Scripps Networks Interactive is launching Scripps Lifestyle Studios, a new content studio aimed at advertisers to develop content across multiple platforms including social media, apps, web sites and third party digital media outlets.
The division, led by senior vice president & general manager Vikki Neil, will work with Scripps networks like HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel, producing content and advertising solutions encompassing video, photography, social, live digital events, and written word editorial.
“This new creative hub will enable us to achieve significant additional scale across all digital platforms, and build on our leadership position in lifestyle content,” Scripps Networks chief operating officer Burton Jablin said in a statement. “The linear content we produce across our television networks is an essential element of the media plans of brands that want to reach large upscale adult audiences. With the creation of the Scripps Lifestyle Studios, we are making moves to ensure that we deliver that same audience across the broadest possible range of our own platforms and those of our partners.”
Scripps Lifestyle Studios will operate physical locations through the Food Network Kitchen in New York and the HGTV Studio in Knoxville, Tenn., and will bring together more than 100 culinary, home and travel experts to create unique content opportunities for consumers and advertisers. The food team’s content initiatives around Thanksgiving last month gave foodnetwork.com its biggest ever Thanksgiving Eve, with more than 30 million page views.
The Food Network Kitchen will become an important production hub, developing and producing food-related content on a daily basis, including for the company’s own digital platforms as well as third party services including Snapchat, Facebook and Periscope.
“Advertisers turn to us because of our unmatched ability to deliver high-quality audiences who want ideas, information and inspiration about home, food and travel,” Neil said in a statement. “With the Scripps Lifestyle Studios, we’re going to be able to reach even more people with high quality original content designed specifically for the platform on which it is delivered.”
In addition to Neil, the Scripps Lifestyle Studios management team includes former Martha Stewart Living executive Deb Puchalla as vice president of content development, and digital advertising specialist Traci Topham as senior vice president of Scripps Lifestyle Studios client solutions. Executive vice president of digital, Tamara Franklin, heads Scripps Networks Interactive’s digital business while executive vice president of digital ad sales, Beth Lawrence, heads digital advertising sales.
Scripps also plans social media events to bring content directly to fans, kicking off with a day-long cookie cookie party on Facebook Live on Dec. 11, featuring live holiday entertaining and baking fun with HGTV and Food Network takes place on Dec. 11. Bobby Flay and his daughter, Sophie, [pictured] will also cook together in videos for Food Network’s Discover channel on Snapchat. On Dec. 13, Alton Brown will take over the Snapchat channel, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at his favorite eats and revealing sabotage secrets from hit Food Network show Cutthroat Kitchen.
