Artico Search Recruits Chief Content Officer for Outside Interactive
March 16, 2022 – Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor, co-founder of Artico Search, has placed Amy DuBois Barnett as the first-ever chief content officer of Outside Interactive Inc., a creator of active and healthy lifestyle content, events, and experiences. “Outside has experienced enormous growth over the past year,” said Robin Thurston, CEO of Outside. “Amy’s results-driven outlook and impressive media expertise are exactly what we need to drive Outside+ membership growth and further unite our diverse family of brands. I’m confident her outstanding record of growing audiences through innovative content will be an incredible asset to Outside’s goal to transform the media model.” As chief content officer, Ms. Barnett will direct content strategy, oversee editors-in-chief across brands, connect specialty teams, welcome more creators into our network, and spearhead new product launch coverage in line with Outside’s multimedia objectives. She also will play a crucial role as Outside’s brand guardian, ensuring voice and tone are carried out cohesively across all channels.
Ms. Barnett will direct editorial operations for all Outside titles — including Outside TV, Outside magazine, Backpacker, Yoga Journal, Clean Eating, SKI, VeloNews, National Park Trips, Triathlete, Pinkbike, Climbing, and more. Reporting directly to the CEO, she will work closely with Outside’s executive team and content vertical leads. She will lead teams to create omnichannel content in line with the brand vision and grow Outside’s presence through awareness building, subscriber acquisition, and external partner and contributor management.
Ms. Barnett joins Outside from Paramount, where she served as senior vice president and general manager of BET Digital, executing a creative vision and business strategy that generated 2 billion annual video views and drove an unprecedented year-over-year increase in BET Digital’s operating income. Prior to Paramount, Ms. Barnett was executive vice president of digital at Entertainment Studios. In 2016, she was recruited for a senior executive position at ESPN, where she held a leading role in the development of acclaimed digital brand The Undefeated. Ms. Barnett also has served as editor-in-chief of Ebony, Teen People, and Honey Magazine, and deputy editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar.
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“Outside has the opportunity to be the globally recognized leading innovator in outdoor activity and healthy lifestyle,” said Ms. Barnett. “I hope to build an international community centered around curated, best-in-class content across multiple platforms for athletes, passionate outdoor adventurers, and all people who are interested in living an active and healthy lifestyle.”
Artico Search Launches to Help Companies Build, Scale and Protect
No one could argue that Mercedes Chatfield-Taylor and Matt Comyns, both of whom recently departed from Caldwell to co-found their own executive search firm, Artico Search, are anything less than ground-breaking search leaders. They are both among the very best in their respective specialties, recruiting some of the most sought after, and costliest, hires in the search industry and building successful practices and teams in their areas of specialty. In joining forces, they are looking to create a powerhouse search brand that reflects their experience, passion, and core values focused on delivering the people to drive change and transformation in the tech industry.
Ms. Chatfield-Taylor’s team focuses on executive-level search for scaleup venture capital and private equity-backed technology companies. The team has deep expertise in global enterprise software, data and consumer internet businesses. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor is deeply passionate about the importance of diversifying the industry, with a full 53 percent of her placements tracked since 2019 being underrepresented executives.
Outside is the premier destination for active lifestyle enthusiasts and home to leading brands in the endurance sports, outdoor, and healthy living spaces. Each month, Outside reaches 80 million of the most active consumers in the world across its 30-plus media, digital, and technology platforms.
Serving the VC and PE Sectors
With offices in San Francisco, New York, and Austin, Artico is off to one of the fastest starts among boutique search firms in recent memory. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor co-founded Artico with Matt Comyns, a cybersecurity leadership expert, to lead the firm’s rapidly expanding growth executive search team. Given the billions of dollars flowing into venture capital and private equity investments these days, as well as the ever-present threat of cybersecurity breaches, the founders expect big growth acceleration ahead. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor has completed over 75 CEO searches as well as partner, principal, and other CXO level assignments.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
