Jessica Pels

HOW OPENING DOORS TO NEW COVERAGE PUSHED COSMOPOLITAN TO NEW HEIGHTS.

- Sara Jerde

Jessica Pels, digital director of Cosmopolitan, first moved to New York as a 14-yearold to study ballet at the American Ballet Theatre. Her parents had only one condition: Pels, coming from Atlanta, had to stay at a nunnery in Chelsea.

In her spare time between ballet practices and following the convent’s rules, Pels fell in love with the city and vowed to come back full time. Five years later she returned, studying at New York University, interning at The New Yorker and graduating with a degree in film production.

Following stints at Glamour and Teen Vogue, Pels worked her way up in the magazine industry, landing at Marie Claire as digital director in late 2014. After three years in the role, she joined Cosmopolitan in January 2018.

In just six months, Pels has pushed the boundaries of the Hearst title’s digital presence, leading a team of 40 people based in New York—all of whom are “flying a mile a minute all day, every day,” she said.