Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news highlighting women’s roles, contributions, and achievements in the evolving media business. This latest installment covers Arianna Huffington’s official launch of Thrive Global, a mentorship that matches women media execs with advocates of women and youth sports programs, Reese Witherspoon’s new digital media company, and more.
Get some sleep Last week digital media pioneer Arianna Huffington officially launched Thrive Globe, the health and wellness venture she’s been working on since stepping down from her EIC role at The Huffington Post. In a Fortune profile, Huffington details how “her wake-up call”—collapsing from exhaustion—planted the seed for two bestselling books, Thrive and The Sleep Revolution, and her new company focused on “turning sleeping well into the corporate world’s most celebrated productivity tool.” The company is approaching its mission on a number of fronts, including corporate wellness training; the Thrive website, which will serve as a “media hub” for discussion around wellness topics; and products designed to help people achieve their health and wellness goals.- Skills builders Women spearheading sports programs aimed at empowering women and children around the world are getting some expert guidance from women executives at media-related companies like RPA, Saatchi, Disney XD, Google, and others. Under the Global Sports Mentoring Program, “emerging leader” participants from countries including Pakistan, Kenya, and Iran are matched with industry veterans in a monthlong residency to learn how to build successful business, marketing, and social media plans for their programs, according to Adweek. For participants like Camilla Pirelli, who brings the benefits of sports to youth living in shantytowns in Paraguay, and Paola Kuri, who conducts soccer clinics for girls throughout Mexico, the mentorship is a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their action plans. “Now I understand how marketers think, and that will help me when I knock on doors,” Kuri said. “I think they’ll listen to me because I can speak their language.”
- By women, for women Actress Reese Witherspoon last month launched a digital media company in partnership with Otter Media, a joint venture of the Chernin Group and AT&T. Called Hello Sunshine, the company plans to create and curate female-focused content across platforms, starting with a website slated to go live next year, according to Variety. It will also offer daily social content on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, and produce TV shows and movies. “My lifelong passion has been to tell women’s stories with authenticity and humor,” Witherspoon said in a statement. “This partnership will allow me to reach a greater audience that is eager for more female-driven content.” Media and tech veteran Kerry Tucker will head operations and strategy.
- Hit the road Airbnb announced Hearst content chief Joanna Coles will head its new Airbnb Magazine, a partnership that will produce both a print publication and digital content sourced from Airbnb hosts and travelers. At a recent Airbnb event, the company unveiled the first issue of the magazine, featuring articles about travel experiences, local spots to visit, and more. It plans to publish two more issues next year, according to Adweek. Coles, who’s been working with Airbnb for the past 18 months, shared her vision for the publication: “So what is my ambition for this magazine? Well, it’s to be on every coffee table, to be on every nightstand; it’s to accompany you on every flight you take. And it’s to connect you, to inspire you, to transform you.”
Hiring news roundup
- Koa Beck is now Vogue’s digital executive editor, previously serving as senior features editor at MarieClaire.com.
- Diane Brayton was appointed general counsel at The New York Times, where she has worked since 2014. Brayton most recently served as deputy general counsel.
- Sally Buzbee was promoted to Associated Press executive editor. Buzbee has worked for the AP since 1988, serving as its Washington bureau chief since 2010.
- Jessica Coen joined Mashable as executive editor. Coen recently served as editor in chief of Vocativ and has also worked for Vanity Fair, Gawker, and New York.
- Jill Cress was named chief marketing officer of National Geographic Partners, parent of National Geographic magazine. She had previously served as executive vice president of global consumer marketing at MasterCard.
- Sascha de Gersdorff joined Hearst Magazines as executive editor of Cosmopolitan. Previously she served as deputy editor of Women’s Health.
- Julie Hansen, founder, president, and COO of Business Insider, announced she is leaving the digital publisher after the first of the year to join an unnamed start-up venture outside the media industry.
- Lauren Johnson rejoined Hearst Magazines as integrated advertising director for Esquire. She previously was advertising director at The New Yorker and prior to that served as group advertising director for Hearst Integrated and Digital Media.
- Radhika Jones joined The New York Times as editorial director of books. Jones worked for Time since 2008, most recently serving as deputy managing editor.
- Carolyn Kylstra was named editor in chief of Self, succeeding Joyce Chang, who is leaving the magazine as it plans to discontinue print with the February 2017 issue. Kylstra had previously served as BuzzFeed’s health editor and Women’s Health’s site director.
- Megan Murphy is taking over as editor at Businessweek, previously serving as the Washington bureau chief for Bloomberg News.
- Tara Murphy was promoted from managing editor to editor in chief at TheStreet. Prior to joining TheStreet in March, she worked for The New York Daily News, Hearst, and Forbes.
- Liz Vaccariello, previously chief content officer at Reader’s Digest, is now editor in chief of the Meredith Parents Network.
- Alex Wallace was named acting head of video at Yahoo. Wallace is the founder and CEO of strategy firm AlexInc. and prior to that worked for NBC News and CBS News.
- Rachel Webber was appointed executive vice president of digital product at National Geographic Partners. She previously worked at Fox Television Group, where she served as senior vice president.
Let us know in the comments if there are any other recent stories or career moves you’d like us to include in our next Women in Media roundup.
Photo: D. Dipasupil, Getty Images/Fortune
Technology for Publishing’s Women in Media blog highlights the news and achievements of female leaders and role models in the publishing and media industry. Look for our in-depth profiles and interviews of top women to watch. Is there someone you’d like to nominate for an upcoming Q&A? Drop us a note!
Posted by: Monica Sambataro
