Trusted Media Brands Taps Execs from Playboy and Shutterstock to Accelerate Growth

Jason Buhrmester, former editorial director at Playboy joins Reader's Digest as Chief Content Officer to lead strategic direction as the media brand heads into its 100th year anniversary

Roland Hamilton joins Jukin Media as SVP, Licensing from Shutterstock

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Trusted Media Brands

Sep 30, 2021, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trusted Media Brands, a portfolio of user-generated and community-based lifestyle brands including Taste of Home, Family Handyman, and Reader's Digest, and which recently acquired rapidly growing and award-winning streaming and social video company Jukin Media, has made two new strategic hires: Jason Buhrmester joins as Chief Content Officer of Reader's Digest and Roland Hamilton as SVP of Licensing for Jukin Media. Buhrmester and Hamilton's appointments are part of the company's ongoing growth investment as it continues to strengthen its position as a leading digital-first lifestyle media portfolio.

An award-winning lifestyle journalist, editor and content strategist, Buhrmester will be responsible for overseeing and executing the creative vision, strategy and operations in support of content creation across all channels for US, Canada and International editions of Reader's Digest, as well as The Healthy. Buhrmester brings decades of experience in the digital content space to the media properties. He previously served as editorial director of Playboy as well as as an editor at GOOD magazine. During his tenure at Playboy, Buhrmester oversaw editorial content that generated 20 million unique online visitors and reached 500,000 magazine readers per month. He also worked directly with Hugh M. Hefner to redesign and relaunch the media property for the first time in the company's 60-year history, which generated over six billion media impressions and increased newsstand sales by 28%. Based in Chicago, Buhrmester will spend time in New York and Milwaukee and will report to Beth Tomkiw, Chief Content Officer, Trusted Media Brands.

Hamilton will oversee Jukin Media's global licensing business. He brings over 20 years of experience working in digital media sales, video streaming and content licensing to his new role, where he will lead efforts to grow a licensing business that has more than 2,000 global clients and includes premium brands, publishers, and media networks. Prior to Trusted Media Brands, he was Director of Media Sales at Shutterstock, where he led the media and entertainment team focused on that company's enterprise licensing business for publishers and studios. Prior to Shutterstock, he was the VP of Sales and Marketing for XO Group, where he managed a national digital and print ad sales team for The Knot, the leading wedding marketplace. Before XO Group, he was Managing Director of Dailymotion in the US and held digital sales roles at News Corp and DoubleClick. Based in New York City, he will report to Lee Essner, Chief Strategy Officer, Trusted Media Brands.

"We are thrilled to have Jason and Roland join the team," said Bonnie Kintzer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Trusted Media Brands. "Jason has an exceptional track record in building digital audiences and will play a key role in leading Reader's Digest into its next century as the brand prepares to celebrate its 100th year. Roland brings decades of experience in licensing, online video, and digital advertising sales. He is an amazing addition to the team and will help further cement Jukin Media as the go-to resource for UGC licensing and clearance needs for the global advertising, media, and entertainment industries."

"Jukin has built a massive and in many ways groundbreaking licensing business, and the opportunity for growth, particularly with Trusted Media Brands' first-class data, technology, and digital product expertise, is limitless," said Hamilton. "I'm looking forward to partnering with creative talent around the world and helping them tell their stories with authenticity using user-generated content. Brands and storytellers of all kinds have begun to embrace user-generated content with open arms, and no company is better positioned than we are to help them navigate the space."

Throughout the last century, Reader's Digest has brought big ideas to reader's homes through shared stories, recipes and comedy as well as featured stories from real people to inspire readers and make them feel connected. User-generated content mixed with articles by contributing writers and the best work from other leading media sources is at the heart of the Reader's Digest mission. Buhrmester joins the brand at a time when its focus on digital has already begun to pay dividends; it received 13.1 million unique viewers in July 2021, a 66% YoY increase from the previous period.

"Reader's Digest has been a staple of American culture for the last century," said Buhrmester. "The brand is attracting new generations of fans, I couldn't be more excited to join an exceptionally talented team at such a pivotal time to help position Reader's Digest for the next 100 years."

For more information about Trusted Media Brands, please visit https://www.trustedmediabrands.com/

About Trusted Media Brands
Trusted Media Brands is a leading digital-first media company that reaches hundreds of millions of global viewers, readers, and consumers via our dynamic portfolio of media properties. We offer best-in-class insights and data-driven marketing solutions that reach engaged communities across food, home, lifestyle and wellness content; and now following our August 2021 acquisition of Jukin Media, a leading digital entertainment company, we also engage audiences across the pets, humor, and active lifestyle verticals. In all, we reach nearly 60 million people in the US, and we deliver more than two billion minutes of monthly video viewership across streaming TV and social media. See what's new at Taste of Home, Family Handyman, Reader's Digest, The Healthy, Birds and Blooms, The Pet Collective, FailArmy, and People Are Awesome.