About Me
When I walked into the seemingly chaotic newsroom of The Dallas Morning News for my first journalism job as a copy editor, there was no way I could have predicted how many kinds of people, businesses and challenges I would encounter in a career that spans all manner of digital and print media.
For that matter, digital media as we know it didn't exist at all.
After a newspaper career in which I held almost every kind of job there was in the newsroom -- from fashion editor and features/lifestyle editor to managing the front page of the Sunday paper -- I went on to launch one of the first daily newspaper sites powered by live overnight content from the entire newspaper.
It didn't take long after that to embrace the digital revolution by moving to Silicon Valley to work for Knight Ridder to help launch the nation's first digital newspaper network just as the Internet boom/bubble went into its historic get-big-fast mode.
I soon moved back east to join AOL, holding several programming and content positions during a period of unusually strong success and rapid evolution for the company, ultimately becoming vice president for network programming and executive editor.
Later, I went to Hearst Magazines as vice president of programming and product strategy for the company's digital media division where I was responsible for the content strategy, organization and daily operations of the company’s 30 sites, as well as new product development and design for those sites and new businesses.
Between those roles, I have also served as a digital media consultant for a variety of businesses and major media companies, including the National Hockey League, CBS Radio, Daily Candy and Travelzoo, where I also led the company's programming and product team as editor in chief.
My most recent work includes content and product strategy for the relaunch of NewYork.com as an e-commerce and entertainment portal, and strategic programming and product development for Univision.com, the leading media company for Hispanic America.
MARK S. WEINBERG | markweinberg1@gmail.com
SUMMARY
• Leadership in content, programming and digital product strategy, development and editorial operations.
• Award-winning track record with exceptional experience in multiplatform content innovation and visual story-telling.
• Management of large and small teams handling digital strategy, content and production development, design and partner relationships.
• Team-building, mentorship, development and cross-functional problem-solving for complex organizations.
EXPERIENCE
March 2012 To Present
Content, Programming and Digital Product Strategy / New York, NY
Univision.com / Product Strategy and Programming Development
Development of digital programming concepts and products to drive performance, engagement and revenue growth on desktop, mobile and social platforms. As the leading network for Hispanic America, Univision is focusing on video-centric franchises and high performance Web products to address the revolutionary changes in television and digital media.
NewYork.com / Product Strategy, Programming Operations and Organization
As a fulltime consultant and adviser to Entertainment Benefits Group, the project included development of product strategy, product planning and operations for creation and launch of a new entertainment and travel e-commerce portal for New York. Project included site design, organization, recruiting, content, video, workflow and daily operations.
Trap.it / Personalized Real-Time Content Discovery
As an adviser to this Palo Alto startup, work included media business development to assist in the creation of new applications and business models for this breakthrough AI content discovery engine and application platform.
September 2009 To March 2012
Vice President / Programming & Product Strategy | Hearst Digital Media / New York, NY
Leadership and operational responsibility for web content and product strategy for more than 20 magazine-branded sites and digital properties. Branded sites included Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping and Seventeen. Digital properties included food, beauty and teen verticals.
Primary responsibilities spanned content programming, site feature and design development, redesigns and product planning. Scope included network programming and concept development, photo, video and IA/UI/UX.
Other responsibilities included social and SEO programming, e-commerce integration, forecasting, syndication support, RFP response and revenue program delivery. Sites were recognized for early implementation of HTML5 and multiplatform strategy. Tenure achieved extraordinary growth in audience and revenue, swinging from large operating losses to significant profitability in less than 18 months.
January 2008 To August 2009
Heathcote Partners / Scarsdale, NY
Independent digital media consulting practice focused on Web content management, programming and product strategies, workflow and operations, network optimization and organizational development. Services ranged from strategic planning, market analysis and programming plans, to product development and daily content operations.
Projects included redesign and relaunch of NHL.com for the National Hockey League, Daily Candy, CBS Radio, Hearst Digital Media, Travelzoo.com, Autobytel and others.
March 2009 to August 2009
Editor-in-Chief Travelzoo.com / New York, NY
Fulltime position following consulting engagement included responsibility for programming, publishing operations, editorial strategy and product development for the world’s leading provider of travel deals. Management for daily programming including Top 20 weekly deals newsletter, Newsflash alerts and Travelzoo.com. Leading role in development and strategy. Developed programming standards and led nationwide training for all content, production and sales teams.
June 2000 To October 2007
AOL, Inc. / New York, NY and Dulles, VA
September 2003 To October 2007
Vice President / Executive Editor Network Programming
Responsible for network and homepage programming and editorial operations of AOL, including daily operations for AOL.com and AOL Welcome Screen during a period of rapid business evolution and demand for audience growth and engagement. Responsibilities included daily programming, scheduling, creative direction and editorial operations. Managed coverage of major events and breaking news. Created systems and programs to ensure audience and inventory delivery to meet advertising, transactional and strategic objectives.
Planning, management and operations to meet business, editorial and strategic goals. Central role in development and programming of original programs including Live 8, TMZ.com, Gold Rush (Mark Burnett Productions) and others.
2000 - 2003
Executive Director / AOL City Guide - Digital City
Responsibilities included editorial operations for all local content and products of AOL, Netscape, MapQuest and CompuServe. Expanded national coverage through a network of nine offices in major metro hubs to cover entertainment, travel, shopping and visitor information for more than 200 U.S. cities. Team included full time and contract staff of 70 and freelance staff of 400+, with an annual budget of nearly $15 million.
January 1997 To May 2000
National Managing Editor / Sr Director / Knight Ridder New Media- RealCities.com / San Jose, Calif.
Responsibilities included management of content and product development, contract negotiations, third-party content implementation and daily operations for the nation’s largest network of newspaper Web sites. Sites included the Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News and 27 other newspapers. Curated and led digital media fellowship program for more than 80 KR senior executives. Direct responsibility included product managers, producers, designers and editors.
October 1978 To December 1997
The Dallas Morning News / Dallas, Texas
1996 to 1997 | Assistant Managing Editor - Development
• Created and launched www.dallasnews.com. Established site structure, operations, newsroom integration and daily production.
1990 to 1996 | Assistant Managing Editor - Lifestyles
• Managed award-winning lifestyles sections, including entertainment, books, fashion, food and Sunday magazine. Highlights include creation of daily live arts reviews section. Developed coverage on families, women and expanded coverage of film and video.
1988 to 1990 | Sunday Editor
• Responsibilities included Page One planning, story selection for Sunday editions and weekend news desk operations, as well as news editing and presentation.
1981 to 1988 | Fashion!Dallas/High Profile Editor
• Department head for weekly sections on fashion and celebrities/society.
1978 to 1981 | Features Copy Editor / Today Editor
• Duties included story editing and page layout for lifestyle, food and arts sections, as well as production for fashion section.
AWARDS / HONORS
Numerous sites and projects during my tenure at Hearst Digital Media were honored in a variety of categories with MIN Editorial & Design Awards, OMMA Awards and Webby Awards.
Digital City / AOL City Guide was rated the Web’s best by PC Magazine and Yahoo Internet Life.
At The Dallas Morning News, the fashion writers, graphic designers, photographers and sections were the most honored in the nation in this category, winning more than 20 awards in the top fashion journalism competition. Between 1991 and 1994, more than a dozen awards were presented to sections and writers in Dallas Press Club competition. Several projects were honored as Society of Newspaper Designers winners and Pulitzer Prize finalists and winners.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES/ADDITIONAL TRAINING
2012: TEDActive, Palm Springs, Calif.
2012: OPA Summit, Miami, Fla.
2011: Digital Publishing Summit, Fort Myers, Fla.: Keynote Speaker “The Adaptive Future”.
2011: Web 2.0 Summit, San Francisco, Calif.
2011: Digital Publishing Summit, Park City, Utah: Panelist on media trends.
2010: Web 2.0 Summit, San Francisco, Calif.
2009: Magazine Innovation Summit, New York, N.Y.
2005 – 2008: TED Conference, Monterey Calif.
2006: Panelist at Promax, New York: “Every Pixel Tells a Story”
1991 to 1999: New Media chairman/regional director, American Assoc. of Sunday & Feature Editors.
1995 - 1996: New Directions for News/Electronic Communities and New Directions for News/News and Content for 2010
EDUCATION
Master’s Journalism Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
B.A. Zoology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.