Outside Names Heather Dietrick As Chief Media Officer

Outside Interactive, Inc. has announced the addition of Heather Dietrick to its leadership team in the newly created role of Chief Media Officer, starting January 1. Dietrick joins Outside from The Daily Beast, where she launched a thriving membership business, drove record traffic numbers, and diversified revenue by expanding the company's affiliate and advertising products. In her new role, Dietrick will oversee all operations and 150+ staff at Outside's 13 media brands, reporting to CEO Robin Thurston as a key member of the company's executive team.

"Heather is the perfect leader to help power the next stage of growth here at Outside," said Thurston. "Over the last 5 years, we've acquired and integrated 21 diverse businesses, launched our Outside+ membership, and laid the foundation of a transformative digital experience that will serve outdoor enthusiasts and brands like no other platform. Heather's track record as a content and revenue innovator uniquely equips her to catalyze growth as we introduce a completely new web experience, launch the Outside Lab @ CU Denver, and expand our experiential offerings."

"Outside has positioned itself for tremendous growth," said Dietrick, who served as the CEO of The Daily Beast for the last 6 years and previously was President at Gawker Media. "Its development of a category-leading platform has coincided with a boom in outdoor participation – which in turn increased the demand for content, services, and experiences that inspire and enable new enthusiasts to spend more time in nature. As someone who has split time between Manhattan and Montana, I'm stoked to join the teams at Outside Magazine, Backpacker, SKI, VELO, Climbing, Yoga Journal, Pinkbike, and Triathlete in pursuing their mission to 'get everyone outdoors.'"

In addition to Dietrick's arrival, Outside announced that it is reorganizing its operating groups into four distinct divisions to facilitate growth, innovation, and more streamlined decision-making. Dietrick will lead the largest group, the Outside Media division, which includes the company's core content websites and magazines. The new Outside Entertainment division, which consists of the company's television, audio, events, and creator teams, will be run by Jonathan Dorn, who was promoted to Chief Entertainment Officer. The new Outside Event Services division (which includes AthleteReg and FinisherPix) will continue to be led by VP Ross Krause, and the Outside Mapping division (which includes Trailforks and GaiaGPS) will be run by a new leader to be introduced by year end.

In the new structure, each division leader will own full P&L accountability and oversee all relevant content, sales, marketing, and product teams. These changes are specifically aimed at positioning the company for the next stage of growth both domestically and internationally.