Heidi MacDonald#Career

MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/26/marvel-editor-in-chief-axel-alonso-civil-war-x-men |title= Marvel editor-in-chief: 'Writing comics was a hobby for white guys' |first= Sam |last= Thielman |work= The Guardian |date= 26 May 2016 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025103636/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/26/marvel-editor-in-chief-axel-alonso-civil-war-x-men |url-status=live}} and Disney Adventures.

In 1993 she was one of the founders of Friends of Lulu, an advocacy organization designed to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry.{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-20-ls-22355-story.html |title= Separated at Mirth: The comics biz is a man's world. But these women are joining forces for the last laugh. |first= Irene |last= Lacher |work= Los Angeles Times |date= January 20, 1995 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025102705/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-20-ls-22355-story.html |url-status=live}} (One of the organization's other founders, Trina Robbins, described MacDonald as "the founding mommy" of Friends of Lulu.){{cite web|title=SDCC19: How the Friends of Lulu changed comics: The Friends of Lulu panel at SDCC19 discussed the history of the important organization|first=Avery |last=Kaplan|date=July 23, 2019|work=The Beat|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/sdcc19-how-the-friends-of-lulu-changed-comics/}} In 2005, MacDonald was given the Women of Distinction Award by Friends of Lulu. {{cite web | url = http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/lulu.php | title = Lulu Award | publisher = Comic Book Awards Almanac | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130126234514/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/lulu.php | archivedate = January 26, 2013 | url-status = live}}

In 2007, MacDonald edited the graphic novel The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning from Fox Atomic Comics, that was a prequel to the 2006 film.{{cite web|url= https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/10121/heidi-mcdonald-named-editor-fox-atomic |title= Heidi Mcdonald Named Editor At Fox Atomic |author= ICv2 |work= ICv2 |date= February 21, 2007 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104106/https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/10121/heidi-mcdonald-named-editor-fox-atomic |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url= https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780061243547 |title= The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning |work= Publishers Weekly |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104722/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780061243547 |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url= https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124354X/ |title= The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning Paperback – July 3, 2007 |work= Amazon |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025104926/https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124354X/ |url-status=live}}

From about 2006 to 2010, MacDonald also was an editor and writer at Publishers Weekly, where she co-wrote PW Comics Week.{{cite magazine|first=Calvin |last=Reid |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/446563-Comics_Blog_The_Beat_to_Leave_Publishers_Weekly_.php |title=Comics Blog 'The Beat' to Leave 'Publishers Weekly' |magazine=Publishers Weekly |date=January 29, 2010 |access-date=February 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405082513/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/446563-Comics_Blog_The_Beat_to_Leave_Publishers_Weekly_.php |archive-date=2010-04-05}}{{cite magazine|first=Calvin |last=Reid |url= https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/42101-macdonald-relaunches-comics-news-blog-the-beat.html |title=MacDonald Relaunches Comics News Blog, The Beat |magazine= Publishers Weekly|date=February 16, 2010 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025103325/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/42101-macdonald-relaunches-comics-news-blog-the-beat.html |url-status=live}} In January 2016, MacDonald announced she was laid off from her position at Publishers Weekly, although she would continue to write for the magazine on a freelance basis.

MacDonald created her long-running blog The Beat: The News Blog of Comics Culture (also known as Comics Beat) at Comicon.com in June 2004, before moving it to Publishers Weekly in 2006, and to an independent site in 2010.{{cite web|first=Heidi|last=McDonald |url= https://www.comicsbeat.com/exclusive-the-beat-to-leave-publishers-weekly/ |title=Exclusive: The Beat to leave Publishers Weekly |website=The Beat |date=February 16, 2010 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025105559/https://www.comicsbeat.com/exclusive-the-beat-to-leave-publishers-weekly/ |url-status=live}} In 2016, she announced she was moving The Beat to the webcomics site Hiveworks. She wrote, "The era of the 'bedroom blogger' is long gone, replaced by corporate entities trying to outdo each other with clickbait headlines and subsisting on popup ads that get more bewildering every day."{{cite web|last=MacDonald |first=Heidi |date=January 13, 2016|url= https://www.comicsbeat.com/a-new-era-for-the-beat/ |title=Ch-ch-ch-changes for The Beat|website=The Beat |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025105603/https://www.comicsbeat.com/a-new-era-for-the-beat/ |url-status=live}}

In 2017, comics publisher Lion Forge acquired The Beat. In January 2020, it was announced that after Lion Forge was acquired by Polarity, the company cut ties with MacDonald. In a press release, MacDonald indicated she would continue the blog independently.{{cite web |last=Johnston|first=Rich |title=Lion Forge Breaks With The Beat |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/lion-forge-drops-the-beat/|website=Bleeding Cool|date=January 24, 2020 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025103341/https://bleedingcool.com/comics/lion-forge-drops-the-beat/ |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|last=Calvin|first=Reid |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/82267-macdonald-regains-ownership-of-comics-news-blog-the-beat.html|title=MacDonald Regains Ownership of Comics News Blog 'The Beat'|magazine= Publishers Weekly |date=January 27, 2020 |access-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-date= October 25, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231025103629/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/82267-macdonald-regains-ownership-of-comics-news-blog-the-beat.html |url-status=live}}

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• {{Grand Comics Database search|type=credit|search=Heidi+MacDonald|title=Heidi MacDonald}}

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• {{official website|http://www.comicsbeat.com|The Beat}}
• {{Comic Book DB|type=creator|id=1560|title=Heidi MacDonald}}
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Category:21st-century American women