BYRON ALLEN'S ALLEN MEDIA GROUP EXPANDS TELEVISION SALES TEAM

Former NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Executives Kevin O'Donnell and Mark McKay Added to Allen Media Group's Syndicated Broadcast Television Sales Team

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Byron Allen's Allen Media Group (AMG) proudly announces the hiring of veteran television programming sales and distribution executives, Kevin O'Donnell and Mark McKay. The syndicated programming sales team operates under, and reports directly to, Andrew Temple, President of Domestic Television Distribution for AMG.

Kevin O'Donnell joins AMG as Executive Vice President/Sales Manager. O'Donnell comes to AMG after a 21-year tenure at NBCUniversal as a Senior Vice President where he oversaw the sales, marketing and launch of over 30 television programs, including MAURY POVICH, JERRY SPRINGER, STEVE HARVEY, KELLY CLARKSON, MARTHA STEWART, MEREDITH VIERA, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, as well as off-net programs including THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, LAW & ORDER, HOUSE, DATELINE, CHICAGO FIRE, CHICAGO P.D., FEAR FACTOR, and AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. O'Donnell also served as company representative for NBCUniversal to broadcast companies that included Scripps, Tegna, Meredith, Cox, and Lockwood Broadcasting. O'Donnell's previous positions include 4 years at Katz Communications and 6 years at CBS/Eyemark Entertainment. O'Donnell is a graduate of The University of South Carolina and has a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Marketing. O'Donnell is based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mark McKay joins AMG as Senior Vice President of Sales. McKay's career in television syndication and media spans nearly three decades, and he most recently spent 19 years at Warner Bros. Television in Chicago and Dallas as Vice President of Sales, helping to launch several of the most successful and groundbreaking shows in television history, such as ELLEN DEGENERES, FRIENDS, BIG BANG THEORY, TMZ, and THE REAL. Prior to Warner Bros. Television, McKay worked in various sales roles with Sony Pictures Television in Los Angeles and Dallas, helping to launch SEINFELD, as well as licensing numerous Emmy Award-winning first run, and off-net shows into national syndication. McKay is based in Dallas, Texas.

"At a time when many media companies are downsizing, Allen Media Group continues to invest in, and expand our dedicated, strategic, and focused sales and distribution team," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "As we prepare to celebrate our 30^th anniversary in 2023, Allen Media Group is strategically positioned for increased distribution of our high-quality, family-friendly content."

Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. Allen Media Group owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPAÑOL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICECENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO TELEVISION NETWORK, THIS TV, and PATTRN. Allen Media Group also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, SPORTS.TV, THEGRIO, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP, COMEDY.TV and LOCAL NOW--the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 70 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, and multimedia digital. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.

Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures is a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017's highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES, the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the sequel to 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films.

In 2016, Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, a highly-rated digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. The Grio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was then purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has more than 100 million annual visitors.

For more information, visit:
www.allenmedia.tv

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SOURCE Allen Media Group