Kim Kelleher Elevated to Chief Commercial Officer at AMC Networks

Brian Steinberg
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Kim Kelleher added oversight of distribution revenue to her portfolio at AMC Networks, a substantial enlargement of her duties at the content company that was recently put under the aegis of a new CEO.

Kelleher, who will continue to supervise advertising sales and partnerships, has been named chief commercial officer of the company, best known for its flagship cable network and influential series like “Better Call Saul” and “The Walking Dead.”

More from Variety

“A cohesive, forward-looking commercial revenue team that has responsibility for all of our valuable partner relationships across advertisers, affiliates and new digital platforms makes strong strategic sense and Kim is the perfect executive to lead it,” said Christina Spade, who was recently named CEO of AMC Networks, in a statement. “She has brought her own unique talent, ingenuity and dynamic leadership to our commercial revenue group. We are thrilled to apply her abilities to an even more comprehensive role to drive the company’s top-line growth.” Kelleher will report to Spade.

The new duties reflect a nascent trend in the TV ad-sales space: More executives who oversee advertising outreach are also driving new kinds of revenue for media companies. As technology changes the way media companies and advertisers interact, ad-sales executives have been asked to develop new measurement concepts and offerings that hinge on marketers stores of customer data. At NBCUniversal, for example, ad-sales chairman Linda Yaccarino also oversees the company’s efforts to develop e-commerce opportunities as well as some new kinds of data methodologies

The shift in duties comes after Josh Reader, president of distribution and development since 2019, recently disclosed his decision to found a new venture in the content creation and blockchain space. Reader is expected to remain with AMC Networks through early 2023.

Three additional senior executives will report to Kelleher: Roy Cho, who has been promoted to executive vice president of distribution; Mike Pears, executive vice president of distribution and content sales; and Amy Leasca, senior vice president of partner management.

“This fully integrated team will connect and leverage all of AMC Networks’ assets — our high-quality original programming, our loyal audiences and our strong subscriber services and brands — for our mutual benefit and value creation,” said Kelleher in a statement.

Kelleher joined AMC Networks in 2019 as president of commercial revenue and partnerships. She had previously been chief brand officer at Condé Nast, a role she took up after serving as the chief business officer for that company’s GQ, GQ Style, Golf Digest, Golf World, Pitchfork, and Wired Media Group, which includes Wired and Ars Technica. Before that, she was president of SAY Media and global publisher of Time.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.