The digital media company Trusted Media Brands has named media veteran Stephen Colvin as its next chief executive officer, succeeding Bonnie Kintzer, who announced her retirement after 11 years leading the company.
Colvin, who will officially start in mid-June, joins at a pivotal time for the company, which owns a collective, primarily made of user-generated content titles, led by Reader’s Digest, Family Handyman, Taste of Home, FailArmy, and The Pet Collective.
Under Kintzer, TMB aggressively pivoted into streaming and social video to counter declining open web revenues. Last year, when the company generated almost $200 million in revenue, its burgeoning streaming business accounted for 35% of its digital revenue, according to previous reporting from ADWEEK.
“I’ve been following Trusted Media Brands for a long time,” Colvin said. “These are beloved brands with massive reach across platforms, including web, social, streaming, and print—all built on a healthy business and culture of innovation that Bonnie developed.”
Colvin brings an extensive media background, having most recently served as CEO of Nivloc Media following stints at Bloomberg Media, Robb Report, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast.
At Bloomberg, Colvin led Bloomberg Live and served as global chief commercial officer, overseeing sales, marketing, and research across digital, TV, events, and streaming. At TMB, he plans to expand on the company’s video momentum and broaden creator partnerships.
The company’s At Home With Family Handyman FAST channel has grown 111% in watch time and 122% in revenue over the past year, according to the publisher.
Social video growth has been rapid as well, with brands like Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home, and Family Handyman collectively increasing video views by 24% and revenue by more than 650% year over year. The company declined to share further financial specifics.
“Video is the priority,” Colvin said. “It offers tremendous opportunities for marketers to align with TMB brands and for us to reach audiences across platforms. We will double down on FAST channels, social video, and partnerships with creators.”
TMB’s broader strategy under Kintzer saw the company launch its Trusted Creators Program for Taste of Home and expand its presence on YouTube and CTV platforms like Roku, Samsung, and Pluto.
Under Colvin, the publisher aims to develop more intellectual property and develop new shows for FAST and YouTube. It also aims to further incorporate artificial intelligence into its workflows, potentially using the technology to help the publisher surface content from its vast library with more precision.
