Valentina Giannella

Content Strategy & Operations ● Newsroom Leadership ● Creative Technology

Content Strategy & Ops
Newsroom Leadership
Creative Technology

For over 20 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of content, creativity, and technology—leading teams, building operations, and shaping stories that connect with international and global audiences.

I’ve managed newsrooms at major media companies, directed branded content inside agencies and corporations, and helped international teams scale through smarter workflows and emerging tools.

I coach, I systematize, I build—and I create. Whether it’s developing editorial formats, scripting video, drafting messaging frameworks, or storyboarding new narratives, I stay close to the craft. Strategy, operations and creativity go hand in hand for me.

While I’m passionate about creating impactful content, I never compromise on media ethics or respect for the audience. After all, content isn’t just tactics—it’s about making meaningful connections.

🙌 I am open to new opportunities. Let’s connect → email, linkedIn.

Work & Specialties

Areas of Expertise: What I Actually Do.

STRATEGY & GOVERNANCE

What this means: I define how content supports business and brand goals — from messaging frameworks to channel architecture. I create the guardrails and the vision.

Skills include: Content strategy and masterplan ● Brand governance ● Strategic messaging ● Editorial playbooks ● Localization models
CREATIVE OPERATIONS

What this means: I build and lead content studios and workflows. I’m not the producer on site — I create the conditions for teams to deliver great content, at scale and on time.

Skills include: Content operations design ● Workflow optimization ● Cross-market orchestration ● Channel and team management ● Creative tech (LLMs, Figma AI, etc.) ● Budget and vendor oversight ● Team management (I have been a trusted boss, a coach and a mentor for many – check for yourself)
PRODUCT & EXPERIENCE

What this means: I work at the intersection of content and product, ensuring content supports UX, product narratives, and digital experiences — especially in owned channels.

Skills include: Content systems (CMS, DAM, SMM) setup (content modeling) ● Information architecture ● UX copy, product messaging ● Content for product onboarding/journeys ● Governance of digital touchpoints ● Certified Agile Product Owner: I speak the language of Product & Web Dev
MARKETING CONTENT

What this means: I bring an editorial lens to performance goals — helping teams grow audiences and convert customers without losing their voice or standards.

Skills include: Audience development ● Funnel and campaign content ● Editorial SEO ● Brand storytelling ● Community and expert-led content ● Native formats and syndication ● Social media paid and organic ● I speak the language of data

Half of my career has been spent inside media companies and publishers, the other half within brands and corporations.

At heart, I’ll always be a media professional—and that legacy shapes every communication and content initiative I lead.

I approach content as something inherently valuable: not just a tactical tool for selling something (products or ideas), but a way to connect humans – with meaning and trust.

Content Operations is the discipline of orchestrating people, processes, and technology to plan, produce, manage, and deliver content—efficiently and at scale.

It’s about building the systems behind the storytelling: aligning workflows, optimizing tools, and making sure that every piece of content serves both the brand and the audience.

Done right, Content Ops transforms content from chaos into a strategic asset.

A Notice for Recruiters:
Jack of All Trades, Master of None?

Looking for a content all-rounder? In some cases, that’s me. I bring hands-on experience, corporate understanding but also startup agility, and deep fluency with creative tools—including AI co-pilots. I can plan, create, edit, localize, and adapt content across formats and channels. I can even code websites: like this one. And I am a creator myself, who still finds real joy in the craft of content—when it’s done with purpose, clarity, and respect for the audience.

That said, content is not a catch-all. A newsroom leader isn’t automatically a producer. A content operations executive may not be your best writer (though in my case, I often am). And not all “content” is equal.

If you’re reaching out, here’s what helps: bring a clear idea of your needs. I’ll bring a precise view of how I can support you—and how, given your organizational setup, I can help make great content happen.

Experience
at a glance

BRAND & CONTENT Head of Content & Design, Sonova Group
BRAND & CONTENT Content Strategy Director, Industry Dive
BRAND & CONTENT Brand & Content Director, Foundamental VC.
MEDIA & PUBLISHING Global Head Owned Channels, Red Bull Media
MEDIA & PUBLISHING Head of Digital, De Agostini Publishing
MEDIA & PUBLISHING Product Manager, Mediaset

By the numbers

● Team size managed: 21+ FTE
● Budget responsibility up to 7 Mio EUR/Y
● Territories covered: 50+
● Languages: 5+
● Audience size: 10+ Mio UU/M

Creative Technology

I’ve been integrating Generative AI into content and editorial workflows for years — extensively, safely, and savvily.

👉 AI & CONTENT STACK

Education & Certifications

M.Sc. Business Administration
Bocconi University, Milan 110/110
Post-grad Digital Economy
Wirtschaftsuniversität Vienna
Agile Product Owner
Scrum Alliance, Vienna
Design Thinking
Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam
Life-long learner
Curiosity beats academy 🧐

Languages

English C2
Cambridge Certificate 2008
German C1
Goethe Institut Zertifikat 2009
Business German
Goethe Institut Zertifikat 2009
Italian MT
Mother Tongue
Ivrit
Elementary, A2

Strategist. Creator. Storyteller.

Content executive by profession, independent writer and podcaster by vocation.
I write and record in English, German, and Italian.