A media industry veteran who spent nearly eight-years as a New York-based SVP of Programming Partnerships for iHeartMedia, where she was recruited the radio business’ first Digital Program Director, has just taken an executive leadership role at audio technology firm Futuri Media.
Now serving as SVP/Strategic Marketing and Brand Development at Futuri is Zena Burns.
It’s a newly created role at the company founded by CEO Daniel Anstandig, and Burns will be charged with leading high-level marketing initiatives for Futuri, direct its marketing and communications investments, and collaborate with Anstandig and the Futuri leadership team on the development of the company’s audience engagement and sales intelligence technology products.
Burns has been based in Chicago and will stay there, opening a Futuri office in the Windy City. From there, Burns will be asked to recruit and develop “a broader marketing and communications team” for Cleveland-based Futuri.
Burns was at iHeart from December 2006 through August 2014, and joined the company following a 7 1/2-year run as Entertainment Director for TEEN PEOPLE and Managing Editor for TeenPeople.com.
After exiting iHeart, Burns in May 2015 joined TIDAL, serving as SVP of Label and Artist Relations. Two months later, she opted to start her own consulting business, opening the Chicago-based agency Moxie Coalition.
With her appointment at Futuri, Burns will retain her equity in the company, which will remain active under the leadership of associates.
“Zena is a forward-thinking, spirited thought leader with experience in elevating brands and a track record for strategically driving audience engagement,” Anstanding said. “Recognizing the necessity of innovative technology solutions for broadcast media, she was an early client of Futuri’s, and we eagerly became a client of hers when she launched her agency.
Burns added, “Futuri’s remarkable and sustained year-over-year growth, paired with an incredible team led by true visionary and all-around great guy Daniel Anstandig, makes it a thrill for me to fully embed and better contribute to the company’s incredibly bright future. I said I’d never go in-house again after launching a successful agency, but this further proves to me that you should never say never!”
