Catherine Genest and Sarah MacDonald have joined the Communications & Marketing (C&M) team at SOCAN, in new Editorial Content Creator roles. The C&M team is also marking a change from within, as Dishita Shah has been promoted to Social Media Generalist, building on the work she’s already been doing.
As Editorial Content Creators, Genest and MacDonald will shape SOCAN’s editorial voice across Words & Music/ Paroles & Musique and all of SOCAN’s other online platforms and social media. MacDonald is based in Toronto, and Genest is based in Montréal, where her work centres on storytelling that reflects the distinct needs of Francophone members across Québec and Canada.
Before joining SOCAN, Genest worked at Bell Media as Production Content Researcher and served as Digital Editor-in-Chief for Nouveau Projet at Atelier 10. She’s also been a columnist for Radio Canada’s Culture Club and a freelance contributor to Paroles & Musique. Her writing has appeared in Elle Québec, LouLou, and Voir. Genest is also a published novelist, and performs as a DJ, with sets rooted in disco and influenced by a wide range of sounds.
Sarah MacDonald is based in Toronto and joined SOCAN on April 14, 2o026. She brings extensive experience as a journalist, editor, and content manager. She’s also a former contributor to Words & Music, writing profile features on several of our members, including Haviah Mighty and Allie X. Her work has appeared in national print and digital publications such as Vice, CBC Arts, Elle Canada, The Walrus, NOW Magazine, and The Globe and Mail. Sarah’s professional background also involves developing longform content for e-commerce platform Shopify. She’s previously held roles as Associate Producer and Managing Editor at CBC Arts and Vice and Noisey Canada, respectively.
Before stepping into the role of Social Media Generalist, Dishita Shah served as the C&M Coordinator, where she supported work across the department. In her new role, Shah continues to build on SOCAN’s digital presence by producing, publishing, and coordinating content across social platforms for Anglophone accounts. Her work will increasingly help amplify our members’ stories in real time.
These changes come as Howard Druckman prepares to leave SOCAN after more than 25 years with the organization, to pursue other musical adventures. Howard’s been a defining voice in how we tell our stories externally, and champion our members.