Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jan 25, 2015 21:55:33 GMT -6
variety.com/2015/digital/news/relativity-media-invests-in-digital-publisher-say-media-angela-courtin-joins-board-1201410175/
Relativity Media Invests in Digital Publisher Say Media, Angela Courtin Joins Board
Expanding its in-house marketing capabilities, Relativity Media has made an investment in Say Media and will use the firm to promote its films and TV shows, music, fashion, sports and branded entertainment divisions.
Relativity Media’s chief marketing officer Angela Courtin has joined the board of directors of New York-based Say Media, as part of the undisclosed investment, which gives it a minority stake in the company.
Courtin has been looking for more ways to exploit the company’s various departments digitally since joining Relativity last summer as CMO. As more consumers turn to online platforms for entertainment, Relativity sees Say Media’s technology as a way to connect with its target audience.
Say Media’s Tempest publishing platform essentially creates digital magazines, with the company also handling advertising sales. It helped launched online publications for xoJane, xoVain, Fashionista, Gear Patrol, Remodelista, Not Impossible Now, ReadWrite, LifetimeMoms, and Bio — many popular with millennials. It’s also created digital campaigns for Ford Motor Co., Braun, Siemens, Amstel Light and Canon.
“It’s a very worthwhile investment,” Courtin said. “The more distribution that you can own and leverage, the greater strength you’ll have in marketing.”
It’s in the branding space that Relativity could gain immediate traction, considering its MadVine branded entertainment arm works with such clients as Evian. Its music, sports and fashion businesses could also launch new magazines around some of its more notable stars or prominently feature them in the publications Say Media already has helped create.
Relativity’s films and TV shows also could be integrated into publications in similar ways, increasing the level of exposure for releases and series. One of its upcoming films is the Kevin Costner vehicle “Black or White.” Relativity oversees digital media planning and buying for its films in-house, whose recent slate has included “Oculus,” “Safe Haven,” “Act of Valor” and “Immortals.”
“Aligning with Say Media is an incredible opportunity for Relativity to advance our digital capabilities and further positions us to compete in today’s converging media environment,” said Courtin. “At Relativity, we are building a one stop solution for brands – from content creation to campaign execution – helping them find the best way to reach and influence consumers in an incredibly crowded marketplace.”
The goal is to use content to drive connections and conversations with consumers, Courtin said.
“We should be smarter” as marketers, she said. “We’re content creators. What we do inherently is create good content. Now we can push that content out to more people, and build a way for fans to be marketers of our content.”
Say Media’s Tempest will continue to be available to third party publishers.
“By uniting the resources and expertise of Say Media and Relativity, we are uniquely positioned to build brands, grow audiences and help marketers reach the right audiences in the right way at scale,” said Say Media CEO Matt Sanchez.
The Say Media partnership will fall under Relativity’s new digital division, overseen by Courtin.
That arm of the company works with Relativity Digital Studios and MadVine to develop branded entertainment programming for digital platforms.
The timing of the deal with Relativity comes as Say Media had been looking for an opportunity to focus more on building out Tempest and its other software services, and steer away from managing the ad sales side of the business.
Relativity Media Invests in Digital Publisher Say Media, Angela Courtin Joins Board
Expanding its in-house marketing capabilities, Relativity Media has made an investment in Say Media and will use the firm to promote its films and TV shows, music, fashion, sports and branded entertainment divisions.
Relativity Media’s chief marketing officer Angela Courtin has joined the board of directors of New York-based Say Media, as part of the undisclosed investment, which gives it a minority stake in the company.
Courtin has been looking for more ways to exploit the company’s various departments digitally since joining Relativity last summer as CMO. As more consumers turn to online platforms for entertainment, Relativity sees Say Media’s technology as a way to connect with its target audience.
Say Media’s Tempest publishing platform essentially creates digital magazines, with the company also handling advertising sales. It helped launched online publications for xoJane, xoVain, Fashionista, Gear Patrol, Remodelista, Not Impossible Now, ReadWrite, LifetimeMoms, and Bio — many popular with millennials. It’s also created digital campaigns for Ford Motor Co., Braun, Siemens, Amstel Light and Canon.
“It’s a very worthwhile investment,” Courtin said. “The more distribution that you can own and leverage, the greater strength you’ll have in marketing.”
It’s in the branding space that Relativity could gain immediate traction, considering its MadVine branded entertainment arm works with such clients as Evian. Its music, sports and fashion businesses could also launch new magazines around some of its more notable stars or prominently feature them in the publications Say Media already has helped create.
Relativity’s films and TV shows also could be integrated into publications in similar ways, increasing the level of exposure for releases and series. One of its upcoming films is the Kevin Costner vehicle “Black or White.” Relativity oversees digital media planning and buying for its films in-house, whose recent slate has included “Oculus,” “Safe Haven,” “Act of Valor” and “Immortals.”
“Aligning with Say Media is an incredible opportunity for Relativity to advance our digital capabilities and further positions us to compete in today’s converging media environment,” said Courtin. “At Relativity, we are building a one stop solution for brands – from content creation to campaign execution – helping them find the best way to reach and influence consumers in an incredibly crowded marketplace.”
The goal is to use content to drive connections and conversations with consumers, Courtin said.
“We should be smarter” as marketers, she said. “We’re content creators. What we do inherently is create good content. Now we can push that content out to more people, and build a way for fans to be marketers of our content.”
Say Media’s Tempest will continue to be available to third party publishers.
“By uniting the resources and expertise of Say Media and Relativity, we are uniquely positioned to build brands, grow audiences and help marketers reach the right audiences in the right way at scale,” said Say Media CEO Matt Sanchez.
The Say Media partnership will fall under Relativity’s new digital division, overseen by Courtin.
That arm of the company works with Relativity Digital Studios and MadVine to develop branded entertainment programming for digital platforms.
The timing of the deal with Relativity comes as Say Media had been looking for an opportunity to focus more on building out Tempest and its other software services, and steer away from managing the ad sales side of the business.