Sedbrook, McKiernan sign on to lead The Gazette’s sales, marketing and advertising teams | Business
Meeting the diverse needs of an evolving customer base and ensuring that The Gazette’s marketing and advertising teams have the tools to thrive within the workplace are the twin objectives of the news organization’s newest additions, Stacey Sedbrook and Mike McKiernan.
Sedbrook, who signed on as vice president of sales and marketing Sept. 3, brings two decades of experience building teams that have driven revenue growth for multiple organizations, including the Denver Business Journal, McClatchy and A.H. Belo corporations, and BIA/Kelsey Advisory Services.
As the proprietor of S2 Digital Strategy & Sales Consulting, she has served as a senior sales leader or consultant to media companies throughout the U.S. and Canada, including Gatehouse, Gannett, Tribune, Hearst, Transcontinental Media and Beasley Broadcasting.
“My first message to the team, when I got here, was that I work for them, and I mean that,” Sedbrook said. “My job is to remove obstacles.”
McKiernan makes a return to the news organization after a 15-year absence, having served in a number of positions at The Gazette from 2002-2009. He returns armed with extensive experience after serving as advertising director at the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., automotive advertising director at The Denver Post, and most recently as an account executive at KOAA.
“I really appreciated the quality of the journalism here,” McKiernan said. “I also like the fact that The Gazette is not owned by a large corporate entity.”
McKiernan and Sedbrook are aware that they join The Gazette during a time when the wants and needs of news consumers are more diverse than ever.
“There are so many more choices in today’s media environment,” McKiernan said. “Some people want to read the paper and get ink on their fingers. Some people want to read it on a phone, or on their desktop. Others want you to read it to them. We have to meet people where they want to be met.”
“News media has become really fragmented,” Sedbrook agreed. “People are going to multiple places to get their media. As the audience fragments, we need to make sure that we have products and digital services that can still reach all of that same audience.
“As we grow our organization, we’re really going to focus on the growth of the people on the team,” she said.
Rich Williams, president and COO of Gazette Media, said the appointments position the company for continued success.
“I’m excited that both Stacey and Mike have joined The Gazette team to lead our revenue operations moving forward,” he said. “Our extensive digital and print offerings continue to provide unmatched reach for both readers and advertisers across the state.”
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