM and 1UP.com editor Demian Linn. Minotti became an intern for Bitmob in 2009 and then turned his efforts into freelance work when VentureBeat absorbed Bitmob and turned that community into GamesBeat Unfiltered in 2012. Minotti parlayed his freelance work into a part-time gig with GamesBeat in May 2013, helping with the community and writing.
This is his first full-time position in journalism.
“It’s a dream to have this job, but I’m especially happy and proud to be working with the team at GamesBeat,” Mike said. “I’ve been with some of these guys for years, going all the way back to the Bitmob days. I know how talented they are, and I’m incredibly excited to help grow the site by building a premier gaming community. I want to give other hopeful game journalists the same kind of opportunity that I had to turn my passion into a career.”