TikTok is looking to an experienced publicity executive to improve its outlook in the United States. Nathaniel Brown, a veteran of Discovery and its successor Warner Bros. Discovery, has been hired as TikTok’s Global Corporate Communications Chief.
Brown’s role will be based in New York, where he will report to TikTok’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer, Zenia Mucha. In true publicist fashion, Mucha’s announcement of the Brown hire was straight and to the point. “I’m happy to announce we’ve hired a new global head of corporate comms,” she wrote in a memo to staff. “Nathaniel Brown joins us today to lead this important function.”
At Warner Bros Discovery, Brown played a crucial launch in the rebranding and relaunch of Max, which needed a makeover after the HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services came together under a single owner. At TikTok, he’ll face a daunting task: How to improve TikTok’s image in markets like the United States, where it is under threat of a nationwide ban.
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Communications have not been TikTok’s strong suit. The app has struggled to convey its message to politicians, creators, and employees. Cultural clashes between East and West have been cited as factors in some of those communication breakdowns.
TikTok’s comms began to change after the app brought in Mucha, a Disney veteran with ample experience in corporate PR. Mucha’s strategy has involved a fervent lobbying effort that has looked to recast TikTok as a boon for American businesses rather than a driver of teen mental health issues. Mucha was also involved in a sweeping reorganization that shuffled TikTok’s teams after the departure of former operations chief V Pappas.
Even with all the work Mucha has done, there still seems to be a disconnect between TikTok and its American workforce, as recent squabbles over performance improvement plans have shown. It feels like TikTok is still in need of an American figurehead who can improve its domestic communications. Disney+ architect Kevin Mayer seemed like he could be that person when he joined TikTok as its CEO in 2020, but he lasted only a few months in that position.
Brown is the latest person to fill the gap left by Mayer’s departure. He knows what it’s like to run publicity for a media company in the midst of a sea chance. Now, he’ll apply the lessons he learned from his time at Warner Bros Discovery to TikTok.
