Daddy's girl

Published Dec 05 2006, 05:47 PM by Adam Reilly

What to say about Kerry Purcell's installation as director of content development for Herald Interactive?

#1: Purcell is, in fact, the daughter of Herald owner Pat Purcell. This fact was omitted from the Herald's web item on K. Purcell's promotion yesterday, but found its way into today's print edition.

#2: She's the first director of content development in Herald Interactive's history. In other words, this is a brand-new position.

#3: K. Purcell's rise has been rapid. She started at the Herald as an editorial assistant in 2003, the same year she graduated from B.C.

#4: If prose skills alone were an indicator of K. Purcell's future success, there'd be cause for concern. Here she is earlier this year, blogging from the big Filene's going-out-of-business sale:

PETA is going to hate me but here goes. If and when you want to indulge in a fur coat, whether it’s faux or not, Filene’s probably isn’t the first store you’d shop, right? You know I am. I mean Saks has a “Fur Salon,” which you must pronounce “Saaaalon” with a French accent. Anyways, I digress, Filene’s is starting to sell Furs today at 40%, 50%, and 60% off. Now this IS a good deal. I arrived to the store just as they started bringing racks and racks of these deliciously furry deals to the floor. I didn’t leave until I saw and felt the entire selection - that’s why my blog is so late today - but I couldn’t tear myself away from the fuzzy warmth.

#5: Fortunately, acting as a liaison between BostonHerald.com and the paper's sports and features departments probably requries a whole bunch of skills K. Purcell possesses that I can't begin to understand.

#6: Dad's bullish on the move. "I’m very proud of the ink in Kerry’s blood," Patrick Purcell told his paper. "She’s done a terrific job as a reporter, and those skills will be invaluable in streamlining the process of posting news on the Web site - efficiently and expediently."