• by Wayne Friedman , October 8, 2020

AT&T’s WarnerMedia has hired former Apple and Hulu executive Jean-Paul "JP" Colaco as its new head of advertising sales, responsible for its live, linear TV networks -- including TNT, TBS, CNN and truTV -- as well as the lead for the forthcoming ad-supported option of premium video streaming platform HBO Max.

Colaco was a colleague of Jason Kilar while both were at Hulu. Kilar was co-founder and chief executive officer at Hulu. Kilar became chairman of WarnerMedia in April of this year.

WarnerMedia has been without a head of advertising revenue for over a year.

Donna Speciale, president of advertising sales at WarnerMedia, departed from the company in 2019. She had been the senior ad executive for then Turner TV networks since 2012.

Colaco will also oversee associated digital media platforms of those TV networks and "branded storytelling capabilities for the greater portfolio of entertainment, news and kids brands." Other networks that he will oversee Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

He will also be responsible for expanding advanced advertising solutions. AT&T recently folded its Xandr advanced ad business into WarnerMedia Ad Sales unit in April.

Colaco will report to Tony Goncalves, head of WarnerMedia’s commercial businesses, who oversees ad sales, distribution, Otter Media, home entertainment and content licensing.

Colaco comes to WarnerMedia from his position as the head of Americas Region for Apple Search Ads since April 2019. Colaco was also senior vice president of advertising sales and operations Hulu from 2007 to 2013.

After Hulu, he was senior vice president of advertising and business development at Vessel, a video content platform, co-founded by Kilar, which was then sold to Verizon in 2016 and immediately closed down.