Warner Bros. Television Group Establishes New Communications Structure, Promoting Sharan Magnuson to Senior Vice President, Worldwide Publicity, in Studio’s Worldwide Television Marketing Department

The Warner Bros. Television Group is establishing a new communications structure within its Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing unit and has promoted respected publicity executive Sharan Magnuson to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Worldwide Publicity, it was announced today by Lisa Gregorian, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG).

In her newly expanded position, Magnuson will have oversight of business and trade communications for WBTVG’s five production divisions—Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Studio 2.0—as well as entertainment consumer publicity for the content they create. Additionally, Magnuson will oversee communications and publicity strategy for WBTVG’s three distribution units: Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

The new structure unites WBTVG’s communications and publicity teams under the leadership of one executive, Magnuson, and cements the relationship between the Studio’s television publicity and marketing operations by formally aligning publicity under the Worldwide Television Marketing division headed by Gregorian, to whom Magnuson will report.

Magnuson will also continue to work closely with Susan Fleishman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, Warner Bros. Entertainment, as well as Scott Rowe, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Warner Bros. Entertainment, who oversees the Studio’s television business communications at the corporate level.

“Our goal in establishing the Worldwide Television Marketing unit was to create a unified marketing and communications department that speaks in one voice about our content to all constituencies, and we are thrilled to have Sharan heading up publicity for this group,” said Gregorian. “With this announcement, we’re affirming our goal of taking a marketing approach to communications, truly integrating the Studio’s TV PR team with the promotions, new media and advertising operation to maximize our marketing reach in both traditional and emerging media platforms.”

“Sharan has been an invaluable member of our team since she joined the company in 1999,” said Peter Roth, President, Warner Bros. Television. “She is passionate, resourceful, incredibly talented and invaluable for our shows, our producers and our company. She richly deserves this recognition and expansion of her duties.”

Immediately preceding this promotion, Magnuson served as Senior Vice President, Publicity, Advertising and Promotions, for Warner Bros. Television (WBTV), a post to which she was named in July 1999. In that role, she had overall responsibility for handling consumer and trade press for WBTV and supervised publicity campaigns for all programming, including comedy and drama series, miniseries and made-for-television movies. During her tenure at WBTV, Magnuson has overseen the launch of such hit series as Two and Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The Closer and Nip/Tuck, among many others. She also was in charge of advertising and promotions for WBTV. In August 2006, Magnuson added oversight of consumer and trade press for Warner Horizon Television to her responsibilities, and she has supervised the launch campaign for the division’s first series, Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll.

Before joining WBTV, Magnuson worked at FOX Broadcasting Company for 12 years, rising to Vice President, Entertainment Publicity. In that position, she supervised publicity campaigns on all series, specials and telefilms, including Ally McBeal, The X-Files, King of the Hill and That ’70s Show. She joined FOX in 1987, prior to the network’s primetime launch, and was responsible for publicity efforts on hit series such as Married…With Children, In Living Color, Melrose Place, Party of Five, Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Simpsons.

Prior to FOX, Magnuson worked in the Entertainment Division at Rogers and Cowan Public Relations.