Tricia Melton Named Senior Vice President, Marketing, Freeform

Respected marketing executive, Tricia Melton, has been named senior vice president, Marketing, Freeform, it was announced today by Tom Ascheim, president, Freeform, to whom she will report. In her new position, Tricia will lead the creative marketing vision for the network and spearhead the strategic execution of all marketing activities across linear and digital platforms. Melton will also oversee all on-air and off-air marketing, in addition to integrated marketing, audience development, franchise and brand management, as well as promotional partnerships.

"As FreeForm positions itself as the young adult brand for The Walt Disney Company, Tricia will lead the way toward a master-brand strategy that combines the best of both linear and on-demand," said Tom Ascheim, president, Freeform. "Although this is a period of rapid change, we are embracing it as a tremendous opportunity and Tricia's talents and track record should prove to be a win for us - and most importantly - our viewers."

"The way that FreeForm has evolved as a linear and digital network over the past two years has been fascinating to watch, and I'm excited that I now get to help champion and grow the next chapter of a brand that reaches the most important audience in the world," said Tricia Melton.

Melton arrives at FreeForm after most recently serving as senior vice president of Entertainment Marketing and Branding for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) where she supervised high-profile, innovative and socially driven marketing campaigns including, but not limited to, TBS's comedies "Cougar Town," "Family Guy," "American Dad," and their late-night show "Conan." Not only was Tricia a pivotal player in the TBS comedy-centric rebrand, she also led award-winning marketing initiatives for some of the biggest hits on cable, including "The Last Ship," "Legends," "The Closer," "Rizzoli & Isles," "Falling Skies," "Major Crimes" and "Dallas" for TNT. She also led the brand strategy refresh for TNT as they refocused on drama. Prior to Turner, Melton served as vice president of Marketing for Lifetime Television where she was responsible for all aspects of consumer, affiliate, ad sales and synergy marketing for Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network and Lifetime Real Women. Before Lifetime, Melton served as vice president of Marketing for Oxygen Media and developed the network's brand strategy as well as the first ever SUPER BOWL ad completely targeted towards women, which won a Whitehouse Project Award for positive portrayals of women in the media.

Melton's other positions included vice president of Marketing for Food Network where she oversaw all marketing initiatives, including branding and advertising, national consumer promotions and programming stunts; vice president of Marketing and Promotions for Channel One Network in New York; and the Whittle Educational Network, a division of Whittle Communications. Melton holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Montevallo in Alabama and has advisory board positions with PromaxBDA, the Advertising Board, University of Georgia, Peabody School of Journalism, and Melinc.

About FreeForm Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, FreeForm connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold original programming and immersive social engagement. The network delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan favorite movies and the holiday events "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." The FreeForm app is a service that allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access via a wide array of devices.

Photo credit: Mark Hill/TBS, Inc

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