As a longtime leader in the US television and digital media business, Brooke Bailey Johnson has launched multiple networks, shows, and iconic brands.  She was the President of the Food category at Scripps Networks Interactive, the General Manager of the A&E Network, the Senior Vice President of Programming for A&E and The History Channel, and most recently she led a team at Radio Free Europe to launch a Russian language cable network in the Russian periphery to provide accurate news and information to populations whose only access to news comes from tightly controlled government sources. 

Her areas of business experience include managing P&L, product development (television, digital, consumer products, social, and print), advertising sales, product and sales marketing, integrated marketing, consumer research, collective bargaining negotiations and corporate acquisition, along with the functional areas of human resources, compensation, finance and IT. 

As President of the Food Category for SNI she oversaw multiple businesses, which generated over $1 billion in revenue coupled with industry leading profit margins. The businesses that Brooke had P&L responsibility for at SNI include Food Network, Food Network Magazine, Food Network Wines, Foodnetwork.com, Cooking Channel, and Cookingchanneltv.com.   Food Network is a top 15 US cable network, and its social and digital extensions also lead the industry.  Brooke also extended the brand into consumer products, live events, restaurants, and books.  The brand is one of the most recognized and revered brands in the US and is seen in over 150 countries worldwide.

Prior to Food Network, Brooke was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the A&E Network with revenue of over $500 million.  Ad Age Magazine named her Cable Marketer of the Year for the growth of A&E.  She also launched The Biography Channel, a digital cable network based on the Biography program brand.  Her biggest launch was The History Channel, one of the most successful launches in cable history.  It was she who proposed the channel idea and, as head of programming for A&E, crafted the original programming and marketing strategy.  At both channels she worked closely with British broadcasters to co-produce programming that would work in both markets.

Before moving into cable television, Brooke worked for ABC Television as Programming Director for its flagship television station, WABC-TV, New York.  While there, she launched first locally and then into national syndication Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. More recently she launched Everyday with Rachel Ray into national syndication.

Brooke’s numerous industry affiliations have included the Board of Trustees of the Women in Cable & Telecommunications Foundation; the Board of the National Association of Television Program Executives; the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing Summit Planning Committee; a board member of Tastemade, and a founding trustee of Cable Positive the cable industry AIDS fundraising and awareness organization. 

Brooke is actively involved in philanthropy, serving on the leadership council for Share Our Strength (a national anti-hunger organization) and an advisor to the Food Bank for New York City.  She is active in The Committee of 200, a global, invitation only organization directed at advancing women in business leadership.   

A graduate of Northwestern University, Brooke holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree from the University’s Medill School of Journalism.  She also completed the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Business.  She resides in New York City. 

Speaking on: View from the Corner Office