Brian Ries Email & Phone Number

Sarasota, Florida, United States

Guide Herald-Tribune’s digital subscription strategy. Digital subscriptions grew by 140% from 2021-2023.Create and implement digital content strategy based on analytics and reader feedback to optimize both audience reach and subscriber retention.Grow and coordinate partnerships with local and national philanthropy, including reporters funded by grants from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Patterson Foundation and Report for America.Manage reporters and editors, edit and produce content and oversee production of multiple print sections.

Sarasota, Florida Area

Strategically guided digital growth of a regional newspaper with more than 1 million monthly users and 80 million annual pageviews.Grew digital-only paid subscriptions from under 2,500 to almost 10,000 from 2018-2021. Grew pageviews by 44%, pages per session by 40% and users by 13% over the same period. Pioneered a unique partnership with local philanthropy that provided the newsroom with nearly $1 million in grant funding to expand coverage on topics important to the community.Performed various non-digital duties, including production of multiple print sections. Managed teams of reporters and digital producers.

Sarasota, Florida Area

Managed and helped launch Sarasota Herald–Tribune's award-winning entertainment website ticketsarasota.com, recipient of two national Editor & Publisher Eppy Awards.Edited and produced two weekly print sections, including the largest newspaper entertainment section in Florida.Assisted in launching multiple niche websites. Coordinated and managed a team of freelance content creators and full-time staff writers.

Sarasota, Florida Area

Managed all online and print content creation for an alternative newsweekly with a weekly audience of over 100,000. Maximized a small budget by recruiting a combination of staffers and freelancers to increase both the quantity and quality of content. Worked closely with the sales and production teams to develop new products to increase readership and revenue.

In charge of food content for two alternative newsweeklies with a combined weekly audience of over 500,000. Helped revamp Creative Loafing’s online presence, which tripled unique visitors within 12 months. Pioneered a new community contributor content model by recruiting and managing a team of over a dozen local food and drink writers.

Created a successful comic book and game retail store with over $350,000 in yearly gross sales, featuring a marketing, branding and customer service strategy designed to overcome the typically misanthropic aura of retailers in the genre. Responsible for all aspects of running the business, including personnel, accounting, marketing, inventory management, customer service, and daily janitorial duties. POP was the dominant store of its kind in the area.

Represented five California wineries and increased total case sales by 22% in the first 12 months while raising average case cost by 7%, with over $2.3 million in annual sales in my territory. Coordinated marketing and sales efforts with distributors in five states by creating incentive programs, setting sales goals and pricing, developing a marketing strategy, and assisting with outside sales calls. Fostered productive relationships to create long-term brand loyalty as the face of the brand on sales calls, during trade shows and at consumer events.

Supervised all front and back house operations for a fine-dining restaurant voted Best New Restaurant.