Meredith Corp. has named Bruce Gersh EVP/President of its newly acquired People, Entertainment Weekly and People en Español brands.
Gersh currently serves as SVP/Strategy & Brand Business Development and GM of the three glossy and digital media brands. In his new role, Gersh will have full operational oversight of the brands, including print, digital and video content; sales and marketing; and brand business development.
Most importantly for broadcasters, Gersh will also oversee Meredith National Media Group television production.
He reports directly to Meredith President/CEO Tom Harty.
“We are extremely pleased to have someone with Bruce’s talent and extensive experience in the entertainment industry leading these powerhouse brands,” said Harty. “People was a key driver behind Meredith’s acquisition of Time Inc., and we are delighted that Bruce has accepted this opportunity to build on its strong base and position the People brand for further growth. He is a highly effective leader and team builder with an established reputation as a strategic thinker, business innovator and dealmaker, and is very familiar with these brands.”
“It is an honor to oversee the most respected and trusted brands in entertainment. The powerful connection People, Entertainment Weekly and People en Español have with their audiences is reinforced by their reach of more than 100 million consumers every month,” said Gersh. “I look forward to working with Tom, and collaborating with the talented Meredith teams to further expand these leading entertainment brands.”
An Emmy-award-winning media executive, Gersh joined Time Inc. in January 2016 to oversee business development for People and Entertainment Weekly. In July 2016 he was named SVP/Strategy and Brand Business Development, leading business development efforts across all Time Inc. U.S. brands and Brand Licensing, and identifying and developing new extensions, revenue streams, and strategic partnerships, including the launch of and oversight of OTT Networks, PeopleTV, and SI TV.
In November 2016, Gersh added GM of the entertainment group to his existing role, which included People, Entertainment Weekly, People en Español, and Essence.
Gersh’s previous experience includes roles as EVP/Head of Digital, Strategy and Branded Entertainment at ITV Studios America; Managing Director, Global Head of Media and Entertainment at Allison + Partners; and SVP/Strategy and Operations, and Intellectual Property at the William Morris Agency.
TV executives will recall that Gersh spent eight years at the Disney-ABC Television Group, including a stint as SVP/Business Development, where he was responsible for all traditional and digital media business development opportunities across ABC Daytime, ABC Primetime, ABC Studios, ABC News, Soapnet and ABC Family.
Gersh began his career at Arthur Andersen.
