Hi! I’m Layla Hussein, a multimedia journalist and Columbia University senior based in New York City. I’m passionate about leveraging social media as a tool for accessible storytelling and community building across news, magazines, and entertainment brands through innovative digital strategies and campaigns. I currently intern for MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and CULTURED Magazine’s social media teams, contributing my expansive multimedia background at the intersection of political journalism and magazine publishing. I’ve previously worked on the social media teams at CNN, Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Bros. Television Group, and the New York Amsterdam News. My writing has also been featured in the New York Daily News, GLAAD, the Bronx Times, the Columbia Daily Spectator, and YR Media.  

I also have a background in photography, videography, creative direction, curriculum development, web development, and leading non-profits. My photography and writing were awarded a Gold Key and Silver Key, respectively, at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 2021 and 2022. As a high school student, I founded Journals of Color, a Bronx-based literary magazine that earned me distinction as the New York City Winner of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in 2021 and the Bronx All-Star distinction awarded at Yankee Stadium. 

Outside of social media and journalism, I’ve grown up dancing and attended arts schools before Columbia University. My passion for storytelling also extends to movement, as I’ve choreographed over 15 pieces for dance teams at Columbia University, including a performance with Singer-Songwriter Tinashe at our university spring concert. I carry the momentum of my performing arts background into the content and strategy decisions for social media teams I work with. 

As I’ve boosted engagement for the social media of the biggest media brands, with my writing and non-profits being nationally recognized, I’m excited to continue reinventing the digital presence of media brands and ensure that content is made accessible and digestible for diverse audiences.