Biography
CJ Kettler is the President of King Features, a division of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, and an Advisor to HearstLab. A seasoned media executive with extensive management and digital expertise, she was EVP of Consumer Brands & Strategy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt until May 2017. There, she led the transformation of Channel One News into an educational platform, launched Curious World, a mobile subscription service for millennial families, and produced the Carmen Sandiego remake that debuted on Netflix in January 2019. She became CEO and Chair of Channel One News, owned by private equity firm Zelnick Media, in November 2012 and oversaw its sale to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in May 2014.
Between 2008 and 2013, Kettler was a Partner at Propeller Partners, LLC, a strategic advisory firm serving major media companies, venture capital, and private equity investors in the digital space. In November 2007, she was appointed President of Travelzoo, a publicly traded consumer internet company with $150 million in revenue at that time.
In 2005, as Founder and CEO, she launched LIME, the first multichannel green lifestyle brand, securing investment from Steve Case's Revolution, LLC. Under her leadership, LIME debuted across multiple media platforms simultaneously and was sold to Gaiam in July 2007.
Starting in 2001, Kettler served as Managing Director and Operating Executive at Solera Capital, a private equity firm managing $250 million. She was Co-President of Latina Magazine, one of Solera’s portfolio companies, and played a key role in media investment evaluations.
As a founding member of the Oxygen Media management team, she was President of Sales and Marketing, overseeing integrated sales, marketing, and affiliate partnerships. Beginning in 1987, Kettler was a Founding Partner at Sunbow Entertainment, a leading independent program supplier, where as President and CEO, she negotiated its sale to Sony Music Entertainment in 1999.
Kettler has held senior leadership roles across consumer brands, digital media, global content development, and distribution. Her prior executive positions include roles at Vestron, MTV Networks, McCann-Erickson, and CBS. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and serves on multiple digital media boards as well as the Environmental Working Group’s board (ewg.org).
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cjkettler
