Comings & Goings
Jane Gould
MTV has hired Jane Gould as svp of consumer insights and research. In her new role she’ll lead the research and insights team for MTV, MTV2, mtvU and MTV.com. She comes from Nickelodeon, where she worked for 15 years, serving most recently as svp of consumer insights. Other posts include director of programming, content development and research at Nickelodeon Australia and president and founder of Looking Glass Insights, Inc. in Australia. Jane, we learned, owned a pet kangaroo when she was growing up. She also tells us that she wanted Olivia Newton John to be her sister. But the most shocking bit about Jane? “My mum told me I could never get a job watching television.”
Kim Norris
Viamedia has hired Kim Norris as chief operating officer. Her duties include managing day-to-day operations of the company’s advertising sales and advanced advertising, including Viamedia’s recently launched programmatic ad exchange. Norris’s last post was evp, emerging business and data analytics at Cablevision. Prior to that, she built the advertising division for Comcast’s Northeast television markets. She was also founding president of the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau, now known as the Digital Place-based Advertising Association. Kim tells us she grew up overseas and enjoys traveling, sailing in the Caribbean and skiing in Vermont. Her travels currently take her across the country as she follows the Division One college women’s lacrosse circuit to watch her freshman daughter play. In fact, she’s served as president of the girls’ Lacrosse board in her town for four years.
Winona Meringolo
Winona Meringolo was upped to vp, development for Investigation Discovery. Prior to the promotion, she was senior director of development for ID and American Heroes Channel. Other roles at Discovery include manager of development for TLC and head of development for Discovery Digital Media. Before joining the company, she worked in development on feature films in Los Angeles. Winona tells us she grew up in Vermont, but she’s a terrible skier. However, she’s quite talented at devouring cheese, Vermont maple syrup and Ben & Jerry’s. Also, she loves old movies—particularly those featuring Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock.
Laura Forti
Turner has promoted Laura Forti to vp of Turner Entertainment Networks Distribution. Most recently, she served in the director role. In her new position she’ll facilitate strategic partnerships with Turner International, third-party distributors and broadcasters on behalf of Turner’s networks, as well as lead the international delivery of broadcast and promotion materials for its programming. Forti has worked at Turner Broadcasting for the past nine years. She’s also held roles in international distribution and business affairs, including a stint at truTV as international distribution/co-production and business affairs manager. Laura tells us she was a competitive gymnast for most of her childhood. “The balance beam was my nemesis,” she admits. And she’s quite the chef. Not really. “I can cook virtually nothing more involved than toast (and Grandma’s sauce, like a good Italian girl),” she says. “I perennially make a resolution to change that. Though LA’s fantastic and numerous restaurants are complicating that a bit.”