Our 10-and-a-half-year-old publishing company, Brunico Communications, took another big step forward in January when we opened a Los Angeles office.

The move was in response to encouragements from our readers and advertisers to expand our presence in the L.A. entertainment community, as well as a recognition on our part that such an investment was necessary for KidScreen to grow in the right directions.

We have already increased our coverage and circulation in the retail sector, and now we intend to push further into such areas as home video and theatrical exhibition, provide more comprehensive coverage of the cable industry, and devote more attention to promotions and important developments within the marketing community that apply to children.

Generally speaking, we will provide more depth to the editorial scope that KidScreen has already established.

The first new staff announcement related to the Los Angeles office is in the editorial department, which has expanded by one full-time person with the addition of Virginia Robertson as our West Coast Editor. Robertson will be our eyes and ears in the Los Angeles entertainment community, writing news and features and making herself known to key industry contacts.

Originally an Easterner but raised in Boulder, Colorado, Robertson has a varied professional background. She worked briefly as an advertising copywriter, and was a publicist with a variety of media and entertainment companies, such as Fox fx during its start-up phase. She has worked as a reporter and editor for Backstage Shoot and Video Age in New York. A year ago, Robertson moved to Los Angeles. She has acted as Shoot’s L.A. correspondent and has picked up other regular freelance assignments with publications such as The Hollywood Reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Utah and has a Masters degree in film from Columbia University in New York City.

Like so many others who find their way into journalism, Robertson has a restless curiosity and an eagerness to learn. And she has eclectic tastes. She describes trade journalism as her chosen vocation and the entertainment industry as an exciting beat to cover, but, she says, ‘my true passion is skiing.’

Robertson says she believes she is in the right place at the right time.

‘Kids entertainment is really dynamic at the moment, and everybody’s interested in learning more about the various facets of the business licensing, marketing and other information that d’esn’t seem to make its way into other existing news channels.’

Our goal is to make KidScreen even better.