Sony Pictures Television Hires Lauren Glaubach to Lead Digital Push

By Elena Vasquez

Sony Pictures Television has hired Lauren Glaubach, a former YouTube and Pinterest content executive, as executive vice president of distribution, digital and social platforms — a newly created role.

Glaubach will lead Sony Pictures Entertainment's expansion across YouTube and other digital platforms. She reports to Jason Spivak and Paul Littmann, presidents of distribution and networks at Sony Pictures Television. Her mandate: unlocking "new opportunities" for the studio's film and television library and "maximizing" the value of its IP, according to the company.

Who is Lauren Glaubach?

Glaubach arrives with a résumé built at the intersection of content and platforms. She most recently served as VP and head of global content partnerships at Pinterest, where she led the team overseeing the platform's content producer network and creator communities.

Before that, she spent more than a decade at YouTube in senior strategy, programming, partnerships and operations roles. Her final post there: director, global head of kids and family content partnerships and programming. At YouTube she managed a partner portfolio of more than 500 channels, spanning both traditional media companies and YouTube-first creators.

Earlier roles in strategy, brand management and marketing at Disney and BloomSpot, an e-commerce marketplace, round out her career. She holds a bachelor of arts in psychology from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Her new bosses set a high bar. "Lauren has spent her career working at the intersection of content, platforms, and audiences, and has a proven track record of building and growing digital businesses," Spivak and Littmann said in a joint statement. "We're very pleased to have her join SPT and are excited about what we can accomplish together."

What is Sony already doing on digital platforms?

The hire comes as Sony Pictures Television accelerates its digital revenue push. Recent moves include:

• "Jeopardy! YouTube Edition Volume 2"
• The launch of "Reading Rainbow" on YouTube
• A newly announced partnership with Prof. Brian Cox, professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester, to develop premium original content for digital audiences

Glaubach framed her move in terms of shifting audience habits. "The ways audiences engage with entertainment continue to evolve, creating meaningful opportunities to extend the reach and impact of the stories and franchises they love," she said in a statement provided by SPT. "I'm excited to join Sony Pictures and work with this talented team to develop digital experiences that meet audiences where they are, deepen their connection to our content, and open up new possibilities for our iconic brands."

What does the appointment signal?

Sony has now placed a dedicated executive — with 500-plus channels of YouTube partnership experience — at the top of its digital distribution strategy. The bet is that a studio library, not a platform, can win audiences directly on YouTube and beyond.