Byron Allen entertainment studios hire Todd Johnson as content director for The Grio

Award-winning journalist, Johnson first joined The Grio shortly after its launch in August 2009, as a video journalist and reporter. Johnson has covered a variety of important current events, including trips to Haiti report on the devastating earthquake, as well as several reports on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and Ferguson’s protests.

Johnson’s original video news included highlighting outstanding talents such as the ballet dancer Misty copeland and fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad before becoming superstars. He was then sports editor for The Grio, interviewing star athletes such as James lebron and Gabby Douglas. Johnson has provided on-air reporting and commentary for MSNBC, CNN and NBC’s TODAY.

While The Grio, Johnson was promoted to editor, helping guide the news site through multiple transitions before it was acquired by by Byron Allen Entertainment studios in 2016. Before returning to The Grio as director of content, Johnson was editorial director of NBC BLK, a division of NBC News Digital.

Johnson graduated from Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, where he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He currently resides in South Orange, New Jersey with wife Monica and three-year-old son Todd, Jr.

“As our broadcast, cable, cinema and digital divisions continue to grow at a rapid pace, the appointment of Todd johnson at Grio reflects our commitment to providing the best news and video content for our platforms, ”said Byron Allen, Founder / President / CEO of Entertainment Studios. “Todd is an amazing executive and under his leadership the Grio will continue to grow tremendously. “

“I am grateful for the huge opportunity to lead the Grio”, Todd johnson noted. “I look forward to raising the voice and branding of The Grio further – to deliver quality content and expand its audience globally.”

About entertainment studios
President and CEO Byron Allen based Entertainment studios in 1993. Based in Los Angeles, she has offices in new York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Raleigh. Entertainment Studios owns 15 television channels broadcast in the United States and nine 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 160 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, ANIMALS.TV, COMEDIE.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, and JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV. Entertainment Studios also owns the LOCAL NOW streaming service, powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, who provide real-time, hyper-local information on weather, traffic, sports and lifestyle. Entertainment Studios also produces, distributes and sells advertising for 64 television shows, making it one of the largest independent producers / distributors of first-run syndicated television shows for television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of content across multiple genres, Entertainment Studios delivers video content to television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms and the World Wide Web. Our mission is to deliver great programming to our viewers, online users and Fortune 500 advertising partners.

Entertainment Studios Movies is a full-service motion picture distribution company specializing in mass market commercial content. ESMP released the highest-grossing independent film of 2017, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which brought in more than $ 44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Western. HOSTILES, the historical mystery thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the rest of 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: NO CAGE. Current releases include the animated feature film ARCTIC DOGS featuring Jeremy Renner, Heidi klum, Alec baldwin, and Angelica Huston. Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures’ digital distribution unit, Freestyle digital media, is a leading multiplatform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, a proven track record and a seasoned sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true hotbed for independent films.

In 2016, Entertainment Studios purchased The Grio, a video-centric digital news community platform dedicated to providing African Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently under-represented in existing national media. The Grio offers aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics such as breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was later purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has over 20 million annual visitors.

For more information visit:
www.entertainmentstudios.com
www.thegrio.com

SOURCE Entertainment Studios, Inc.