by Sara Guaglione , December 13, 2017

Home design and decor site Apartment Therapy has hired RealSimple.com digital director Laura Schocker as its new editor-in-chief.

Schocker, who starts today, will help expand Apartment Therapy‘s coverage beyond home decor and remodeling, and oversee the development of new verticals for the site, including real estate, wellness and family.

“Building out these new verticals has been in motion for a while, and I’m really excited to bring them to life,” Schocker told Publishers Daily. She said the new verticals are “natural extensions of Apartment Therapy’s DNA.”

“Buying or renting a home is one of the biggest, most personal decisions we ever make—and once we move in, home is where we develop relationships, share space, nest and make the majority of our health decisions,” she said.

The team at Apartment Therapy “repeatedly hears from our readers that this is the kind of content they want from us,” she added.

Schocker said her focus as the new editor-in-chief at Apartment Therapy is “to continue growing the awareness of the site and its scale, while showcasing the many ways we inhabit and define space today, as well as the places where space and culture meet.”

She wants to find new audiences for the site on social, search and newsletters “by creating on-brand experiences that meet them on the platforms they’re finding us on.”

Schocker will work closely with Chief Content Officer Susan Kaplow to scale news coverage and video concepts.

“Video is a huge growth vehicle — with more competition for video views than ever. I know from experience that it needs to be more innovative, social-first and multiplatform,” Schocker said.

Before she was digital director at RealSimple.com, Schocker oversaw Time Inc.’s digital home desk and served as Real Simple‘s executive online editor for close to three years. She has also worked at The Huffington Post, Prevention andXO Group.

Maxwell Ryan, Apartment Therapy founder and CEO, said Schocker “will be crucial in helping us to renovate programming and reshape the team to help us scale audience, engagement and shareability.”

Schocker succeeds former executive editor Janel Laban, who left to pursue other opportunities after five years at Apartment Therapy.

Apartment Therapy focuses on design inspiration and tips by giving readers a look into people’s home across the country. It publishes a combination of advice, shopping guides and DIY how-tos. Each day, Apartment Therapy posts a new “House Tour” submitted by readers, featuring their own homes.

claims it reaches more than 20 million across its website, newsletter and social media platforms.

MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily

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