ESPN has named five executives to head parts of its programming and production efforts.
The changes come as John Wildhack, executive VP for programming and production, departs later this month to become athletic director at Syracuse University.
The five are Stephanie Druley, senior VP of event & studio production; Rob King, senior VP of SportsCenter and news; Burke Magnus, executive VP of programming and scheduling; and Connor Schell, senior VP of ESPN Films and original content.
The five will report directly to ESPN president John Skipper.
“Each of these individuals is a proven leader, and each has demonstrated tremendous dexterity and creativity in developing and presenting the compelling content that is our hallmark. Working together, they will ensure that ESPN continues to serve our fans and grow the business,” Skipper said.
Norby Williamson will continue as executive VP, production, overseeing production operations, remote operations stats and information, creative and studio direction, ESPN International production and ESPN Deportes production. He adds oversight of production and media sponsorship integration and an at-large creative role to assist those with new or expanded roles.
“My focus remains on three primary initiatives critical to ESPN’s growth and future success: working with our entire senior management team to navigate the changes in our industry; ensuring that our overall content portfolio remains the best in the business; and firmly establishing throughout the company the next generation of ESPN leadership,” Skipper said. “Today’s announcement is an important step responsive to each of them and demonstrates a key advantage for ESPN – a deep bench of strong executive talent.”
