LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Beth Harris, former executive director of marketing for Disney ABC Television Group's business development and digital media division, has been appointed senior vice president and director of entertainment for Ketchum Sports and Entertainment (KSE), part of leading global public relations agency Ketchum. Harris will utilize her vast entertainment industry experience, which also includes posts with the Academy Awards and Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland Center, in her new role at KSE, which for the past 10 years has served high-profile clients by linking their brands with celebrities, influencers and visionaries through branded entertainment deals.

At Disney ABC Television Group, Harris oversaw ABC Studios' domestic and global franchise brand management for hit shows like "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Ghost Whisperer," "Ugly Betty," "Army Wives" and "Grey's Anatomy," which included branded entertainment, scripted integrations and product placement, as well as creating and implementing DVD marketing campaigns for ABC shows. In addition, she directed all marketing for ABC.com and ABC Mobile, which included integrated digital and social media elements, such as viral video, blogger, e-mail, search engine and broadband player promotions.

Prior to her role at Disney ABC Television Group, Harris served as director of marketing for the Academy Awards; director of marketing, retail, for CB Richard Ellis' Shopping Center Division; and senior director of marketing for the Hollywood & Highland Center retail complex in Los Angeles, which included overseeing naming rights negotiations for the Kodak Theatre.

"Beth's broad professional network and relationships with those established in the entertainment industry will allow us to facilitate a wealth of partnership opportunities in the fast-paced world of entertainment media," said Ann Wool, partner and director, KSE. "She has an innate understanding of the industry, with years of experience negotiating contracts, executing branded integration deals and working closely with writers and producers."

Reporting to New York-based Wool, Harris will lead a Los Angeles-based team of more than 10 and will oversee the group's three core entertainment offerings: branded integration, talent buying and entertainment PR/events. Harris will also extend her expertise outside of the U.S. to assist colleagues in other regions seeking to integrate entertainment into their programming.

Harris graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.A. in journalism.

About Ketchum

A communications innovator, Ketchum ranks among the largest global communications consultancies and leads the industry in the U.K. and continental Europe as Ketchum Pleon. With five global practices - Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, and Technology - and specialty capabilities that include Access Communications (high- and consumer-tech PR), Concentric Communications (experiential marketing, events and meetings), MMG (clinical trial recruitment), Ketchum Global Research Network, Ketchum Sports and Entertainment, and Stromberg Consulting (change management and workplace communications), Ketchum leverages its marketing and corporate communication expertise to build brands and reputations for clients. In 2009, Advertising Age named Ketchum to its annual "Ones to Watch" Agency A-List, noting the agency's long-standing client partnerships, digital and disruptive media expertise, and CSR and sustainability programming. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

SOURCE Ketchum

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