CNN Press Release - Scot Safon assumes the role of executive vice president overseeing the HLN network, effective immediately, it was announced today by Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. Safon replaces Ken Jautz, who has moved into the position of executive vice president of CNN/U.S. Safon, who most recently served as CNN Worldwide’s Chief Marketing Officer, continues to report to Walton and is based in Atlanta.

Safon, a long-time Turner executive, has served as CNN Worldwide’s Chief Marketing Officer, where he supervised the development of all consumer and trade communication on behalf of CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International, CNN.com, CNN Mobile and all CNN branded services. Safon has elevated the CNN brand worldwide and spearheaded some of the most high-profile, award-winning campaigns in CNN history.

“Scot is one of the most creative and passionate executives at Turner Broadcasting,” said Walton. “As HLN continues to distinguish its brand in the marketplace, we are thrilled to have someone with his leadership skills, consumer insights and commitment to innovation running HLN.”

Safon joined CNN Worldwide in August 2002 as its Senior Vice President of Marketing and Promotion and was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer in 2007. Safon has overseen the marketing and promotion of programs including Anderson Cooper 360, Nancy Grace, Joy Behar, Larry King Live, The Situation Room and Fareed Zakaria GPS. His team has been responsible for handling marketing and sales communications during CNN’s award-winning coverage of the 2008 and 2004 Presidential Elections, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the war in Iraq and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He has also overseen the Emmy-winning campaign for the top-rated God’s Warriors and campaigns for award-winning primetime documentary series such as Black in America and Planet in Peril.

His campaigns for CNN.com, the world’s #1 news website, have included the multi-award winning “Power of CNN Under Your Command” campaign, and the “Where Information Meets Opportunity” campaign for CNN’s mobile and podcast services. His work with CNN International includes overseeing promotion development supporting the current “Go Beyond Borders” branding campaign.

Safon was named a 2006 “Brand Builder” by Television Week magazine, and his campaigns for Anderson Cooper 360 and CNN=Politics have been named “Campaigns of Distinction” by the magazine. Safon’s team led the charge on CNN’s groundbreaking Inauguration Day partnership with Facebook, which resulted in CNN.com/Live hosting the largest online video event in internet history.

Prior to joining CNN, Safon was senior vice president of marketing for Turner Network Television (TNT). In this capacity, he was responsible for all marketing efforts on behalf of TNT, including network branding, consumer and trade advertising, as well as the marketing and promotion of individual programming events, series and franchises. He supervised the marketing campaign that launched the network’s successful “We Know Drama” branding initiative in June 2001. He has also overseen campaigns for TNT’s specials, sports programming and original series, including the network’s coverage of PGA, NASCAR and the NBA.

Before joining TNT, Safon was in the ad agency world, handling campaigns for the CBS
Television Network, working on campaigns for CBS Sports, CBS News and CBS International. He began his career in account management with D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc.

Safon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and history from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Business Administration from Cornell University.
CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.