Jessica Gelt in Charge

Jessica Gelt, an arts and culture writer for Los Angeles Times, knows she’s in charge. She has been since 2003. It’s also written legibly on her gold-plaited necklace.

After graduating from USC, Gelt worked many positions at the LA Times, including assistant style editor, food blogger and entertainment writer. But she switched strictly to the arts after having her child, Henri (who joined her, masked up, headphones on and glued to her tablet).

“A good story reveals something about society at large,” Gelt said. After winning a National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for reporting on a lawsuit involving an exploited teen YouTube star, she envisioned her work as an act of “public service.”

Gelt is protective of children, whether it’s by exposing industries that exploit youth or simply breaking from her talk to bless her child’s sneezes. As a result of her investigative work, she has faced many threats of libel, abrasive letters and abuse. She has pulled three stories. But that doesn’t stop her. “There’s a reason why I felt comfortable writing about this,” Gelt said.

With great power comes great responsibility, as Gelt also writes the paper’s Essential Arts newsletter, where she reports on LA’s art scene. In fact, she attended the 67th Grammys the night before speaking to USC JOUR 447.

Gelt believes her journey in entertainment journalism was a fluke. “I came in and refused to leave,” she remarked. As she wrapped up, it became apparent that after 22 years, Jessica Gelt knows exactly what she’s doing.