YouTube Vet Kathryn Friedrich Tapped To Lead Oath’s Branded Studio

Oath, the Verizon subsidiary that houses AOL, Yahoo, and the company’s other digital media ventures, has announced two top-tier appointments on the sales side.

Kathryn Friedrich (pictured above) has been named chief business officer of RYOT Studio — Oath’s in-house branded content agency, which was acquired by AOL in 2016, specializing in documentary-style and VR and AR content. Friedrich, who was employed by Google for eight years — most recently as head of global content monetization at YouTube — will be tasked with overseeing RYOT Studio’s global expansion. RYOT currently operates in 14 countries across five continents, and has worked with the likes of The New York Times

At the same time, Oath has named Karen Schmidt VP and head of B2B field marketing. Schimdt, who formerly served as VP and global head of sales enablement at American Express, will develop, lead, and drive the company’s ad product strategy. Schmidt will also work to bolster brand awareness and customer experience.

Both Friedrich and Schmidt will report to Oath’s chief revenue officer, John DeVine.