MTV Hires Bleacher Report Alum Rory Brown

MTV has tapped Rory Brown to fill the newly created position of head of digital and social for MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo.

In his new role, Brown will be responsible for building the MTV media brand, which includes MTV Studios, live events such as Spring Break and the SnowGlobe Music Festival, its cable channels and digital and social content. Brown will report directly to Jacqueline Parkes, chief marketing officer and executive VP of digital studios for MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo. He will also work closely with Viacom Digital Studios.

Brown previously served as president of Bleacher Report, where he oversaw content, product, social, programming and the House of Highlights team. He was at the sports media company, which comes in first in social engagements among all sports networks and is the top media and entertainment brand on Twitter, for a decade.

Chris McCarthy, president of MTV’s group of brands, said: “Rory understood the cultural power of sports and broadened its definition beyond scores and stats to transform Bleacher Report into the definitive brand for a whole new generation of fans. Given his proven track record and our massive reach, we are excited to see him do the same with us across music, youth and pop culture.”

Parkes added: “Rory has a powerful vision for how to connect with audiences where they live, on their terms and across platforms, and he made the closely guarded world of sports work for millennials and gen-Z in a way that legacy brands never could. With 250 million followers, MTV is the biggest youth media brand on social media, and we’re very excited to see what Rory creates for our fans across our massive footprint.”

“I’m beyond excited to work with Jacqueline, Chris and all of the talented people on the team leading the resurgence of these iconic brands,” said Brown. “I grew up with MTV, and it’s a huge part of my DNA.”