Streaming music video service Vevo has poached a top product marketing executive from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to lead its research and marketing initiatives.
On Wednesday, Vevo said Julie Triolo will join the company as its VP of research and marketing, where she will be in charge of implementing a new strategic vision for the streaming brand.
Triolo will report to Kevin McGurn, Vevo's president of sales and distribution, who said the hiring of Triolo marked a "major moment for Vevo" and pointing to her "track record of launching products at the edge of innovation."
Those products included new digital platforms and related ventures for some of WBD's well-known brands, including the digital news outlet Great Big Story; cable networks CNN, TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network; sports-focused Bleacher Report and Turner Sports; and general entertainment streamer HBO Max (now just called "Max").
"Julie is a proven leader, and she’ll be key to us confidently bringing new ad products to market and future-proofing Vevo’s global CTV business," McGurn said in a statement.
Vevo — an abbreviated brand name that means "Video Evolution" — powers many of the music videos that appear on popular video platforms like YouTube. Most of those videos come from its majority owners, which include Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.
Over the last few years, Vevo has sought to capitalize on the consumer shift away from cable and satellite toward streaming services, and has worked to forge deals with free, ad-supported platforms like Paramount Global's Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Comcast's Xumo Play. Last month, executives said Vevo now provides music video feeds on nearly three dozen connected TV platforms.
Once it reaches new consumers, Vevo strives to keep audiences engaged with unique programming that centers around music and culture — something Triolo acknowledged this week.
"Joining Vevo was a giant yes for me, because there’s no other media network like it in the [connected TV] space," she said. "There’s such a rich and passionate fandom around Vevo’s programming that creates real, authentic relationships between artists, fans and brands. I’m eager to enhance those relationships across the portfolio of Vevo’s products."
Triolo started her career in the media industry in 2009, when she joined Yahoo as an integrated brand marketing manager. She later became the company's head of global marketing, with a specific focus on Yahoo's news, finance and technology products, including the Yahoo Weather and Yahoo Finance apps.
She took that knowledge of mobile apps to King, the Maltese developer behind the popular Bejeweled-inspired Candy Crush. While there, King was acquired by Activision Blizzard, and she continued working as the brand's head of global business marketing for two more years.
WBD hired Trijolo in 2018, where she worked until this month.