Mariya Abdulkaf is currently a video producer for The Verge. There, she oversees special video projects and initiatives and all off-platform video strategy and production for mobile-first platforms. Mariya works across the newsroom with directors, editors, and reporters to develop and execute video initiatives, expand mobile-first programming, and create opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration.
After she developed and implemented a strategy for video publishing, distribution, and growth at Mashable, The Verge recruited Mariya in 2016 to scale its video program, optimize videos for discovery and sharing, grow its YouTube audience, and analyze data to inform the video team’s strategy. Within her first few months at The Verge, Mariya grew her duties to include scripting, directing, and editing mobile videos. She is credited for pioneering The Verge’s language and style on mobile platforms, most notably Instagram Stories, as well as The Verge’s video SEO strategy.
Mariya is also the chair of the Vox Media Union’s Diversity and Equity Committee, where she ideates, evaluates, and executes initiatives — internal and external — that are designed to create a more diverse and equitable company and help support the advancement of underrepresented groups in journalism. She also helps oversee the annual budget assigned to the committee to create these initiatives.