• by Sara Guaglione , March 30, 2018

Political news publisher The Hillhas tapped Chris Guarino to become executive producer of its recently created digital video division.

Guarino will work with Krystal Ball and Jamal Simmons on the launch of a slate of new streaming programming, including an upcoming morning show and opinion show.

Guarino has served as executive producer for CNN shows, including “Inside Politics” and “Crossfire,” as well as a decade-long run as Gwen Ifill's senior producer on the PBS program “Washington Week.”

Ball, previously of MSNBC’s “The Cycle,” and Simmons, a former adviser to two Democratic White Houses and a political analyst on a number of network channels, were hired by The Hill in January to host streaming shows on The Hill’s site.

Ball will serve as the progressive cohost on a morning show, which will launch later this spring. Simmons will initially appear as a regular analyst on the morning show before launching his own progressive opinion show later this year. 

A conservative opinion show is also in the works at The Hill.

The new digital shows are under the direction of John Solomon, who joined the publication in July 2017 as executive vice president of digital video to oversee the brand's push into video content.

“This is a new era for The Hill.After another year of record growth, including a massive audience uptick, daily streaming was the next logical step,” stated James Finkelstein, chairman of Capitol Hill Publishing Corp, which publishes The Hill. “We were focused on a plan for video for some time and are proud to offer an impressive lineup of balanced news and information for our audiences, led by some of the biggest names in journalism.”

Last December, The Hill hired four marketing executives to build the political news publisher's branded content business and market its upcoming video slate.