Tribeca Enterprises presents Warner Bros. Discovery veteran Christopher Brady to the newly created position of chief revenue officer

Tribeca Enterprises has Warner Bros. Discovery veteran Christopher Brady appointed chief revenue officer.

Along with this executive news, the organization also announced that it is expanding the role of Chief Operating Officer Pete Torres, giving him additional responsibility for managing live events.

Brady, who joined CNN in 2008, retired from WBD as SVP of Brand Partnerships, Strategy and Innovation. He begins his new role today, reporting to Tribeca Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal.

At Tribeca, the Tribeca Festival’s parent company, which is majority owned by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and co-founded by Robert De Niro and Rosenthal, Brady will drive the revenue strategy across all platforms. In addition to the flagship Tribeca Festival, which runs June 7-18 in New York, the company offers year-round live events, digital outlets, Tribeca Studios and immersive content production facilities.

As CRO, Brady is tasked with finding new ways to scale the Tribeca brand and the annual Tribeca Festival, now in its 22nd year. Sponsorships, distribution, production deals, franchise experience and year-round events are all within his purview. In announcing the move, Tribeca said that Brady will “follow a diverse audience outside of New York City and outside of the film community” and build on Tribeca’s more than two decades of history.

In the official announcement, Rosenthal cited Brady’s “history as an entrepreneur, including numerous firsts during his tenure at Warner Bros. Discovery. His diverse background in business development, sales and strategy at leading media companies makes him the perfect fit to lead Tribeca into the future.”

At WBD, Brady led cross-platform revenue strategies for brands in entertainment, kids and family, young adult, TCM, HBO Max and Warner Bros.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be joining Tribeca, a New York institution and brand with tremendous impact
Potential for growth,” Brady said. “Tribeca is in a period of acceleration as it continues to solidify its clear position as a leader in storytelling. From year-round programs to global events, the opportunities for expansion, innovation and creativity are endless.”

The longer list of tasks for Torres will task him with executing a live events strategy throughout the year to bring what the company calls “the best of the festival” to all seasons and to cities around the world.

“Under Pete’s leadership, the annual festival has grown in size and scope, expanding its presence beyond Lower Manhattan to partner with neighborhoods and iconic locations across the city,” Rosenthal said. “He will bring the same groundbreaking, audience-centric sensibility to Tribeca’s year-round global live events.”

The CEO heads into a busy 2022 for Tribeca Enterprises, which has increased its headcount by 20% in the past year in areas such as programming, artist relations and special events.

In an interview with Deadline, Rosenthal and Torres said the festival has settled well into the new mid-June schedule for the first two decades after it began in mid-April. The new slot on the eve of summer better fits the festival’s broad program and ambitions to explore new places. (After Covid forced Tribeca to scrap the 2020 edition and move some elements online, Tribeca regrouped in 2021 to host North America’s first full post-pandemic party.)

“With our expanded footprint, we can be out there,” Torres said. “June was a big change for us.” Places like Pier 57 along the Hudson River can be unattractive to visitors on a stormy April night, in contrast to the milder climate of June. In addition, the month features program events such as Juneteenth and LGBTQ Pride Month.

From an industry perspective, Rosenthal added, the shakeup is a natural extension of the “disintermediation” running through the film industry. Short of Cannes, Tribeca has historically managed to generate a steady stream of acquisition activity, but as a younger party, it has “never been in this market that has had those immediate, big sales,” she added. The festival officially dropped the word “film” from its name in 2021, a long-awaited move that reflects its broader ambitions. With video games, music, interactive television entertainment, podcasting and a host of other industries now in the mix, Rosenthal said, “June is just such a great time to be in the city.”

Brady described the Tribeca brand as a “cultural institution” in the interview. In his new role, he said his primary role will be to determine “how far can we take it organically and where do we want to take it?”