Tom Gorke Takes On New Postion at Viacom

NEW YORK: Viacom has appointed Tom Gorke as executive VP of sales and business development for Viacom Media Networks and BET Networks, a newly created role that gives him oversight of a number of channels, including Nickelodeon.

Gorke will be responsible for leading sales and new business efforts for all linear and digital distribution partnerships across Nickelodeon, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Logo, Spike TV, TV Land and VH1, as well as Viacom's joint venture with EPIX. He will continue to work under Denise Denson, the company's executive VP of content distribution. Previously, he was the senior VP of content distribution and marketing at Viacom Media Networks, where he handled all digital content distribution deals and select linear agreements.

Earlier in his career, Gorke served as Viacom's VP of digital distribution and director of digital operations and distribution development. Before joining the company in 2005, he worked in the CBS Internet Group at CBS and as an investment banker.

"As the distribution landscape evolves at warp speed, Tom has demonstrated tremendous foresight and embraced change and disruption as an opportunity to create new value for the company and our partners," said Denson. "Tom's forward-thinking and innovative lens on deal-making will further bridge the ever-blurring lines between the digital and linear universes, allow for more agile collaboration, and enable us to even better serve our partners."