NME Networks announces new roles

NME Networks has announced that Thomas Smith and Sophie Williams have moved into new roles. Thomas becomes the new commissioning editor (Music) while Sophie is the new associate commissioning editor (New Music).

In these new roles, Thomas and Sophie will be managing the output of NME’s music sections which includes the commissioning of content and day-to-day operations within the Music and New Music vertical.

According to NME, Thomas Smith joined in 2015 and has worked across a range of roles including editorial assistant and new music writer/editor. Thomas's experience extends from covering festivals across the world to the flagship NME Awards, and support on key commercial projects.

Within his tenure as commissioning editor (New Music), coverage stories include securing content with Billie Eilish, Yungblud, Easy Life, Pale Waves and more, NME continued.

Thomas helped develop the NME 100 in 2017, which plays a role in shaping the new music landscape every year and his cover stories include Coldplay, Beck, Vampire Weekend, Chemical Brothers and more.

Talking about the new role, Thomas said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on the role of commissioning editor (Music) at NME. After several glorious years in NME’s enviable New Music chair, I’m looking forward to taking those learnings and applying them in NME’s next phase as a cutting edge global media brand: delivering best-in-class coverage with our music team across Big Reads, features, reviews and more, and executing brand partnerships with our talented commercial crew.”

According to NME, Sophie Williams joined full-time in 2021 as junior staff writer (New Music), having freelanced across the NME Networks brands for four years prior. She has delivered across international festival coverage, NME Awards, and other editorial projects including NME Girls To The Front.

Sophie has helped to curate and diversify the Radar section, bringing in regional and international voices along the way, where she has worked on early-career interviews with some of Radar's biggest stories in recent years, including Wet Leg, ArrDee, Bree Runway, Holly Humberstone (first-ever interview) and Bad Boy Chiller Crew.

"I am incredibly excited to be moving into a new role at NME as associate commissioning editor (New Music)” says Sophie.

“Over the past year, it has been an honour to assist Thomas in curating NME's world-class Radar section, which seeks to champion a diverse array of new artists to an audience of global music fans. Radar is the lifeblood of NME, as supporting and uplifting artists at all stages of their careers is central to our mission. I am looking forward to taking the reins and continuing to expand the section with the energy, passion and creativity that I have to offer.”