IndieWire Hires J. Kim Murphy as Film and Media Reporter

By Tom Whitfield

IndieWire has hired award-winning journalist Jackson Kim Murphy as its new Film and Media Reporter. Murphy, whose byline is J. Kim Murphy, will be based in Los Angeles and will report to Editor-in-Chief Brent Lang.

The beat is specific: indie studios, emerging filmmakers, content creators, and new and emerging technology. What the announcement does not say is when his first stories will appear, or whether the hire expands the masthead or fills a vacancy.

Murphy joins IndieWire from TheWrap, where he served as weekend news editor. Before that, he was an associate news editor at Variety, which first hired him as an editorial intern — a climb worth noting in an industry that rarely promotes from the intern desk.

At both publications he covered breaking entertainment news, developed enterprise reporting and edited other reporters. He has reviewed new releases, reported from film festivals and covered weekly box office grosses. He has also contributed to IGN Entertainment and the Golden Globes.

What do the editors say?

Lang, who worked with Murphy at Variety, put his endorsement on the record. "I was impressed by the depth of his film knowledge, as well as his writing and reporting skills," Lang said. "He is a true talent, and I know IndieWire readers will enjoy reading his work. We are excited to welcome him to our team!"

Murphy framed the move in reciprocal terms. "It is a thrill to be joining IndieWire, a publication that had no small part in shaping my own moviegoing sensibility and has driven me to understand how we get the films that we do," he said. "It's an incredible opportunity to contribute here in return, as well as to work under the confident direction of Brent and alongside an incredibly sharp and passionate editorial team."

Enthusiasm is standard in hiring announcements. The résumé behind it is not boilerplate.

What does the track record show?

Murphy received a Southern California Journalism Award in 2025 for his coverage of HBO's docuseries "Ren Faire," directed by Lance Oppenheim. The Los Angeles Press Club also nominated his reporting on:

• Warner Bros.' release of Clint Eastwood's "Juror #2"
• The cancellation of HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty"
• An interview with experimental filmmaker Godfrey Reggio

His interview log runs long: Steven Soderbergh, Claire Denis, Robert Towne, Charles Burnett, Frederick Wiseman, Jia Zhangke and Paul W.S. Anderson, among others.

Where did he come from?

Murphy graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor of arts in film and media studies. At Berkeley he served as chief film critic and arts editor for The Daily Californian and worked as a personal assistant to film scholar Linda Williams.

He was born and raised in San Francisco, Calif., and worked at the city's Balboa Theater and 4 Star Theater — a detail that places his film literacy in projection booths, not just screening rooms.

He can be reached at [email protected].

For IndieWire, the hire signals continued investment in coverage of indie studios and creators at a moment when emerging technology is rewriting how films get made and distributed. Whether Murphy's beat expands beyond that mandate will show in the bylines.