Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM) has appointed Lee Sosin, formerly vice president of strategic solutions for Yahoo, as senior vice president. Sosin will oversee advertising solutions from concept development to content creation including Hearst's branded video function. His focus will allow Hearst to partner more effectively when creating content solutions for customers, leveraging the media brands, content creators and audience development capabilities. The announcement was made by Troy Young, president of Hearst Magazines Digital Media, to whom Sosin will report. Sosin assumes the role on June 9.
Hearst Magazines Digital Media is comprised of 18 sites, including digital brands Cosmopolitan.com, Esquire.com, ELLE.com, CarandDriver.com and HarpersBazaar.com. In May, HMDM had 100 million UVs, an increase of 76 percent year over year and 838 million total page views, an increase of 36 percent (Adobe Site Catalyst).
"Enhancing our ability to execute deep digital content experiences together with our customers is the next step in our evolution," Young said. "Lee has the creativity, talent and experience to create branded content that entertains our audience, delivers marketing results and builds our brands."
Sosin was most recently vice president, strategic solutions at Yahoo, where he oversaw the expansion and verticalization of Yahoo's sales strategy team. He led the development of all integrated marketing programs for the U.S., leveraging the breadth of Yahoo's offerings to solve client objectives, which included custom content creation, sponsorships, mobile, audience targeting and more. He and his team also created long-term strategies to transform client relationships and drive revenue across every vertical. Prior, Sosin was Yahoo's senior director of video and custom content, where he expanded Yahoo's branded entertainment offerings and was instrumental in the launch of Yahoo's original video slates and marquee video events.
"Lee is a great creative and marketing talent, and I'm delighted to have him join Hearst Magazines Digital Media," said HMDM Senior Vice President/Chief Revenue Officer Todd Haskell. "Our clients are increasingly looking for imaginative ways for Hearst to leverage our editorial expertise and unparalleled influence in the market to help brands build stronger engagement with our millions of readers. Lee brings great experience and perspective to these efforts and he will be a wonderful partner to the sales organization in bringing powerful solutions to the market that delight our readers and advertisers alike."
From 2006 to 2011, Sosin was director of development and then vice president at Time Inc. Studios, where he led Time Inc.'s branded entertainment, television and film division. In this role, he was responsible for the development, production and distribution of multiplatform, video-centric projects for clients including Microsoft, Intel, Pfizer, J&J, Unilever, Kraft, Sears and more. Sosin also developed and/or produced series and specials for television networks including Spike, Lifetime, TNT, TV One and Cartoon Network. Earlier in his career, Sosin co-founded and was senior vice president of The America Channel, a cable network, and co-founder of the Association of Independent Programming Networks.
"Content, whether in words, pictures or video, has become an essential tool for marketers looking to build authentic connections with their consumers," Sosin said. "Hearst is masterful at creating content that audiences love and its brands are some of the most resonant on the planet. I'm looking forward to working with the teams to build this division."
Sosin graduated cum laude from Brandeis University. He received an MBA from Columbia University School of Business and an MFA in motion picture producing from University of Southern California, School of Cinema-Television.
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