USA TODAY NETWORK Doubles Down on Video
September 13 2016 - 2:15PM
Business Wire
Three Key Positions Across Editorial, Revenue
and Product Announced
The USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI),
announces plans to expand on its video foundation by building a
best in-class video organization, starting with three new video
positions across editorial, revenue and product that will work
closely together with the goals to distribute quality and engaging
video content, improves users’ experience across platforms and
scale across USA TODAY NETWORK’s iconic USA TODAY and its 109 local
properties.
The company, which predicts it will hit 1.2 billion video views
across all of its platforms this year, will focus on enhancing
video within its franchises such as HumanKind and I Am Sport,
across verticals encompassing News, Life, Money, Tech, Travel and
Sports, and social platforms including Facebook Live. This will
also include the NETWORK’s efforts in virtual reality across
editorial, specifically the first weekly VR news show ‘VRtually
There’; innovative advertising solutions, such as the first ad unit
native to VR, the Cubemercial, industry-leading Gravity unit and
its Hi-Vu player; and the NETWORK’s creative studio, GET Creative’s
branded VR content.
Russ Torres, a NAACP award-winning broadcast news producer and
journalist, will join as vice president of digital video content
and strategy on September 26th and will be responsible for
overseeing the video production, programming and strategy for the
USA TODAY NETWORK across multiple platforms and audiences.
Reporting to chief content officer, Joanne Lipman, Torres will work
with the NETWORK’s award-winning editorial teams as well as
product, revenue and other departments to drive best practices
through the organization.
As head of Yahoo! Studios, Torres was responsible for developing
original video content for Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo!
News and a dynamic slate of lifestyle properties, overseeing the
execution of 40+ digital video programs and LIVE productions across
all of Yahoo!. Torres brings with him over two decades of
experience in network broadcast television holding positions at
BET, NBC and CBS.
Kent Laird, will join the Product team as director, video
product management, reporting to the chief product officer, Daniel
Bernard. In this role, Laird will be focused on our video products
across the NETWORK, and specifically on leveraging video inside our
native apps. He’ll collaborate with stakeholders across the
organization to grow video consumption and reach for the NETWORK by
pioneering multi-screen products while also delivering value to
advertising partners.
Laird is an accomplished digital video product manager,
online/video editor, and product marketing professional with 19
years of experience overseeing strategy, design and execution of
global interactive projects and products. He spent nine years at
Microsoft, where he served in Product Management and Executive
Producer Functions for MSN Movies, TV and Video. More recently,
Laird served as the director of video digital strategy at
BroadbandTV, where he created a new approach to video that, in
seven months, moved BBTV from #3 to #1 Multichannel Network on
YouTube by reaching 14B monthly impressions.
Michael Krinzman has been promoted to vice president of video
strategy and revenue, reporting to chief revenue officer, Kevin
Gentzel. Krinzman has been with the company for over three years
working under digital video and programming. In his new role, he
will work closely with Russ and Kent to build our video business
and help solve the needs of our customers. Krinzman has over 15
years of experience in the media industry, holding producer and
managing editor roles at NBC and Fox News Channel.
These positions will build on the USA TODAY NETWORK’s video
success across editorial which is currently publishing an average
of 110 videos daily across all channels and platforms.
About the USA TODAY NETWORK
The USA TODAY NETWORK is the largest local to national media
network in the country. Powered by integrated and award-winning
news organizations with deep roots in 109 local communities, plus
USA TODAY, the multiplatform news network informs and engages more
than 100 million people every month through its diverse portfolio
of digital, mobile, and publishing products.
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USA TODAY NETWORKMedia Contact:Amber AllmanVice
President, Corporate Events &
Communications703-854-5358aallman@gannett.comorInvestor
Contact:Michael DickersonVice President, Investor Relations
& Real Estate703-854-6185mdickerson@gannett.com
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