Samantha Willis

Samantha Willis is an editorial producer at VPM, Virginia's Home for Public Media, and a journalist whose experience in digital, print and broadcast media spans a decade.

In August 2021, Samantha began her role as Editorial Producer for VPM's TV news show, to debut in early 2022. Pulling from her range of media experiences, Willis helps shape the show’s content, format, and overall vision.

Prior to joining VPM, Willis was an independent journalist whose award-winning work has appeared in leading publications including Glamour Magazine, Essence Magazine, HuffPost Life, DownBeat Magazine, Scalawag Magazine, and the Columbia Journalism Review. As a central Virginia-based freelance journalist, Willis contributed to a variety of local and regional media outlets including WRIC ABC 8News, NBC 12 News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Virginia Mercury, Richmond Magazine, Style Weekly, the Richmond Free Press, Virginia Living Magazine, Boomer Magazine, and Virginia Public Radio (WVTF), among others. Before freelancing, Willis' media experience included roles as Arts Editor at Richmond Magazine and Digital Content Manager at WRIC ABC 8News.

She is also the co-creator of The Unmasking Series, an anti-racism dialogue and workshop program which has convened four times throughout the state of Virginia: #UnmaskingRVA (Richmond, 2016-17), #UnmaskingCville (Charlottesville, 2018), #UnmaskingHR (South Hampton Roads, 2019), #UnmaskingPeninsula (The Virginia Peninsula/Hampton University, 2021).

Willis lives in Ashland, in her beloved hometown of Hanover County, with her husband Jamaal and three sons.