Time Inc. Reveals New Cross-Brand Digital Structure
Ten "digital desk" leaders will aggregate content by topic as the company seeks to eliminate brand silos.
As Time Inc. continues to shift resources toward its growing portfolio of digital media brands — whose unique monthly visitors now outnumber Twitter's — the publisher has revealed a major retooling of its editorial structure.
In a memo to staff provided to Folio:, chief content officer Alan Murray officially revealed today the formation of ten digital desks based on ten different topical beats. Each desk will be staffed by one of Time Inc.'s editors, who will seek to aggregate and coordinate content across multiple Time Inc. brands.
It's the continuation of a movement that's been taking hold within the company for some time now, aimed at driving efficiency by maintaining separate brand identities — for instance, People, Sports Illustrated, or Entertainment Weekly — but also identifying and cross-promoting content that might be suitable for multiple audiences.
The shift began in July, when Time Inc. consolidated business-side operations, eliminating individual publishers to more easily sell and market across titles, but to this point editorial has largely been left unaffected.
"It is clear that we have a greater impact and reach by working as a more unified digital team, especially at a time when so much of our audience now consumes our content in ways that defy brand boundaries," wrote Murray in the memo.
Murray adds that no reporters or editors are being removed from the titles for which they currently work, but instead will be asked to contribute to at least one digital desk in addition to their current duties.
The ten digital desks (and their leaders) are:
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Celebrity (People.com executive editor Sara Nathan)
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Entertainment (EW.com editor Christopher Rosen)
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Food (Cooking Light and MyRecipes digital director Stacey Rivera)
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Health (Health.com executive editor Theresa Tamkins)
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Home (RealSimple.com executive editor Laura Schocker and Coastal Living editor Steele Marcoux)
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News (Time news director Dan Hirschhorn)
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Sports (Sports Illustrated digital editor Mark McClusky)
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Style & Beauty (People style and beauty director Andrea Lavinthal)
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Technology (Fortune digital editor Andrew Nusca)
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Travel & Luxury (Travel + Leisure digital director Miles Stiverson)
Additionally, Edward Felsenthal will provide oversight of the News, Technology, Food, Health, Home, and Travel desks, while Will Lee will oversee Beauty & Style, Celebrity, Entertainment, and Sports. Both were already group digital directors prior to today's announcement, leading digital efforts across several titles.
"While most routine assignments will continue to be handled within the brands, it will be the role of the desk leaders to ensure that we are collaborating in real time, quickly seizing opportunities to win in social and search and steering our collective resources where we can have the most impact," added Murray in the memo. "We will track our growth not just across brands but also across the desks."
Meet the Author
Greg Dool is Folio:'s senior editor.
