Fuse Media expands leadership team
May 10, 2024
Fuse Media has announced the addition of two newly formed roles to its executive leadership team. Effective immediately, Patrick Courtney has been named Chief Business Officer and Marc Leonard has been named Chief Content Officer. They will continue to report to Fuse Media’s Chairman and CEO Miguel Roggero.
As Chief Business Officer, Courtney will shape and execute long-term strategic initiatives and help Fuse Media capitalise on emerging opportunities. In his previous position as head of streaming & business development, Courtney oversaw Fuse Media’s entry into the FAST space and has since solidified the company’s position as a leader in the category with channels distributed across all the major platforms. He also brokered partnerships with Lionsgate, Tastemade and TMB (Trusted Media Brands) to form the Fuse Media Culture Collective, a suite of partner-owned FAST channels that help Fuse Media reach over 85 per cent of multicultural households, and launched the company’s subscription streaming service, Fuse+.
As Chief Content Officer, Leonard will spearhead initiatives to develop content, products and services that will propel Fuse Media’s continued growth. In his 10 years with the company, Leonard helped establish Fuse Media as the first media brand dedicated to fully inclusive content. Leonard also oversaw the creation of Ignition Studios which assists outside brands and platforms with their goals by pairing them with a team of award-winning diverse content specialists that have a proven record of developing shows that connect and engage with young audiences globally.
“Fuse Media has experienced incredible growth over the years to the point where it was critical to create a new level of leadership to continue this momentum. Appointing Marc Leonard as the company’s first Chief Content Officer and Patrick Courtney as the first Chief Business Officer is a natural evolution of our growth and very well-deserved,” said Roggero. “Over the last ten years, Marc’s leadership has been nothing short of exemplary and he has been a driving force in establishing Fuse Media as the leading creator and distributor of award-winning multicultural content. Patrick has been a critical figure in bringing Fuse Media’s brands to the masses; from establishing us as one of the first cable brands to enter the FAST space, to launching the company’s SVoD, Fuse+. These strategic appointments will be instrumental in ensuring the company’s continued growth in the media landscape as the champion and go-to destination for an ever-growing and ever-evolving multicultural audience.”
Prior to joining Fuse Media, Courtney served as SVP programming and marketing strategy for the digital comedy network Above Average (founded by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video) where he had oversight of programming, audience development, distribution, and marketing programmes. Previously he served as VP of client services at Affinitive leading digital marketing campaigns for General Motors, Kia, Ubisoft, JetBlue, and Random House. He also led Forbes’ audience development team and was responsible for the growth of its video network.
Prior to joining Fuse Media, Leonard spent 22 years at Viacom Media Networks, most recently as SVP, Programming for Logo, where he was responsible for programming strategy, content management and acquisitions, and was part of the team that greenlit RuPaul’s Drag Race.