Back Stage Names Jamie Painter Young National Editor-in-Chief.

NEW YORK -- Back Stage, the actor's resource that serves the theatre, film, and television industries and provides the most up-to-date news, reviews, and casting information, has announced the promotion of Jamie Painter Young to National Editor-in-Chief. Painter Young has served as the interim National Editor-in-Chief since November 2005. She will continue to be based in the publication's Los Angeles office and reports to Back Stage Publisher Steve Elish.

Painter Young was instrumental in the October 2005 relaunch of the Back Stage brand, which includes the weekly publications Back Stage East and Back Stage West, as well as the comprehensive website BackStage.com. In her new position, she will oversee all editorial for the brand and will lead collaborative partnerships within and across divisions at Back Stage's parent company, VNU Business Media.

A veteran of the Back Stage team, Painter Young joined Back Stage West in 1995 as an editorial assistant and climbed the ranks of the publication as she was promoted to staff writer, senior staff writer, features editor, film and TV editor, and finally, editor. During that time, she lead the creation and launch of Back Stage's highly successful "Evening With..." film screening series, which recently included such notable guests as George Clooney, Rachel Weisz, Felicity Huffman, and Anthony Hopkins.

Prior to joining Back Stage, Painter Young was the senior editor at Film Threat, a monthly magazine covering independent film. She has contributed as a freelance writer to such publications as Interview, Movieline, Filmmaker, WGA's Written By, and Back Stage's sister publication, The Hollywood Reporter. She is also an accomplished portrait photographer, whose internationally published work is represented by Corbis and Contour agencies.

About VNU Business Publications USA

Back Stage is published by VNU Business Publications USA, a part of VNU Business Media. VNU Business Publications USA publishes 45 b-to-b titles in the entertainment, media, marketing, performance, travel and design industries. Its portfolio also includes The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, National Jeweler, and Successful Meetings.