Crown Media Hires Charter's Erin McIlvain as EVP

Crown Media Family Networks said it's named Erin McIlvain as executive vice president, content distribution and strategy, reporting to CEO Bill Abbott and based in Denver. She comes from Charter Communications, where she was VP of broadcast relations and programming, to a newly created position where she is responsible is for aligning business development efforts with the distribution of Crown Media’s original content across multiple platforms and where her oversight includes forging and cultivating strategic partnerships that will generate untapped distribution opportunities. The hire comes in the context of longtime EVP of business affairs and general counsel Charlie Stanford's retirement, Crown said. 

“As viewing habits continue to evolve, it became overwhelmingly evident that we needed someone in a position dedicated to optimizing delivery of our high rated, high profile original content across all platforms,” Abbott said in a release. “Erin’s familiarity with today’s complex ecosystem and its many moving pieces, as well as her strong strategic instincts, make her the ideal candidate to lead the charge in this increasingly important area for our business.”

Crown Media CFO Andy Rooke also is adding operations to his title, and Casey Gould has been promoted to vice president of advertising and digital sales from director, advertising sales.