photo of Amber Payne

Amber Payne

Publisher & General Manager
The Emancipator

Amber Payne is an award-winning journalist, executive producer, editor and storyteller with a track record for creating bold content that drives conversation.

Before assuming the role of Publisher/GM, Amber was the founding co-editor in chief of The Emancipator, a multimedia digital publication reimagining the first abolitionist newspapers for a new day. Amber was a 2021 Nieman Foundation fellow at Harvard University. She served as managing editor of BET.com and executive producer of Teen Vogue and Them. In 2015 she created NBCBLK, a section of NBCNews.com dedicated to elevating the conversation around black identity, social issues, and culture. She spent a decade at NBC Nightly News, where she worked her way up from a PA to producing breaking news and feature stories.

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