L.A. Times Media Group promotes three entertainment advertising executives

Responding to the changing media landscape, the Los Angeles Times Media Group is creating a new position for digital and custom-published products and is restructuring the entertainment division of its advertising department with the promotion of sales executives to head up its film and media and live-entertainment groups.

Senior managing sales director Andy Vogel was named to the new position of vice president of emerging media, focusing on digital, mobile, special advertising and new ventures.

Francie Berns, director of movie advertising, was promoted to vice president of film advertising. She will continue to work with the major studios and advertising and marketing agencies.

Stacey Farish, senior director of entertainment advertising, was named vice president of media and live entertainment, where she will oversee an expanded sales team focused on television, cable, live entertainment and book publishing.

All three will report to John T. O’Loughlin, executive vice president of advertising and chief revenue officer of the Times Media Group.

“It is crucial that our team, our products and services continue to evolve to create and provide new value to our clients,” O’Loughlin said. “Francie and Stacey are both innovators and experts in their fields who will bring the tenacity and vision necessary to aggressively drive bold solutions. Likewise, Andy’s rich background in new ventures and digital initiatives makes him uniquely qualified to lead new and nontraditional product sales efforts for our entire media group.”

Vogel also will work with digitally focused advertising agencies and on expanding the Times Media Group’s portfolio of tech-driven products. He joined The Times in 2009. Before that, he had been sales director at InfoSoft Group and vice president of advertising and online products at Shepherd Express and ExpressMilwaukee.com.

Berns will oversee the expansion of film-related sales efforts, including a series of editorial and event-related entertainment products such as new blogs on latimes.com and the upcoming Hero Complex Film Festival. She has been director of movie advertising at The Times since 2006, during which time she was the architect of creative advertising campaigns in The Times for Walt Disney Co.’s films “Alice in Wonderland” and “Prince of Persia.” Berns came to The Times from an advertising agency in Chicago.

Farish will lead a broader program to increase sales, particularly in the cable and satellite TV categories, and will oversee sales teams on both coasts. Before her current assignment, Farish was The Times’ senior director of entertainment advertising sales, where she created HBO’s front-page “True Blood” Season 2-opener ad; she spearheaded an innovative campaign for the TV listings that appear in the Calendar section and the Envelope Primetime Emmy Screening Series. She previously was senior director, Western region, at ABC Radio Networks.

Additionally, the company is adding resources to entertainment events, promotion and alternative marketing with several hires intended to drive new revenue streams.

As part of the realignment, Lynne Segall, vice president, entertainment and luxury, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.