Esquire Network, the new brand for NBCUniversal-owned G4, is adding cable industry veterans Deena Stern and Katherine Nelson to its senior executive team as it prepares to debut on April 22.
Stern (pictured left) will serve as head of marketing, overseeing marketing and strategic planning for on-air, off-air, digital and ad sales solutions.
As head of communications, Nelson (right) will craft all communications strategy and oversee corporate communications and program publicity for the network. Both report directly to Esquire Network general manager Adam Stotsky.
“Together, Deena and Katherine bring nearly four decades of cable industry experience combined,” Stotsky said in a release. “Both have spent most of their careers helping shape first-in-class brands that appeal to men, which will prove invaluable as we build the Esquire Network brand. Like the rest of our seasoned team, they are passionate about this network, smart and creative in what they do and dedicated to reaching our audience in new and exciting ways.”
Stern and Nelson join Stotsky and senior executive team members Lorenzo De Guttadauro, head of brand and creative; Matt Hanna, head of development and production; Rob Juster, head of digital; and Matt Monos, head of programming and acquisitions.
Stern comes to Esquire Network from Comedy Central, where she served as VP of brand marketing since 2007, developing brand strategy and program campaigns that engaged the network’s core young male audience. Prior to Comedy Central, Stern spent 10 years at USA Network, where she oversaw strategic development, media planning, consumer promotions and creative development for the network's signature series, NBCU said.
Nelson joins Esquire Network from SpaceX, the private space transport company founded by Elon Musk, where she served as VP of marketing and communications. Prior to SpaceX, Nelson spent more than 20 years working in television publicity, lastly as VP of communications for Discovery Channel from 2007 to 2012. Throughout her career, Nelson also managed communications strategy for multiple brands within the Discovery portfolio, including TLC, which she helped launch in 1991, Science Channel and Discovery Kids.
