Two new positions have been created in Simon & Schuster corporate marketing that "will allow us to excel and accelerate our growth, while leveraging and supporting the great work the Corporate Marketing Team has been delivering," Wibke Grutjen, senior v-p, global chief marketing and communications officer, wrote in a memo to staff.
Brandon Grant-Walker is joining the company as v-p, content marketing and brand development, effective October 21. He has 17 years of experience in media, publishing, and entertainment, including executive leadership roles at The Moth and Pride Media. He was most recently lead marketing executive for The Moth, where "his creativity and leadership delivered impressive, tangible results: three of their latest books reached the New York Times Bestsellers list; The Moth Podcast achieved 90 million downloads in 2023; and The Moth's first-ever card deck, A Game of Storytelling, debuted on Amazon's bestsellers list."
At S&S, Grant-Walker will lead the development of marketing content that "captures the imagination of our readers and motivates them to engage, share, and buy. Brandon will lead our corporate social media strategy and oversee our website and email marketing content, video production, events, and brand design."
Matteo Costa is joining S&S as v-p, marketing strategy and operations, effective October 14. He was most recently v-p of marketing development & operations at Penguin Random House. He began his career in consulting at Accenture and joined Bertelsmann through its flagship MBA rotational program, working at a range of Bertelsmann companies: Bertelsmann corporate, BMG, Dorling Kindersley, and PRH.
Costa will be in charge of "improving Simon & Schuster's marketing technology and workflows and developing a robust analytics framework to measure and optimize our marketing performance. From this new vantage point, Matteo will oversee advertising, promotional assets development, the growth of our consumer database and email marketing capabilities, as well as metadata and copywriting. He will also ensure that the work of the central team seamlessly connects with the title and author campaigns spearheaded by the imprints. Matteo will be a thought leader in incorporating AI and other new technologies into our marketing processes, and he will also focus on expanding our revenue-driving backlist and e-commerce programs."
In other changes, Imani Seymour will move from Atria to corporate marketing and become part of a new central team leading corporate social media channels and multicultural marketing strategy, under Grant-Walker's guidance.
Sienna Farris is leaving S&S to pursue other opportunities. Grutjen thanked her for "all the contributions she has made to Simon & Schuster during her tenure."