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Dawn Ostroff

Dawn Ostroff is an American businesswoman. She was the chief content officer and advertising business officer of Spotify[2] and was the former president of entertainment of The CW and also the former president of Condé Nast Entertainment.[3][4][5]

Dawn Ostroff
Ostroff in 2021
Born1960
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
EducationFlorida International University
Occupation(s)Chief content officer and Advertising business officer, Spotify[1]
SpouseMark Ostroff
Children4

Early life and education

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Ostroff was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960.[6] She had an early introduction to music, her father being a concert promoter who worked with Frank Sinatra.[7] Ostroff holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida International University.[8]

Career

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Ostroff began her career in news as a reporter for WINZ, a CBS affiliate in Miami. She also worked in local news at WPLG and WTVJ in Miami. She later held senior positions at 20th Century Fox, Michael Jacobs Productions (Disney) and the Kushner-Locke Company.[9]

Lifetime

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From 1996 to 2002, she served as executive vice president of entertainment at Lifetime Television and led the network to become the #1-rated cable network in prime time.[8]

UPN Network

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From 2002 to 2006, Ostroff served as president of the UPN Network, a subsidiary of CBS, where she developed the popular reality series America's Next Top Model, along with other programs including Veronica Mars and Everybody Hates Chris.[10]

The CW

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Beginning in 2006, Ostroff launched The CW broadcast network - a joint venture of CBS and Warner Bros. - and served as president of entertainment. Ostroff was in charge of programming, digital initiatives, branding, marketing, research and sales. As president, she developed several TV series, including Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries.[11]

Condé Nast Entertainment

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Ostroff and Condé Nast CEO Bob Sauerberg co-founded and launched Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE) in 2011, a studio and distribution network for film, television, premium digital video, social, and virtual reality.[5] At CNE, Ostroff produced film projects including Only the Brave, adapted from a GQ feature; The First Monday in May; The Old Man & the Gun with Robert Redford as well as TV series including Last Chance U on Netflix and Vanity Fair Confidential on Investigation Discovery.[12][13][14] Additionally, through its digital franchises, such as Vogue's "73 Questions" and WIRED's "Autocomplete Interview," CNE made 5,000 videos, garnering more than 11 billion views in 2017.[12]

Spotify

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Ostroff joined Spotify in August 2018 as Chief Content Officer.[15] She led all aspects of content and distribution operations, including global advertising, global original content, content marketing, industry and creator relationships, and licensing.

During Ostroff's time as Chief Content Officer, she focused on expanding the music streaming service into other forms of audio, primarily podcasts.[16] She signed Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground Productions, to produce a slate of exclusive podcasts for Spotify.[17] She also negotiated exclusive podcast deals with Kim Kardashian West, Joe Rogan, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.[17][18][19] She is also responsible for overseeing the acquisitions of digital media company and podcast network Gimlet Media, the podcast creation tool Anchor, digital media firm Parcast, and Bill Simmons's The Ringer.[20][17]

Ostroff helped Spotify increase the number of podcasts from 185,000 to 3 million, as of January 2022, and in 2020, the company's stock more than doubled.[21][19][22][23]

In January 2023, it was announced that Ostroff would be departing Spotify.[24]

Board memberships

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Ostroff serves on the board of New York University College of Arts & Science. In June 2020, Activision Blizzard appointed her to its board as an independent director.[25][26] She has also served on the board of directors for Westfield Corporation and on the City Year LA board.[27] Ostroff is also one of the listed directors for the Tom Brady-backed digital NFT company Autograph[28] and is on the board of trustees for the Paley Center for Media.[29] She also served on the board of American entertainment company Anonymous Content.[30]

Ostroff joined Paramount Global’s board of directors in May 2023 as an independent, non-executive director.[31][32] She stepped down from the position in 2024.[33][34]

In February 2024, it was announced that Ostroff joined Mattel Corporate’s Board of Directors.[35]

Awards and recognition

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  • Hollywood Reporter 2021 Women in Entertainment Power 100 (2021)[36]
  • New York Women in Communications Matrix Award (2021)[37]
  • Billboard Power List (2020)[38]
  • Rolling Stone The Future 25 (2019)[39]
  • New York Women in Film & Television MUSE Award (2014)[40]
  • AdAge Women to Watch (2012)[41]

Personal life

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Ostroff resides in New York City with her husband Mark Ostroff and their four children.[9]

Ostroff has devoted herself over the years to work with several organizations such as A Place Called Home,[42] which helps children in South Central Los Angeles, the Independent School Alliance, and the American Jewish Committee.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Dawn Ostroff - Chief Content Officer & Advertising Business Officer at Spotify". THE ORG. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "An Update on January 2023 Organizational Changes".
  3. ^ Steigrad, Alexandra (December 11, 2013). "Dawn Ostroff Talks Condé Nast's Digital Strategy". WWD. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  4. ^ Guider, Elizabeth (October 11, 2012). "Conde Nast Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff Predicts 'Digital' Competition for Broadcasters". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Variety Staff (June 26, 2018). "Spotify Names Dawn Ostroff Chief Content Officer". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  6. ^ "Dawn Ostroff". TCN. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Gaffney, Adrienne (September 5, 2019). "Dawn Ostroff Has Always Been Ahead of Her Time". ELLE. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Alumna shares her journey from reporter to Spotify chief content and advertising business officer". FIU News. October 2, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Daniels, Soriya (June 24, 2004). "Balance Paramount to UPN Head Ostroff". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dawn Ostroff Exits Conde Nast to Become Spotify's Chief Content Officer". The Wrap. June 26, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dawn Ostroff leave Condé Nast Entertainment for Spotify". Screen Daily. June 26, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Poggi, Jeanine. "Q&A: Dawn Ostroff has some thoughts for video pivoters". Ad Age. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Ryssdal, Kai; Bodnar, Bridget. "How Condé Nast went from magazine publisher to entertainment company". Marketplace. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Siegel, Tatiana. "Conde Nast's Dawn Ostroff on Turning Magazine Articles into Movies and New TV Plans". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  15. ^ Sisario, Ben (June 26, 2018). "Spotify, Nodding to Broader Ambitions, Hires Chief Content Officer". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  16. ^ Lee, Wendy (September 9, 2019). "Dawn Ostroff's plan to turn Spotify into the ultimate podcast hub". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Ioannou, Lori (December 3, 2020). "Meet the Woman Who Got Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama to Spotify". CNBC. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Shaw, Lucas (December 15, 2020). "Prince Harry and Meghan Will Produce and Host Podcasts for Spotify". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Ioannou, Lori (January 21, 2021). "Ava DuVernay Inks Spotify Deal to Produce Exclusive Podcasts". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  20. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (February 6, 2019). "Spotify Buys Podcast Players Gimlet Media & Anchor; Eyes $500M in 2019 Deals". Deadline. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Shaw, Lucas (January 9, 2022). "Podcasting Hasn't Produced A New Hit in Years". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Tseng, Andrew (December 29, 2020). "2020 Wrapped: Is Spotify Stock a Buy?". The Motley Fool. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Steele, Anne (August 11, 2020). "Meet the Woman Who Got Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama to Spotify". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  24. ^ Hayes, Dade (January 23, 2023). "Spotify Content And Ad Business Chief Dawn Ostroff Departing As Company Cuts 6% Of Workforce". Deadline. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (June 11, 2020). "Spotify's Dawn Ostroff Joins The Board Of Activision Blizzard". Deadline. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  26. ^ Amore, Samson (June 11, 2020). "Spotify Content Lead Dawn Ostroff Joins Activision Blizzard Board". TheWrap. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  27. ^ "NYU Board of Overseers". as.nyu.edu. NYU Arts and Science. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  28. ^ "Dawn Ostroff and Michael Rapino are advising NFT startup Autograph". Musically. April 9, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  29. ^ "Paley Center Adds To Its Board Of Trustees And L.A. Board Of Governors". Deadline. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  30. ^ "Dawn Ostroff". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  31. ^ Earl, William (March 17, 2023). "Dawn Ostroff Joins Paramount Global Board of Directors; CEO Bob Bakish's 2022 Compensation Rises to $32 Million". Variety. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  32. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (March 17, 2023). "Paramount Global Adds Dawn Ostroff To Board". Deadline. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  33. ^ Toonkel, Jessica (April 10, 2024). "Four Paramount Directors to Step Down as Company Discusses Skydance Merger". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  34. ^ Weprin, Alex; Szalai, Georg (April 11, 2024). "Paramount Confirms That Board Members Will Step Down at Annual Meeting Amid Skydance Deal Talks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  35. ^ "Julius Genachowski and Dawn Ostroff Join Mattel Board of Directors". corporate.mattel.com. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  36. ^ "Dawn Ostroff - Chief Content & Advertising Business Officer, Spotify". The Hollywood Reporter. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  37. ^ Barnes, Steve (August 4, 2021). "News of Firms: Weber Shandwick's Judith Harrison Earns Matrix Award". O'Dwyers. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  38. ^ "The 2022 Billboard Power List Revealed". Billboard. January 26, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  39. ^ Wang, Amy (September 20, 2019). "Future 25: Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content Officer at Spotify". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  40. ^ Cox, Gordon (October 12, 2014). "Maggie Gyllenhaal, Wanda Sykes Among Women in Film and Television's 2014 Honorees". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  41. ^ Ives, Nat (June 4, 2012). "Women to Watch: Dawn Ostroff, Conde Nast". AdAge. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  42. ^ "Philanthropy Resource Guide". Hollywood Reporter. July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
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