John Hartig Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, Ny, Us

Houston, Tx, Us

I was recruited by the private equity owner and board while engaged at Alvarez & Marsal to assess the company and devise a strategic plan for growth with liquidity options, resulting in an offer to become CEO. Here, I led the executive charter to stabilize and reverse declining business revenues reliant on the contracting oil and gas sector and position the company for a successful sale.During my tenure, the team revitalized the product portfolio, redesigned the flagship magazine Oil & Gas Investor, rebranded the conference business as Hart Energy LIVE, and reengineered Hartenergy.com. Under a "Digital First" strategy, we doubled our audience and achieved double-digit percentage growth in advertising and subscription revenue. We also shifted the focus to customer-centric solutions, bundling media, conference, and data franchises which served to drive advertising revenue growth and improved margins. We acquired Gotham Image Works, generating multimillion-dollar revenue and operational efficiencies and the associated video content helped establish Hartenergy.com as the go-to source for energy industry news.I prioritized the expansion of the data franchise by making it a centerpiece of customer offerings while renegotiating key reseller contracts, thereby driving incremental high-margin, direct-sold revenue and reducing costs by double digits.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Reversed revenue declines, achieving double-digit revenue and EBITDA growth in the first year.➣ Transformed Hart Energy into a digital leader, driving double-digit digital revenue growth.➣ Expanded data franchise as the top enterprise value driver, growing data revenue by almost half.

New York, Ny, Us

I was recruited as Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, a global professional services firm with multibillion-dollar annual revenues and several thousand employees. My primary mission was to help scale the emerging media practice by focusing on legacy media companies undergoing transformation due to industry disruption and help position A&M as a key player in the sector.I collaborated with a team of 10 professionals within the CPI practice, working closely with North American clients at their headquarters.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ One consulting engagement involved assessing strategic options for a leading North American publisher and printer to expand beyond legacy printing into digital publishing services.➣ Another key engagement was with Hart Energy, where I conducted financial, operational, and competitive analyses to craft a strategic growth plan. This project ultimately led to my recruitment as CEO of Hart Energy, where I implemented transformational changes.

Midland Park, New Jersey, Us

New York, New York, Us

I was recruited by private equity owners to lead a comprehensive restructuring and turnaround. I engaged private equity investors, limited partners, creditors, industry partners, and the internal team to align on a vision for sports wagering as the engine for growth and enterprise value. My vision was to transform a 130-year-old newspaper business into a technology-driven digital gaming company and a leading destination for online sports wagering.In the initial restructuring phase, I reengineered the high fixed-cost base into a variable-cost model, increasing operating margins from the mid-teens to nearly double that figure, which generated multimillion-dollar savings. By divesting all North American printing facilities, eliminating full-time employees, and outsourcing printing operations, I significantly reduced the costs of goods sold. Additionally, streamlining the portfolio by eliminating non-strategic print products, closing satellite offices, and eliminating operational redundancies yielded further permanent savings.We self-funded the expansion of product development, launching a new suite of data products and DRFBets, a wagering platform that became the key driver of growth and the company’s most valuable asset. DRFBets accelerated revenue in the highest margin segments, making it pivotal to the company’s transformation.The success of DRFBets led to record EBITDA and enterprise value, repositioning the company as a premier gaming franchise. I then led the sale, delivering exceptional returns for shareholders.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Transformed a 130-year-old newspaper into a tech-focused digital gaming leader and top online sports wagering site.➣ Boosted high-margin digital product revenue with double-digit annual growth, making up over a third of total revenue.➣ Collaborated with Jordan Edmiston Group Inc., led the sale, stepped down as CEO, and continued as Board Director.

As the Chief Executive Officer and Advisor of a start-up focused on digital video gaming for audience monetization and lead generation, I worked with the business founder on the creation and launch of a business that monetized audiences for partner host websites through proprietary game, intellectual property (IP), and patented technology.My role involved crafting a strategic plan and business model, product and distribution strategies, and Series B fundraising efforts.A significant achievement was launching SpotWinner, a digital video and gaming platform that enabled audience gamification and monetization for partner websites through its unique IP and technology. Two notable partner websites included Publishers Clearing House (PCH.com) and PCHgames.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Launched SpotWinner, achieving success metrics with increased partner site traffic.➣ Significantly increased weekly frequency, page views, and audience engagement for partner websites.

New York, Ny, Us

In my role as Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Development at the Hearst Magazine division, I led a significant circulation operation and a substantial budget for launches and M&As.I was recruited by the President of the Hearst magazines division to evaluate an 18-title magazine portfolio and develop strategies to boost the performance of underperforming brands. I spearheaded turnaround initiatives from concept to execution and was part of a 4-member executive leadership team, overseeing 2 P&Ls: one for Hearst’s circulation operation and another for M&A and new business investments.To strengthen our brands, I implemented best practices for product and market testing, which led to increased subscriber price and volume gains. I also created a consumer research operation that yielded actionable insights to strengthen content and associated brands.Across e-commerce and digital marketing, we launched Hearst’s first digital e-commerce platform. This initiative significantly boosted subscription revenues to record levels and reduced customer acquisition and retention costs.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Boosted Hearst Corporation’s magazine circulation revenue and margin by multimillion dollars.➣ Led acquisitions, notably Seventeen, and divested non-core properties, including Victoria.➣ Monetized customer database, growing multimillion incremental subscriptions by transitioning print offline database to online.

I led TPG, a division of Time Inc., to profitability and transformed the legacy print Parenting franchise into a multi-platform market leader in the parenting media space. I initially oversaw the core Parenting magazine, BabyTalk, and Healthy Pregnancy franchises. From this platform, we acquired First Moments, the pre-eminent database of prenatal moms which became the engine of TPG's revenue and EBITDA growth, and portfolio expansion strategy. We expanded the portfolio, acquiring Family Life magazine and forming a joint venture with Sesame Street Publishing that increased TPG's audience and market share. My team launched new businesses: Parenting.com, Parenting Television, and TPG licensed products, which contributed material profits and transformed the franchise into a US category leader.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Drove EBITDA growth to record level and a material profit contributor to Time, Inc.➣ Acquired First Moments, a leading database of prenatal moms, which became the engine of revenue and EBITDA growth through leveraging of highly value customer data.➣ Expanded the portfolio by acquiring Family Life magazine and forming joint venture with Sesame Street Publishing, significantly boosting revenue growth and market reach.➣ Launched Parenting Television, Parenting.com, and TPG-licensed products, generating millions annually and expanding brand visibility.

In my role as Director of Consumer Marketing and Development at InStyle, a division of Time Inc., I led a team of 6 direct reports and collaborated with over 30 team members. From my management position at People Magazine, I oversaw a substantial start-up budget to test and launch new business ventures.I crafted the business plan, conducted a market test in 1993, and, as a member of the launch team, we introduced InStyle in 1994. We achieve profitability within 3 years, surpassing all revenue and EBITDA targets.I also led InStyle's expansion into multimedia by creating network television specials, forming partnerships with Home Box Office (HBO), negotiating the first international licensing deal in Germany, and establishing a joint venture in Australia to enhance the brand and its earnings.DELIVERED RESULTS:➣ Named Adweek’s “Hottest Up and Comer Magazine” award from achieving highest growth in readership and revenue.> Surpassed TIME INC. budgeted revenue and EBITDA targets.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Business Administration And Management, General

Ba, Communications