Damian Fanelli has been promoted to Editor of Guitar World. Damian is an established music journalist, who in his role as Online Managing Editor, drove Guitar World’s Facebook following from 68,000 to 1m-plus in the space of a year, putting the brand on the map socially for musicians.
Damian is attuned to the brand with more than seven years’ print and online experience and has a lot in the pipeline in his role as Editor, starting with a greater push behind fresher, more diverse content and creating more content in-house. This works in line with Damian’s strategy to align the voice of the brand across all platforms, says Future.
“It’s an absolute honour to take over as Editor of Guitar World,” Damian says. “The magazine has been part of my DNA for several decades; when I was a teenager, I sent GW a breakdown of one of Ritchie Blackmore’s scales – and they actually published it! My big push now – and the thought that drives me each day – is to make GW the number one authority on the guitarists – including (but not limited to) new names and virtual unknowns – that we should be listening to and learning from in the 21st century. All this talk about ‘the guitar is dead’ is complete nonsense, and I’m out to prove it; it won’t be too difficult.”
Christopher Scapelliti joins Future as Editor of Guitar Player. An industry veteran with a wealth of experience in the guitar magazine industry, he served as executive editor of Guitar World magazine for nearly 20 years. Upon taking the reins at Guitar Player, Christopher will be giving the magazine a bolder look with content rich in artist features, in-depth tutorials and greater exploration of guitar gear.
“I’m thrilled to take the helm of Guitar Player,” Christopher says. “It’s a storied magazine with more than 50 years of history covering the biggest names in guitar and gear. For this next chapter in its life, we’ll focus on the innovative guitarists and manufacturers who are shaping the instrument’s present and future, all while educating our readers about the players and innovators of the past who brought us where we are today. Guitar remains the single-most influential instrument in music today, and we intend to celebrate its ongoing relevance and evolution.”
