Reporter - Alabama Food, Life and Culture

Reporter - Alabama Food, Life and Culture #26-149 Birmingham, Alabama, United States Job Description Strengthening and empowering all of the communities we serve. AL.comis seeking someone who understands how to report on food for a social audience, from fine dining recommendations to discovering hidden gems to examining the best barbecue shack in rural Alabama. We’re looking for a tour guide, someone who will develop trust across Alabama and grow their audience on multiple social platforms as they find the places that make Alabama’s culinary scene memorable. This role is more than reviewing Birmingham restaurants — it’s about discovering stories, identifying trends, celebrating local communities, and helping audiences experience the very best Alabama has to offer. The ideal candidate is recognized as an authority on food, dining, travel, culture, and Southern living, with the ability to translate that expertise into compelling content across social, video and written stories that inform and inspire. The base salary range is $48,000 to $60,000 per year. What You'll Do Serve as a leading authority on Alabama's dining, food, beverage, entertainment, and lifestyle scene. Discover and cover emerging restaurants, chefs, food entrepreneurs, festivals, and culinary trends across the state. Create engaging articles, videos, social content, newsletters, and live event coverage. Build and maintain relationships with chefs, restaurateurs, tourism leaders, farmers, artisans, and hospitality professionals. Attend tastings, openings, festivals, and industry events to identify stories before they become mainstream. Provide expert commentary and recommendations for audiences seeking trusted guidance on where to eat, drink, shop, and explore. Develop destination guides, rankings, features, and trend analyses that showcase Alabama's unique culture. Represent the brand publicly through media appearances, speaking engagements, and community events. Deliver insightful reporting that balances enthusiastic storytelling with journalistic integrity and expert knowledge. What Makes You Exceptional Deep, demonstrated knowledge of Alabama's food culture, culinary history, hospitality industry, and lifestyle trends. A reputation as a trusted voice whose recommendations influence consumer decisions. Exceptional storytelling skills across written, video, audio, and social platforms. Natural curiosity and a desire to uncover what's next before everyone else. Strong network of contacts throughout Alabama's restaurant, tourism, and cultural communities. Ability to spot emerging trends and explain why they matter. Comfortable being both a reporter and a personality—equally capable of breaking news, conducting interviews, and captivating an audience. Ideal Qualifications A degree in journalism, communications or a related field, or equivalent education and experience. At least two years of professional journalism experience with a demonstrated ability to produce clear, compelling and accurate reporting. Experience in food journalism, lifestyle reporting, content creation, hospitality, or related field. Proven track record of producing high-impact content that engages audiences. Strong on-camera and public-speaking presence. Knowledge of Southern cuisine, regional food traditions, and Alabama cultural destinations. Ability to travel extensively throughout Alabama. Why This Role Matters Alabama's food scene is experiencing a remarkable evolution—from award-winning chefs and innovative restaurants to enduring local institutions and emerging culinary destinations. We need a storyteller who can help audiences navigate that landscape with authority, authenticity, and enthusiasm. If you are passionate about great food, compelling stories, and the people shaping Alabama's culture, this is your opportunity to become the definitive expert on one of the South's most exciting lifestyle and culinary scenes. Additional Information Competitive pay Affordable options for your healthcare including medical dental and vision plans mental health support options flexible spending accounts fertility assistance a competitive 401(k) plan to help plan for your future generous paid time off paid parental and caregiver leave an employee assistance program to support your work/life balance optional legal assistance life insurance options flexible holidays to honor cultural diversity Advance Local Media offers competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package with affordable options for your healthcare including medical, dental and vision plans, mental health support options, flexible spending accounts, fertility assistance, a competitive 401(k) plan to help plan for your future, generous paid time off, paid parental and caregiver leave and an employee assistance program to support your work/life balance, optional legal assistance, life insurance options, as well as flexible holidays to honor cultural diversity. Alabama Media Group is a part of Advance Local Media, one of the largest media groups in the United States, which operates the leading news and information companies in more than 20 cities, reaching 52+ million people monthly with our quality, real-time journalism and community engagement. Our company is built upon the values of Integrity, Customer-first, Inclusiveness, Collaboration and Forward-looking. For more information about Advance Local, please visit . Alabama Media Group is one of the country's most innovative local media companies, operating AL.com, the AL Education Lab and This is Alabama and publishing daily digital editions of the Huntsville Times, The Birmingham News and the Press-Register for Mobile. In addition, the company runs a digital marketing business which serves advertising clients throughout the Southeast, a film production group Advance Originals, and the national brand It's a Southern Thing. In the past 7 years, AL.com journalists have been awarded four Pulitzer Prizes and been a finalist for another, earned 22 regional Emmys for documentary work, an Edward R. Murrow award for podcasting, a Silver Gavel award for political commentary, IRE award for prison coverage, Scripps Howard and Polk awards for investigating police, multiple national Headliner and SPJ awards and a Webby Award for short-form comedy. Advance Local Media is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under federal, state or local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Advance Local Media does not provide sponsorship for work visas or employment authorization in the United States. Only candidates who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. will be considered for this position. Advance Local Media LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. The Know Your Rights poster is available here: The pay transparency policy is available here: Advance Local Media LLC is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact Human Resources, and let us know the nature of your request and contact information. #J-18808-Ljbffr Advance Local