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Fusion and Whisper Announce New Content Partnership

Fusion Will Integrate Whispers Across Its Digital and Television Platforms, Marks First Broadcast Partnership for Whisper

Fusion and Whisper today announced a new content partnership that extends Whisper’s ability as a popular platform that allows users to interact anonymously about a range of stories, feelings, or thoughts to Fusion’s desire to tell stories in new, compelling ways across its television and digital platforms.

Whisper is a place to share stories and connect with others around similar ideas and experiences. The anonymous nature of Whisper empowers the Whisper community to discuss what is taking place around them in a more authentic and real way, along with the ability to receive honest and immediate feedback from millions of Whisper users.

Starting today, Fusion will take key stories and trend lines from Whisper and provide additional context to give its audience an authentic look at the issues, thoughts, and questions being discussed and debated amongst their peers in a highly authentic way.  Fusion’s editorial team will integrate Whispers into both its online and television content across its entire network.  

“Whisper creates community and compelling conversation around the news and issues that are important to our young, diverse audience,” said Isaac Lee CEO of Fusion. “By incorporating Whisper content into our reporting, we’ll be able to expand and enhance our ability to tell stories from a unique perspective.” 

“Whisper and Fusion share a similar mission to create content that is inclusive and emotionally driven,” said Neetzan Zimmerman, editor-in-chief of Whisper. “Whisper is truly on the pulse of what young people are feeling and sharing whether it be a social movement, pop culture trend, news event, personal struggle or daily musing. We’re excited to see what content results from this innovative partnership.”

Whisper recently introduced new personalized features that allow users to discover Whispers by category, location or relevance. The average user spends more than 30 minutes per day on Whisper and Whisper has more than 6 billion page views a month. 

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Jorge Urrutia Joins Fusion From The Huffington Post to Oversee Digital Monetization

Fusion CEO Isaac Lee today announced that Jorge Urrutia is joining Fusion from the Huffington Post to oversee digital monetization for the network. Urrutia was the Vice President of Operations at HuffPost.

“Jorge will work closely with our editorial and technology teams to explore unique ways to drive digital revenue across our platforms,” Lee said in an email to staff. “Fusion has a unique opportunity to leverage our ability to reach a millennial audience to help key advertisers and partners ​connect with the most influential, diverse, and socially connected generation in American history.”

This is the latest hire that CEO Isaac Lee and Chief Digital Officer Daniel Eilemberg have made for the network’s digital team in recent weeks – YouTube and Upworthy veteran Hong Qu joined Fusion as Chief Technology Officer; Jezebel founder Anna Holmes as Editor of Digital Voices and Storytelling; renowned blogger Felix Salmon named Senior Editor; Mariana Santos to oversee interactive storytelling unit; Danilo Lauria to lead micro-video efforts; Margarita Noriega to oversee social media efforts.

Read his full email to staff below.

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Fusion Taps Mariana Santos and Danilo Lauria to Lead New Interactive Storytelling and Micro-Video Units

Fusion today announced that it has hired Mariana Santos from The Guardian to lead a newly formed interactive storytelling unit and Danilo Lauria to lead a production team that will be focused on creating micro-videos for platforms like Instagram and Vine.

“Fusion isn’t just about what we’re putting on television – it’s also about the digital content we’re creating to complement and amplify that great work," Fusion CEO Isaac Lee told staff in an email this this morning. "In a world where we have access to a deluge of information at our fingertips, the ability to tell a story in an easily digestible, visual form has never been more important. Mariana and Danilo will be essential in making sure Fusion is always taking advantage of new opportunities and evolving when it comes to storytelling in the digital and social space.”

Full email below.

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Popular Finance Writer Felix Salmon Joins Fusion as Senior Editor

Fusion CEO Isaac Lee sent the following email to staff announcing that Felix Salmon would be joining Fusion’s digital team as Senior Editor – 

Hola Fusion,

As some of you are already aware, we are very pleased to announce that Felix Salmon will be joining Fusion’s digital team as Senior Editor.

Our goal every day is to experiment and innovate with new ways of telling stories and the ways we deliver them to our community. As we delve into issues that are both complex and vitally important to our young, diverse audience there is no one better than Felix to help us cut through the clutter and distill those issues making them understandable, insightful and compelling.

Throughout his career, Felix has established himself as a distinctive voice on financial issues, the economy, and the media industry. We will tap into Felix’s expertise in those areas, while also asking him help us tackle a range of topics that uniquely interest our audience – from climate change and technology to art and culture.

He will work closely with our digital producers and designers to tell stories by weaving text, sound, video, photos and data into one. They’ll be focused developing smart, irreverent, informative content for all of our platforms – from television and the web to Instagram and other emerging platforms.

Felix comes to us from Reuters where for the past 5 years he has provided analysis and commentary for their digital properties. Prior to his work at Reuters, Felix has also written stories for a number of other publications including Portfolio, Politico, and Wired.

I believe Felix’s decision to join Fusion reflects his deep understanding of the way the millennial generation likes to communicate and consume information. His vision and forward-thinking approach to news coupled with Fusion’s interest in pushing beyond the capabilities and restraints of what traditional media companies are able or willing to offer makes him the perfect addition to our team.

Felix penned a piece explaining why he is joining Fusion, you can read that here.

Please join me in welcoming Felix (@FelixSalmon) to the Fusion team.

Abrazos,

Isaac

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Isaac Lee Recognized with Next Generation Leadership Award for Launch of Fusion

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The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) has named Fusion CEO Isaac Lee to their 2014 class of Next Generation Leaders Awards. Presented in partnership with Multichannel News, the Next Generation Leaders Awards honor emerging executives under the age of 45 for their professional acumen and achievements in fostering multi-ethnic diversity and inclusion within the communications industry.

Isaac Lee, who also serves as President of Univision News, will be recognized in the Cable Programmer category. In 2013 Isaac oversaw the development and launch of Fusion – a joint venture between the Disney/ABC Television Group and Univision. Fusion engages and champions a young, diverse, and inclusive America with a unique mix of original reporting, lifestyle, and comedic content that is both smart and irreverent.  

“NAMIC is committed to developing as well as recognizing the pipeline of diverse professionals within the communications industry through our flagship programs, initiatives and events,” Alicin Williamson, interim president of NAMIC said in a statement. “We are thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of this distinguished group of leaders that are making innovative, creative and strategic business contributions while exemplifying NAMIC’s mission to educate, advocate and empower to advance diversity and inclusion within their companies.”

Isaac Lee will be recognized at the NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast on May 1 in conjunction with the National Cable Telecommunications Association’s Cable Show. Full release from NAMIC here.

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mediabistro.com

Fusion CEO: Young Hispanics Don’t ‘Want Us to Have a Separate Dialogue With Them’ - TVNewser

“Young Hispanics do not want us to have a separate dialogue with them just because they are Hispanic. They want a broader conversation that acknowledges they are in the room and that speaks to their values,” Lee said. “Something we have talked a lot about is winking at Hispanics, focusing on the cultural nuances that a Hispanic consumer will certainly recognize, but a non-Hispanic might not see at all.”

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mediabistro.com

Fusion CEO Lauds Network’s First Month, Tells Staff to Reach ‘Beyond the Conventional’ - TVNewser

Fusion CEO Lauds Network’s First Month, Tells Staff to Reach ‘Beyond the Conventional’

Fusion launched one month ago today, and TVNewser has obtained an internal email network CEO Isaac Lee wrote to the staff praising while urging continuing innovation.

“Our content continues to drive a national conversation,” Lee wrote. “Fusion is already playing a prominent role in shaping our nation’s dialogue.“

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Hola Latino Rebels

Last week LatinoRebels.com posted an open letter to Fusion.  Their thoughtful comments caught our attention and Fusion’s CEO Isaac Lee.  He sent them the following reply –

Hola Rebeldes-

Thank you for reaching out with your open letter last week. We love feedback.  As a new network, we are learning and growing every day, and we will constantly be evolving. Thoughtful comments from viewers like you – letting us know what’s working and what isn’t – is what will guide our evolution.

We want the conversation around our shows to sound like the conversations you have with your friends, both online and when you’re watching TV on the couch. We also want you to feel comfortable engaging us in those conversations, which is why I was so glad to read your letter and wanted to personally respond to it.