Jess Bellville ’00 named head of Audience Strategy at Minnesota Star Tribune
Bellville majored in English at Carleton.
Jess Bellville ’00 has been named head of Audience Strategy at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her appointment “strengthen[s] the organization’s commitment to digital innovation, audience growth and distinctive journalism across Minnesota and the region.”
Jess Bellville brings years of experience delivering journalism to broader and younger audiences through creative, data-informed strategies. She comes from Twin Cities PBS (TPT), where she played a central role in expanding the organization’s digital reach and engagement.
“Jess will lead a team that is at the center of this organization’s transformation. Very little happens in this newsroom without the Audience team’s involvement,” said Kathleen Hennessey, editor and senior vice president for the Minnesota Star Tribune. “Jess is a creative, energetic and data-savvy leader with years of experience in finding new ways to deliver journalism to Minnesotans.”
Bellville created the TPToriginals.org site, helped shape “Stage,” a local music concert series, and worked to get scores of PBS programs to local audiences. She built TPT’s YouTube channel from scratch, developed its voice on other social channels and led an aggressive email strategy. The impressive results over the past three years include 80 percent growth in TPT’s email list, 85,000 YouTube subscribers, and more than 100,000 PBS app downloads.
A storyteller at heart, Bellville is a graduate of Carleton College, holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona. In her role in leading the Audience team, she works closely with Product, Data, and Growth & Marketing partners.