Matt Helf New Director Of Hearst HTV Design

Matt Helf, brand resource manager at Hearst Television’s HTV Design in Orlando, has been promoted to that operation’s director. Helf, a 17-year Hearst Television employee, succeeds Kevin Johnson, who, along with Helf, was instrumental in the buildout and launch of HTV Design and who announced his retirement from the position earlier this month. Johnson, a decorated 20-year military veteran, will continue with the company as Hearst Television’s director of veteran recruiting.

HTV Design is Hearst Television’s centralized graphics “hub,” located in Orlando, Fla., within the company’s WESH-WKCF studios, which serves the company’s stations throughout 26 media markets. Planning for the operation began in 2011; build-out, including systems for daily delivery of news graphics to all stations, was completed by 2013. HTV Design currently employs a team of 25 managers and graphic designers whose goal it is to service local stations with templated and custom news and creative services branding and graphics.

Hearst Television SVP President of Promotion and Marketing Suzanne Grethen, said: “Matt was an instrumental partner through the conception, creation and ongoing eight-year evolution of HTV Design. He is the ideal candidate to lead the hub team forward as we continue to grow the scope of the offerings and the support we provide our stations and brands. I’ve worked with Matt for all of his 17 years with Hearst and can honestly say that from creative to technical, I’ve never worked with anyone more highly skilled in so many areas.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to step into this new role at HTV Design,” said Helf. “Our team is made up of a remarkably diverse and talented group of designers who all have the stations’ interest at their core.  We’ll take every opportunity to partner with our colleagues in providing consistent, well-executed creative that represents the quality for which Hearst brands are known.”

During his years at HTV Design, Helf led the successful pivot from an operation focused on the daily delivery of news graphics to an in-house agency that supports local stations’ branding and marketing efforts. Prior to his current role as brand resource manager, Helf was promoted through multiple roles at HTV Design and WESH-TV, where he started at the NBC Orlando affiliate as a creative services producer in 2003.

Prior to his career with Hearst Television, Helf held roles in creative services and news at KSDK St. Louis and KSNV Las Vegas. Plans for filling Helf’s former role of brand resource manager will be announced at a later date.