FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sony Pictures Television Ad Sales Veteran Stuart Zimmerman Named Executive Vice President, Ad Sales for SPT & GSN
(Santa Monica, CA) – February 3, 2022 – Veteran ad sales executive Stuart Zimmerman has been named Executive Vice President, Ad Sales for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and GSN, effective immediately. In this newly created position, Zimmerman will lead the team that combines the superior brands and content offerings of both organizations in the marketplace, which will include advertising sales efforts for SPT’s portfolio including Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune; Game Show Network, a top 20* cable network of nearly 70-million subscribers; getTV; Sony Movies and Sony Cine. Zimmerman will report to John Zaccario, President of GSN and be based in New York. In this capacity, Zimmerman will continue to work closely with SPT Distribution as well.
“I have had the great pleasure to know Stu for over 20 years. He is a successful advertising sales executive who, throughout his career, has earned a high level of respect from our clients and agency partners,” said Zaccario. “He is the right person to lead our newly formed team and I'm looking forward to working with Stu as we articulate the enormous value of the combined assets of Sony Pictures Television and GSN.”
“I’ve had the privilege to work with Stu and his team for the past four years and am proud of what they’ve accomplished in making the SPT Ad Sales team strong and successful. Under Stu’s leadership, the team delivered results well beyond expectations. With his new role combining the excellence of both the GSN and SPT ad sales groups, he will take the collective business to new heights, bringing scale and offering advertisers a larger, more varied portfolio of opportunities,” said Flory Bramnick, EVP, Distribution, North America, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Zimmerman added, “I’m excited for what this means for our businesses, and how a combined sales team can better serve our clients and address their needs in a seamless fashion. We can now provide even deeper solutions for our clients at scale, while being flexible as we remain an independent studio. This is an incredible opportunity to align our business units and collaborate as we position ourselves for success as well as expand and grow our TV ad sales business. I look forward to getting to know the GSN team while remaining an active part of SPT’s distribution team.”
Zimmerman joined SPT in 1998 and, since 2008, served as Executive Vice President, U.S. Advertiser Sales where he oversaw ad sales in first-run, off network properties and branded entertainment. Zimmerman has a long history with game shows, having sold Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy! at King World earlier in his career and, for the past several years, overseeing the team that sells SPT's short-form business and integrations in both Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy!. In 2019, Zimmerman was involved in the launch of the original game show series America Says, the first syndicated joint project between GSN and SPT. He was also involved in the syndication launch of The Goldbergs and The Dr. Oz Show.
Prior to SPT, Zimmerman worked in advertiser sales for King World, Eyemark and Raycom. He began his career at BBDO, later moving to Saatchi & Saatchi. Zimmerman serves on the Board of Directors of the IRTS and is both a YMCA Arts & Letters Committee Member and a YMCA of Greater New York Development Committee Member.
About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business, operating a robust portfolio of wholly-owned and joint-venture production companies across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, as well as linear and digital channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
About GSN
GSN includes Game Show Network LLC (“Game Show Network”), the leader in game show entertainment across multimedia, which presents original and classic game programming and competitive entertainment via its cable network, GameShowNetwork.com and Game Show Enterprises, the production arm of the network, develops and produces hundreds of hours of original episodes, making Game Show Network the premiere destination for fun, family-friendly programming. Game Show Network is distributed throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Canada by all major cable operators, satellite providers and telcos. Additionally, GSN encompasses getTV, Sony Movies, Sony Cine and the distribution of FAST channels such as Game Show Central, CINEVAULT Westerns, CINEVAULT 80s, CINEVAULT 70s and CINEVAULT Classics. GSN TV is owned Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
*Source: Nielsen Media Research, N-Power Ratings Analysis Time Period Report, Game Show Network claim: 2021-to-date (12/28/20-11/28/21) P2+ 000, L+SD, Total Day M-Su 6A-6A, Prime M-Su 7P-12A, Rank among all ad-supported cable networks, no exclusions.