Faith McKay has been promoted to the role of GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT’s Editor In Chief. Previously, she served as the media site’s Managing Editor. Originally Faith joined GFR as a freelance writer, the second person ever hired for the site after its relaunch in late-2019. Since then she has worked her way up the ranks, serving in nearly every position on the site from Staff Writer to Section Editor. No one has a more intimate level of understanding of how GFR works and what it needs than Faith.

SWhen you’re first starting out, sometimes, the life of a freelance writer isn’t as glamorous as it may sound. It can be a challenge, not only finding the work but also finding work that moves the needle, so to speak. Just ask Faith McKay. “I was a freelance writer working on pieces I didn’t care much about,” Faith says. But she can thank her love for zombies as the piece that began to move her needle in the right direction.

“One day I saw a job that involved writing an article on The Walking Dead. I love The Walking Dead. I figured I would write one article and that would be the end of it.” Much to Faith’s delight, The Walking Dead was just the beginning. Josh Tyler, Walk Big’s CEO, had just begun to resurrect GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT and fill out his early writer’s roster when Faith took on the zombie article as a freelance. “Faith was the second person hired after Giant Freakin Robot’s relaunch, and she distinguished herself right away,” says Tyler.

According to Faith, “I’ve always been a writer.” Her journey has been filled with an eclectic brand of musings. As a child, Faith wrote stories much in the vein of The Munsters (a precursor to her affinity for The Walking Dead, perhaps?). She then wrote for her school newspaper. As she grew and refined her writing skills, Faith took her freelance stance by writing on “technical topics” such as personal finance, digital marketing, and Python learning materials. She even jumped into the editorial arena as an editor for a literary magazine. Sometimes, though, writing can be an itch you can’t quite scratch.

Faith’s impact upon her arrival at GFR was felt almost immediately. “I thought I was just getting an occasional contributing writer,” claims Tyler, “but she pushed forward and made herself an integral part of everything GFR did right from the start.” Little did they know it would be the start of something much bigger.

Faith moved from Contributing (freelance) Writer to Staff Writer in a short time. Her attention to detail took her from Staff Writer to Team Editor and from there, she just kept climbing. From Team Editor she moved up to Section Editor and when she took on the role as Managing Editor, Walk Big’s Chief Content Officer Drew Dietsch said of McKay, “Faith is dedicated, creative, and always has a great attitude no matter what the circumstances.”

Now, Faith finds herself in the role of Editor in Chief for GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT, a position she has worked hard to obtain and is well-deserved. “Faith’s innate understanding of how online media works and her ability to learn new skills, on the fly has been one of GFR’s biggest assets as we’ve built up over the past two years,” says Tyler after promoting McKay to that position.

But Faith knows that while hard work pays off, hard work isn’t done. She truly understands the collaborative process that GFR takes on to produce their every article. “We’re all working on a great big project, contributing pieces that come together into something we couldn’t make on our own.” McKay also has a keen eye for the new writer’s GFR wrangles, knowing they may also be looking for their The Walking Dead, much like she was.

“Every time a new writer joins our team, I notice new insight they bring to make Giant Freakin Robot a better place for our readers and a fun place to work. I enjoy learning more about the writers and editors, discovering what they’re passionate about, and encouraging them to translate that excitement into great content,” says Faith.

As for the future of GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT, it appears to be in great hands. “Looking ahead, I want Giant Freakin Robot to stay a place where we’re always challenging ourselves to look at things from new angles.” But for Faith, it always comes back to the love for The Walking Dead. “When we remember what we’re passionate about, we’re at our best. Having a space where our writers and editors are always challenged to keep that in mind and share that energy with our readers, is a rare and important thing.”

Faith takes over the role of Editor In Chief from Drew Dietsch, who will now move upward on to focus on managing Walk Big’s overall content by serving as Walk Big’s Chief Content Officer. Drew will work with Faith and her team to make sure that GFR continues its meteoric rise in the entertainment news space. In the first week of March alone, GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT has been visited by ten million users, as GFR’s readership continues to grow.