Group Nine Media Names Former DNC Exec April Mellody Head Of Corporate PR

Group Nine Media has looked to the political arena for its latest hire. The digital media holding company, which comprises the brands Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo, and Seeker, has hired April Mellody — who formerly served as chief communications officer and deputy CEO for the 2016 Democratic National Convention committee. Mellody will serve as Group Nine’s new head of corporate communications.

Mellody, who formerly worked as an assistant press secretary during the Bill Clinton administration, joined Group Nine last week and will report directly to CEO Ben Lerer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mellody’s experiences dovetail succinctly with NowThis, a left-leaning digital media outfit, while Group Nine’s Thrillist brand is focused on food and travel, The Dodo is a destination for all things animals, and Seeker furnishes science-related content.

“I could not be more excited to join Ben and Group Nine’s family of uplifting, category-defining brands,” Mellody told the Reporter in a statement. “No one understands how to inspire engagement and foster passion better than this dynamic team. They are truly building the future of media and I am thrilled to join them on this venture.”

NowThis, which is reportedly weighing a push into long-form content to complement the short-form clips for which it is already known, said at its NewFronts presentation earlier this year that it would launch a sports vertical called NowThis Sports.