Brian Swars, a veteran of promoting series such as Showtime’s “Billions,” Audacy’s “Fly on the Wall with David Spade and Dana Carvey” and AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire,” will join MS NOW as senior vice president of marketing at a time when MS NOW is working to engage viewers in a new “community” service that offers content and interaction for a subscription fee.
Mr. Swars will join Versant Media on July 20th and will report to Rebecca Kutler, Director of Operations. He will work closely with Maritza Berta, MS NOW’s Vice President of Marketing.
“Brian joins us at a critical time for the network as we prepare to launch our first direct-to-consumer product in the coming months, and there is continued great momentum across the organization,” Kutler said in a memo to staff issued Thursday. “His experience growing brands, launching direct-to-consumer businesses, and navigating through periods of change will help us build success as we continue to write the next chapter for MS NOW.”
Mr. Swarth will oversee audience growth strategy, consumer engagement and brand marketing across MS NOW’s portfolio, including terrestrial television, digital platforms, direct-to-consumer products, live events and more. He joins the company after four years as senior vice president of product strategy and business operations at AMC Networks. Previously, he spent eight years at Showtime as senior vice president of digital media and marketing, where he helped the company transition into a direct-to-consumer streaming business.
He previously served as Head of Marketing for Audacy’s podcast division, where he worked to drive audience growth across Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Warner Bros. and MTV Networks.
“I’m grateful to be joining MS NOW at this important time when brands are growing across all platforms and reaching more people than ever before,” Swars said in a statement. “It’s an exciting time to be part of the team as we prepare to launch our first-ever direct-to-consumer service, giving our viewers new ways to connect with MS NOW and with each other.”
