Scot Safon

Scot M. Safon is Executive Vice President, CNN Worldwide/General Manager, HLN, where he is responsible for the management of the HLN television network.   HLN is the former CNN Headline News network and is home to some of the fastest-growing news and information programming on television, including MORNING EXPRESS with ROBIN MEADE, NANCY GRACE, DR. DREW and THE JOY BEHAR SHOW.   Most recently, HLN and each of its programs set new audience records with the network’s coverage of the Casey Anthony trial, which resulted in the highest-rated month in HLN history.   In September 2011, HLN will launch HLNtv.com, the network’s first web platform.   

Prior to running HLN, Safon served as CNN Worldwide’s Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing marketing, promotion and branding campaigns on behalf of all CNN US, CNN International, CNN.com and HLN content and news coverage.   His teams marketed and promoted the brand during CNN’s award-winning coverage of the 2008 and 2004 Presidential Elections, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the war in Iraq and the Southeast Asia Tsunami disaster.  The group’s promotional campaign for the top-rated God’s Warriors was awarded the first-ever national Emmy Award for news tune-in promotion in 2007.  Promax/BDA has honored Safon and his team for campaigns including Black in America, America Votes 2008 and Planet in Peril.   Safon and his staff led the charge on CNN’s groundbreaking Inauguration Day partnership with Facebook, which resulted in CNN.com hosting the largest online video event in internet history.

Prior to joining CNN in late 2002, Safon was senior vice president of marketing for Turner Network Television (TNT).    He was a key member of the team that launched the network’s long-standing “We Know Drama” branding in June 2001.

Before joining TNT, Safon was in the ad agency world, handling campaigns for the CBS Television Network, working on campaigns for CBS Sports, CBS News and CBS International.  He began his career as an account executive with D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc., developing advertising campaigns for national consumer brands, including Pampers, Pepto-Bismol and Kal Kan Foods.
               
Safon earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics and history from the University of Virginia and a master’s of business administration from Cornell University.