National Geographic Ventures (NGV) has named William Weil evp, strategy, marketing and entertainment; and Patricia Najda vp, domestic home entertainment.
Over the past few years, National Geographic has seen significant growth in the television, DVD and digital entertainment space, said Edward Prince, coo, NGV, and president, NGV distribution. Will and Patti have been at the forefront of growing this business in North America by extending the brand into more wide-reaching entertainment genres and taking advantage of new opportunities in the digital marketplace.
Weil will take on new duties in support of the growth of National Geographic's entertainment businesses, including feature films, kids programming and production and primetime television, while continuing to oversee North American home entertainment and sponsorship and integrated marketing for National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F). He also will work closely with Prince on overall strategy and business development for the division.
Weil was previously svp, marketing and business development for NGT&F. Prior to joining National Geographic, he served as svp, marketing, at AmericanGreetings.com, where he was instrumental in developing its now profitable subscription business and the acquisitions of Egreetings.com and BlueMountainArts.com. He also served in various strategy and brand management roles at Nickelodeon Networks and Walt Disney Home Video.
Najda, previously director of marketing, will now head sales, product development, marketing and operations for the North American Home Entertainment business, including direct/continuity VHS/DVD sales, retail DVD distribution through Warner Home Video, and National Geographics online DVD sales and rental business. She continues to report to Weil.
Prior to joining National Geographic in 2001, Najda served in multiple positions at National Wildlife Federation (NWF), including senior director of circulation and education marketing, responsible for the childrens publications RANGER RICK and YOUR BIG BACKYARD. Najda also launched WILD ANIMAL BABY, a childrens publication targeted at toddlers and their families, and was responsible for marketing NWFs education and mission programs and membership acquisitions. Earlier, she served as circulation manager for THE NEW REPUBLIC.
National Geographic announced a new structure, earlier this year, for its Ventures group to reflect the further convergence of the digital marketplace. A wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, NGV creates and distributes content across many different platforms and media. NGV business units include NGT&F, National Geographic Digital Media and National Geographic Maps.
Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the worlds largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting conservation of the worlds cultural and natural resources. National Geographic reflects the world through its five magazines, television programs, films, radio, books, videos, maps, interactive media and merchandise.
The National Geographic Channel (nationalgeographic.com) reaches more than 230 million households in 27 languages in 153 countries. Nationalgeographic.com averages around 50 million page views per month.
