Discovery Taps MTV Vet Courtney Menzel As SVP Domestic Distribution

SILVER SPRING, MD Discovery Communications has named Courtney Menzel Senior Vice President, Domestic Distribution, effective March 1. An accomplished 20-year affiliate sales and marketing executive with MTV Networks and most recently Current Media, Menzel will lead National Accounts and Field Sales and Marketing efforts for Discoverys Domestic Distribution team, responsible for the strategic oversight and distribution of a portfolio of 13 U.S. networks, nine HD channels and all Discovery U.S. Hispanic networks. “Courtney is an effective and dynamic leader who will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Bill Goodwyn, President, Global Distribution and CEO, Discovery Education, Discovery Communications, to whom Menzel will report. “She has proven her ability, time and time again, to build strong, productive client relationships and mutually beneficial partnerships. With Courtney on board, Discovery is extremely well positioned to continue its solid tradition of using the strength of its brands and quality content to drive incredible value for distributors. In her new role, Menzel will oversee all aspects of Discoverys partnerships with distributors, as well as its industry-lauded sales and marketing team. She will develop and direct all national accounts strategy with the top distributors, and will oversee the Domestic Distribution Field Sales team and all Affiliate Marketing efforts nationwide. Menzel will manage the teams in the Silver Spring headquarters location, as well as the Los Angeles and Charlotte regional offices. Discoverys Domestic Distribution team was ranked #1 by Beta Research for seven consecutive years as the top sales organization within the cable television industry and has been previously named Affiliate Sales Team of the Year by CableFAX magazine. Menzel comes to Discovery most recently from Current Media, where since 2010 she led all affiliate sales and partner marketing initiatives. Among her many accomplishments for Current, Menzel strategically negotiated affiliate agreements to secure long-term carriage and revenue; created and drove a comprehensive, company-wide strategy for distributing Currents TV video content across platforms; and secured Currents first national VOD and TV Everywhere deals. Prior to joining Current, Menzel spent 14 years at MTV Networks, in various senior distribution and marketing roles. There, she developed strategic relationships with major distributors and increased carriage for a number of networks including TV Land, Comedy Central, MTV2, CMT, Logo and BET. Among her many achievements for MTV Networks, Menzel led partnership negotiations with affiliates and forged key marketing initiatives, most notably a multi-platform music partnership with Comcast and VH1 Storytellers. Her most recent charge for MTV Networks was leading distribution and marketing strategy for EPIX, the joint venture involving Viacoms Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM. In less than one year, Menzel and her team grew distribution of EPIX to 30 million available homes. Menzel started her career in the cable industry as a marketing manager for Cox Communications. Among her many industry achievements and affiliations, Menzel is a member of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT). She is a two-time CTAM Mark Award winner and served on a committee to develop WICTs senior executive leadership program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Delaware.