Variety: HBO and Max’s Multicultural Marketing Chief Jackie Gagne Exits After 4 Years

Story from Variety:

HBO and Max senior vice president of multicultural marketing Jackie Gagne is exiting her post after four years.

The elimination of her role is part of the nearly 1,000 job cuts announced across HBO and Max parent company Warner Bros. Discovery in July. The multicultural marketing team itself will remain intact and move under HBO and Max executive vice president of HBO and Max originals Pia Barlow. The company anticipates no disruption to work, as the two teams were previously working closely together on projects.

Gagne has served as senior vice president of multicultural marketing at HBO and Max since June 2020, and has been with Warner Bros. Discovery since 2011. She led strategy and planning for marketing initiatives to increase engagement among Black, Latinx, AAPI and LGBTQIA+ consumers with Max.

She played a key part in establishing the multicultural marketing strategy for HBO and Max and she oversaw targeted promotional efforts in support of dozens of original series, films and specials including “Insecure,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “The Last of Us.” Gagne also spearheaded the launch of three social-first audience initiatives to help amplify and celebrate diverse talent and stories: Scene In Black, Human By Orientation and Pa’lante!.

“I’m immensely grateful to Jackie for the leadership and thoughtful expertise she has brought to HBO and Max over the last 13+ years,” HBO and Max executive vice president of brand content and creative Zach Enterlin said. “Her talent for crafting campaigns that authentically resonate with diverse audiences has been impactful throughout her career here, and her legacy will endure through the many she has so exceptionally coached and mentored.”

Gagne added: “It has been a privilege to lead and work alongside a collective of wildly smart, thoughtful, and innovative colleagues. HBO has long stood for prestige and can’t-miss cultural moments, so being able to oversee campaigns that reach, embrace, and uplift so many audiences, while celebrating those stories, has been a true career highlight. I am so grateful for the impactful work our team has accomplished and the lifelong friendships that have been forged.”

Gagne serves on the board of ColorComm, a leading national platform that addresses diversity and inclusion across the communications, marketing, media, and advertising arenas, and is the co-chair of the ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Committee and is a member of the Ad Age Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Gagne holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Binghamton University. She lives in Maplewood, NJ.