Who runs the world? Girls! More specifically, Irish women, and Cork native Samantha Barry is leading the way, taking the media industry by storm.
The stylish lady has humble beginnings, growing up in a council estate in Ballincoolig, Co Cork, but has gone on to secure herself a fabulous NYC pad and one of the most covetable jobs in journalism.
Here's everything we know about Samantha, from her exponential career growth to her love life.
Who is Samantha Barry?
Samantha Barry was born in Ballincollig in Co Cork, Ireland. She graduated with an Arts degree in English and Psychology from University College Cork, and later graduated with an MA in Journalism from Dublin City University.
She's not an alum, but in July 2024, Samantha was honoured by Ulster University for "her achievements in journalism and using her platform to empower women and girls."
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Samantha's career has allowed her to take a bite out of the Big Apple, and she now lives near Gramercy Park in New York City. Speaking previously to the Irish Independent, the journalist admitted she "felt like a power bitch" and "started crying" when she got the keys.
"I grew up in a council estate in Ireland. Do you know what I mean? Owning an apartment in New York City — I couldn’t dream that growing up," she explained.
"It is a beautiful one-bedroom apartment on the third floor. It has a fireplace, a wood fireplace, which is so unusual in New York City. I have fallen in love with it and fallen in love with interior design in a way that I didn’t realise I would."
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Though she's living it up stateside, Samantha has never forgotten where she came from and holds her grá for Ireland dearly. On her walk to her office at the World Trade Centre in Manhattan, she listens to Cork's Red FM.
"It makes me really happy in the morning. I know the weather [at home]. I know what’s happening. It makes me feel a little bit closer to where I grew up," she said.
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Career
Samantha has always had a special way with words. She commenced her career as a reporter and journalist for the University Examiner, before working with huge media outlets, including RTÉ, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Newstalk, the BBC, and CNN.
The Cork woman previously served as an executive producer for CNN Worldwide. Led by Samantha, CNN's 2016 coverage of the presidential election received the first-ever Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in social media, and a Webby Award recognising the same campaign work.
Samantha has also worked as a guest lecturer at Yale University, and is a Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia University.
And then came Glamour...
Glamour
2018 was a turning point in Samantha's career. This was the year she was announced as the editor of US Glamour. She's the eighth editor since the magazine's inception in 1939.
Interestingly, the Irish woman is the first person to have never worked in print media before leading a Condé Nast magazine.
Under Samantha's reign, the US edition of Glamour ceased publishing a monthly print edition to focus on a digital-first model. The January 2019 issue was the last monthly US print issue of Glamour.
In October 2024, Samantha was announced as Glamour's First Global Editorial Director, under which she oversees its global content strategy across Germany, Mexico and Latin America, Spain, Britain, and the US.
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At the time of her appointment, Anna Wintour showed her support, saying: "I can’t think of a stronger leader to become Glamour’s first-ever global editorial director. Sam has impeccable editorial instincts and has successfully led Glamour into its digital future.
"She is passionate and cares deeply about what matters most to women today as shown through her powerful advocacy for issues like paid family leave. I’m incredibly excited for Glamour’s next era under her direction."
Meanwhile, Samantha herself said: "As I step into this global editorial director role, I am excited to harness Glamour’s storied legacy and amplify the voices of women worldwide.
"The Glamour teams around the world—in Germany, Mexico, Spain, UK, and the U.S.—have done a phenomenal job of telling the stories of women across every platform with content that not only informs and entertains, but inspires action and advocacy.
"I am thrilled to work with our incredibly talented teams to elevate diverse narratives and to forge a global path for Glamour, where every woman’s story matters."
Love life
Samantha isn't fazed that someone might date her simply because of her position, as she says she's great at detecting "bulls**t" and considers herself a "f**king great catch" - sure, why wouldn't she?!
"I have a great bulls**t meter. I think Irish people are great [at] bulls**t detecting, Americans don’t have that. My bulls**t meter for something that feels very transactional is high - I think it is higher in this role versus other previous roles," she previously told the Irish Independent.
"I can tell when somebody is on a take. I would never have thought someone would date me because I am an editor-in-chief. I’m a f**king great catch! I’m funny. I’m attractive."
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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