CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS ANNOUNCES TWO KEY PROMOTIONS AND A NEW HIRE IN DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT:
LAURA LEE ELEVATED TO EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT; HOLLY MAUER BECOMES VICE PRESIDENT, DISTRIBUTION
RAQUEL WILLIAMS TAPPED AS DIRECTOR, DISTRIBUTION
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Crown Media Family Networks (CMFN), home of the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, announced today significant personnel developments for its distribution team, including the promotions of Laura Lee to Executive Vice President and Holly Mauer to Vice President. In addition, Raquel Williams has been named Director.
Based in the company’s New York office, Lee will continue to oversee the affiliate sales team and initiatives that build both channels’ distribution. She will contribute strategically to the short and long-term planning for the company and consummating deals to increase distribution and revenue. Lee has been with the company for 11 years and reports to Bill Abbott, the company’s President and CEO.
“Under Laura’s stewardship, distribution for Hallmark Movie Channel has grown by nearly 20 million households in just 3 short years -- recently surpassing the key milestone of 50 million -- while Hallmark Channel has solidified its position as leader in the marketplace,” says Abbott. “Laura’s contributions to Crown Media are a cornerstone of our success and I am so pleased to recognize her efforts with this incredibly well-deserved promotion.”
Previously Director of Distribution, Holly Mauer is based in the company’s Studio City offices and reports to Laura Lee, Executive Vice President of Distribution. In her expanded role, Mauer has been charged with oversight of such important national accounts such as DIRECTV, NCTC, COX, AT&T, Charter, and Verizon. Mauer’s efforts to secure distribution have been exceedingly successful during her four-year tenure at Crown Media Family Networks and she has been responsible for the addition of 1.2 million Hallmark Movie Channel subscribers through several key launches.
As Director of Distribution, Raquel Williams is responsible for increasing distribution of Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Channel HD, Hallmark Movie Channel SD and Hallmark Movie Channel HD within her assigned territory, while also managing local advertising partnerships and certain national account activities. She is based in the Studio City office and reports to Lisa Barroso, Vice President, Distribution. Prior to joining Crown Media Family Networks, Williams was Senior Account Executive, Affiliate Sales for Disney and ESPN Networks, where she managed a client base representing six million subscribers and over $36 Million in sales annually.
Previously, Williams worked for Music Choice as an Account Executive of Sales and Affiliate Relations, where she managed key accounts totaling $3.5 million in annual revenue. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing from Indiana University.
ABOUT CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS
Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit of Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which houses Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. The company operates and distributes both channels in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) with Hallmark Channel available to 87 million subscribers in the U.S. and Hallmark Movie Channel in 50 million homes. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, a n d Happy Days. Hallmark Channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond. Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, is one of America’s fastest-growing cable networks and provides family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. In addition, Crown Media Family Networks includes the online offerings of HallmarkChannel.com and HallmarkMovieChannel.com.
For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com
Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, GetGlue, YouTube
Hallmark Movie Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
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ABOUT CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS
Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit of Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which houses Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. The company operates and distributes both channels in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) with Hallmark Channel available to 86 million subscribers in the U.S. and Hallmark Movie Channel in 54 million homes. Hallmark Channel is the nation’s leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies, specials such as Kitten Bowl, as well as some of television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. Hallmark Channel is also home to original scripted series, including Cedar Cove, When Calls the Heart, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered; as well as Daytime Emmy-nominated lifestyle program, Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios California lot. Hallmark Movie Channel is one of America’s fastest-growing cable networks and provides family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. In addition, Crown Media Family Networks includes the online offerings of HallmarkChannel.com and HallmarkMovieChannel.com.
For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com
Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, GetGlue, YouTube
Hallmark Movie Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
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