Matthews joins LA Times as ME of Originals, VP of Times Studios

Sharon Matthews has joined the Los Angeles Times as managing editor of Originals and vice president of Los Angeles Times Studios. Matthews brings more than 25 years of experience to the newsroom.

An excerpt from the announcement reads:

Matthews’ childhood fascination with storytelling became a decades-long career in journalism, sparked when she assisted in the launch of her hometown’s digital channel NBA TV Canada (formerly known as Raptors NBA TV and Leafs TV).

Most recently, as a senior director of originals for Andscape (formerly known as the Undefeated), Matthews expanded its digital storytelling platform into a multimedia video storytelling division of the Walt Disney Co., developing and producing more than 20 specials.

She also led the launch of the Black History Always collection on ESPN+, nine documentary films by nine diverse creators sharing stories of Black resilience, joy and excellence beyond the 28 days of February.

She also produced original programming for numerous ESPN Studio Shows, including “SportsCenter,” “Outside the Lines,” “College Gameday” and “SC Featured.”

She has received many honors throughout her career, including more than 10 Emmy nominations and over three dozen industry awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Outstanding Journalism Award for her short film “Marko Cheseto: Running for His Life.” She is a 28-time New York Festivals gold medalist, the recipient of two Cablefax Trailer Awards and a National Headliner Award.

In this newly created role, Matthews will oversee the Originals team — the artist formerly known as news video — as it develops original series, documentary projects and continues meeting the day-to-day news needs of the Los Angeles Times.