About

Ellen Olivier, author of Society New LA, originated the social column, “Scene & Heard,” for the LA Times in September 2009. The columns appeared weekly in print in the Sunday Image section with additional pictures online.  

Currently, the online Image section of Los Angeles Times regularly refers readers by hyperlink to this website – Society News LA – in the same way the newspaper does with its favorite stories each day from New York Magazine, the London Telegraph, People, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Wear Daily and other prestigious publications. Ellen still contributes to the Culture Monster section of the LA Times and her previous Scene & Heard stories remain online here. 

As in Ellen’s Scene & Heard columns, Society News LA features news of important events in and around Los Angeles, where LA’s philanthropists, business and community leaders, artists, celebrities and other VIPs gather. Readers will also find highlights from previous seasons and a look at important events ahead. Plus there will be peeks behind the scenes and some fashion and arts coverage, too.

Ellen has been writing about society, fashion and lifestyle for various publications on and off for more than twenty years. In addition to her work at the LA Times, she spent four years as society editor at the OC Register and for several years, wrote fashion features about the Paris haute couture shows for California’s Coast Magazine.  Previously, she produced and appeared in TV news spots for OCN, The Orange County News Channel, and besides all that, for several years she owned an award-winning public relations firm with clients including Chanel, Bulgari, Banana Republic, Frederick’s of Hollywood and many others.

Ellen serves on the board of directors of the Women In Film Foundation, The Blue Ribbon of The Music Center and The Council of the Library Foundation and in past years, has served on boards of other arts and community groups.

You can expect lots of news from LA’s social front on this website. So, to stay up to date, just keep checking the site or follow Ellen at twitter.com/SocietyNewsLA.

Our Mission

At Society News LA, our primary objective is to recognize the people in Los Angeles who help make our world a better place – the people who contribute to the arts, education, medical advances and other worthy causes – the people who give Los Angeles its vitality and its heart.

In doing so, we spotlight the most important social happenings, our most generous philanthropists, our business and community leaders; the artists who make us stop and think; the celebrities who lend their talents for good causes; and more.  

We care a great deal for Southern California, but we have other interests as well. So on occasion, we stray to other parts of the globe, as regular readers can see. 

We welcome your comments and feedback; so let us know what you think.