BYRON ALLEN PROMOTES THE WEATHER CHANNEL’S MELODY SMALLS TO EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES FOR ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Sep 2, 2020

Los Angeles, CA – September 2, 2020 Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group proudly announces the elevation of Melody Smalls to the new position of Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources. Smalls previously held the position of Chief Human Resources and Compliance Officer & Vice President/Head of Human Resources at The Weather Channel/Weather Group since 2016.

In her new position, Smalls will now oversee Human Resources for all Allen Media Group divisions: Entertainment Studios, Entertainment Studios Networks (including The Weather Channel/Weather Group), Allen Media Broadcasting, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, Local Now, and The Grio. Smalls will continue to be based at The Weather Channel/Weather Group headquarters in Atlanta.

Prior to her four years at The Weather Channel/Weather Group, Small held various Human Resources executive positions at several major corporations including Chase Manhattan Bank, JP Morgan, First Chicago Trust Company, Viacom/MTV Networks,and Turner Broadcasting. In 2016, Smallswas listed among the Most Powerful and Influential Women by the National Diversity Council and was named one of the Top 100 Blacks in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine in 2018.Smalls earned her undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management and Marketing from Temple University, and her Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.

“Melody Smalls is a highly-valued member of Allen Media Group,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “Melody is a brilliant executive who oversees the most important part of our company, Global Human Resources. With her magnificent leadership, we will continue to hire the best, cultivate our human resources, and position Allen Media Group for long-term success.”

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work across the corporate divisions that make up the Allen Media Group,” said Melody Smalls, Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources for Allen Media Group. “From our global television networks, local television stations, streaming services, digital platforms, content production, and motion picture distribution — the talent and expertise across these businesses are second to none. I look forward to working with the Allen Media Group executive leadership team as we continue pursuing our aggressive global strategy.”

About Entertainment Studios / Allen Media Group
Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Entertainment Studios in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Raleigh. Entertainment Studios owns 16 U.S. Big-Four network affiliate broadcast television stations and eight 24-hour HD television networks/streaming services serving nearly 180 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, and JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV. Entertainment Studios will add its ninth network, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPANOL in 2021. Entertainment Studios also owns the LOCAL NOW streaming service, powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Entertainment Studios also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 67 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. Entertainment Studios International Television continues to extend the ES corporate branding and content around the globe. It currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada and New Zealand. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Entertainment Studios provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms, and the World Wide Web. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.

Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures is a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017’s highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES, the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the sequel to 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films.

In 2016, Entertainment Studios purchased TheGrio, a digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. TheGrio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was then purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has more than 20 million annual visitors.

For more information, visit: www.entertainmentstudios.com

Contact:
Eric Peterkofsky
Entertainment Studios/Allen Media Group
310-277-3500 x124 [email protected]