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Twitter hires former Google exec to drive movie, TV expansion

Twitter hires former Google exec to drive movie, TV expansion

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Jennifer Prince to oversee ongoing entertainment ad sales campaign

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Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign

Twitter has hired Jennifer Prince, former head of Google's media and entertainment ad sales, to expand its movie and TV partnerships. As Variety reports, Prince will hire a sales team to market Twitter as a valuable "social soundtrack" for televised events, and may look to branch into video games, as well. She officially starts her tenure as head of entertainment sales, based in Santa Monica, California, on August 19th.

Twitter has made several TV-focused moves over the past few months, striking a partnership with Nielsen in December, and expanding its Amplify program in May to push more targeted content to live viewers. Last week, the company reportedly began testing dedicated TV "cards" that would appear in user timelines to promote trending shows.

"All entertainment brands are working with Twitter, but they’re just scratching the surface."

The company clearly sees Hollywood as a potential goldmine, as evidenced by Prince's hire; according to Variety, this is the first time that Twitter's ad sales have targeted a vertical industry, rather than a given region. Prior to joining Google in 2011, Prince worked as head of branded ad sales at Demand Media, following a brief tenure as a sales team manager at YouTube.

Prince's specific game plan remains unclear, though she says there's substantial opportunity for expansion. "All entertainment brands are working with Twitter, but they’re just scratching the surface," Prince said. The company, meanwhile, says it has no plans to branch out into content licensing. "This is not a content play," a spokesperson told Variety.