Hello Sunshine Taps WarnerMedia And Fullscreen Vet Maureen Polo As Head Of Direct-To-Consumer

EXCLUSIVE: Maureen Polo, who has been an exec at WarnerMedia and GM of streaming service Fullscreen, has been named head of direct-to-consumer at Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine.

The newly created role will enable the company to continue expanding its content and offerings. Polo will oversee a DTC portfolio including recent acquisition The Home Edit, plus Reese’s Book Club and Fair Play. She will also be responsible for ramping up Sol.ar, Hello Sunshine’s social agency offering, and pursuing new direct-to-consumer opportunities. She will report directly to Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden.

While “direct-to-consumer” is used as a descriptor in the world of streaming video, it has a much broader meaning in the consumer world. A wide range of brands, from Casper mattresses to Peloton to Smile Direct Club, have disrupted traditional marketing by leveraging digital and social media to gain a customer base without using the usual intermediaries.

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Polo’s appointment follows a series of milestones for Hello Sunshine, which was founded in 2016. Last week, the company announced it had acquired The Home Edit, the lifestyle brand behind Netflix hit Get Organized. Last summer, Hello Sunshine itself was acquired Candle Media, a new investment firm led by former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and funded by private equity firm Blackstone. The deal valued Hello Sunshine at $900 million, punctuating the current moment of opportunity for content purveyors, and kept Witherspoon and Harden in their operational roles.

“Maureen is a seasoned media executive who understands how to scale businesses, leverage her marketing expertise, and oversee large teams and cutting-edge media initiatives,” Harden said. “As we look to expand our audiences and innovatively scale direct-to-consumer brands and experiences, we know Maureen will be an incredible addition to the Hello Sunshine team.”

Prior to taking on her new position, Polo led marketing strategy and solutions for Warner Media entertainment properties including HBO Max, TBS, truTV, Turner, Adults Swim and Cartoon Network. Prior to that, as general manager at Fullscreen, she oversaw more than 350 employees and spearheaded revenue, strategy, sales, marketing, consumer intelligence, creative, production, finance legal, and human resources.

Fullscreen and Hello Sunshine have shared corporate DNA, as both initially were backed by the Chernin Group and AT&T.

“Hello Sunshine’s mission to change the narrative for women and to empower them to chart new paths forward is inspiring and the growth and impact of the company in just a few short years is beyond impressive,” Polo said. “The ambition of the company is matched by its strategic expansion into business areas that align to the company mission and make a positive impact in women’s lives. I am thrilled and privileged to be joining such a renowned company that is leading the industry forward and making a lasting impact on our world.”

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