'Axios,' Kalmbach Media Hire Senior Execs

This week, Axios and Kalmbach Media both announced the appointment of new senior members to their staffs.

Axios has been busy testing out a beta version of a new subscription component and has announced Jess Szmajda will lead it as Chief Technology Officer, according to Vanity Fair

Szmajda, who joins Axios from ecommerce-centric start-up Optoro, will oversee the outlet’s 23-person tech team. He is responsible for bringing in top talent for new positions at the company.

Axios has also hired Mike Berkley as its new Chief Product Officer, as it continues to expand its staff. Berkley has held executive positions at MoviePass, Viacom and Spotify.

Separately, Kalmbach Media, publisher of AstronomyDiscover and Model Railroader, among other titles, named a new director of digital strategy, in addition to new EICs at two of its brands.

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Angela Cotey, most recently Kalmbach Media’s audience development manager, has been tapped as the company’s new director of digital strategy. Cotey will oversee digital strategy across all brands using a data-drive approach to drive audience growth, with the help of editorial, advertising, technology and marketing teams.

Cotey is charged with driving audience and business growth while leading website development, content strategy, design and feature updates. She will develop digital packages and opportunities for the company’s marketing partners through collaboration with the marketing and advertising teams.

Kent Johnson has also been promoted to editor of Garden Railways, while Ryan Thompson has been named editor of American Snowmobiler.

Johnson joined the company in 1994 and has worked with Kalmbach’s book division and its Classic Toy Trains and Model Railroader brands. He will oversee all print and digital content for the quarterly Garden Railways.

Thompson began work with American Snowmobiler as a freelance photographer before becoming the brand’s Western Editor in 2016. He will oversee the magazine, which publishers monthly six times a year from October to March, its website and the web series "AmSnowTV."

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