Lauren Townsend has been named executive vice president of communications at Starz, president and CEO Chris Albrecht said Monday.
“We have had the privilege of working with Lauren on the Starz Original series ‘Outlander’ while she was at Sony and I’m thrilled to officially welcome her to our team as we continue to grow our original programming with both scripted and unscripted stories,” Albrecht said.
“Lauren’s extensive publicity experience in consumer, trade and business press will play a critical role in shaping the corporate messaging for the network and company. She’s an excellent addition to the senior team,” he added.
Townsend will oversee all media relations initiatives for the network, and will serve as chief press officer and spokesperson.
Townsend comes to Starz, a Lionsgate company, from Sony Pictures Television, where she was vice president of media and talent relations. She was responsible for promoting shows like “The Good Doctor,” “Better Call Saul,” “The Crown,” “Sneaky Pete,” “The Goldbergs,” “One Day at a Time” and “Shark Tank.” She also oversaw awards campaigns, pro-social outreach, merchandising and licensing publicity.
She has previously worked as CEO of Townsend Olmstead Media Co., which she co-founded, interim director of drama publicity at Warner Bros. Television and senior press manager at NBC Universal.