For Tina Thornton, executive VP, Creative Studio and marketing at ESPN, leadership means service. “One of my reports has always called me a servant leader,” she said. “I think my leadership style revolves around listening, learning and not trying to be the smartest person in the room.”
Thornton emphasizes creating trust and collaboration.
“Tina brings an intentionality around collaboration,” ESPN executive VP, programming and acquisitions Rosalyn Durant said. “Tina lives it and she’s known for it. She thinks about ways she can bring people along and have everyone feel like they’re a part of the same team. I don’t think our teams have ever worked more closely together than they do now. We are intentional about that.”
Collaboration can be difficult to achieve across departments in large organizations, but Thornton focuses on it.
“I really do try to set a vision and goals for my collective team and I prioritize collaboration amongst my teams,” she said. “Collaboration and trust are extremely important to me.”
Thornton’s emphasis on empathy, trust and collaboration gives her reports freedom to express themselves and try new things.
“Under Tina’s leadership, we’ve been given the gift of being able to show up as our full selves and give that permission to others,” Carrie Brzezinski-Hsu, senior VP, ESPN Creative Studio, said. “Tina has a unique ability to rise above her purview and lead as a neutral party, across the organization, to coach multiple divisions and leaders to collaborate and solve challenges more effectively.”
“Tina’s leadership is unrivaled,” agreed Celia Kelly Bouza, VP, ESPN Next and social production. “Working with her, I’ve had a front-row seat to see what it means to be a transparent leader first and foremost. She also knows how to identify talent and push them outside of their comfort zone.”
That includes Kelly Bouza, who has worked closely with Thornton over the years, advising her as a producer when Thornton was leading content operations and advising her in developing ESPN’s DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) strategy.
“One of the things we are most proud of was the town halls we ran in which we created some courageous conversations and brought leaders together to talk about their experience,” Kelly Bouza said. “Tina was really a proponent of bringing people together to have hard conversations. She encouraged all of us to be our authentic selves.”
Thornton is a rarity in the industry, having spent her entire career in one place. She started at ESPN as a production assistant after interning at CNN and Turner in college. Almost 31 years later, she’s still there, leading and thriving.
Most of her years at ESPN were spent producing and storytelling, with Thornton moving up through the production ranks until she was named VP, production and multimedia sponsorship integration and management operations in 2014. In that role, she also oversaw ESPN Next, a program that helps develop early-career production assistants into next-generation leaders. Less than a year after being named to that position, she was promoted to senior vice president. Three years later, in July 2018, she was named senior VP and chief of staff to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
In December 2020, Thornton was named head of content operations and creative surround. Less than a year ago, in June 2023, she took her current role, adding marketing to her portfolio for the first time after executive VP, marketing Laura Gentile departed.
A Versatile Player
“She’s not afraid to try new things,” Durant said. “Look at the variety of roles she’s had across the company — any one of those would have made for a successful career. She’s curious enough to be interested in learning new things while knowing that doesn’t come without some unease.”
As Thornton settles into this role at ESPN, she recognizes that things are moving faster than ever, especially as ESPN announced it would be collaborating with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox to launch a new sports streamer this fall. Through it all, she continues to focus on serving the fans, elevating the brand and bringing in younger sports aficionados.
“Over the past two or three years, we’ve learned to move faster than ever,” she said. “I think that’s just going to continue.”
