Award-winning television executives to lead content and strategy at Arizona PBS

Two of the nation’s leading television executives and creative strategists are joining Arizona PBS.

Jody Gottlieb, a Peabody award winner who directed long-form programming and documentaries for CNN, will be the station’s new content director.

Andrew Ramsammy, a three-time Emmy Award winner with more than 20 years of national experience in creative, content and production, will be the station’s new director of audience development.

Gottlieb and Ramsammy will join Arizona PBS in mid-July.

Arizona PBS, one of the national’s largest public television stations, is a community service of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

“Both Jody and Andrew are forward-thinking leaders capable of looking around the corner to drive success,” said Arizona PBS general manager Mary Mazur. “Their ideas and strategies align seamlessly within an ever-changing media landscape, and their passion for public service will enhance Arizona PBS’ position as a national leader in public television programming and multimedia innovation.”

Gottlieb joins the station after serving in leadership roles at two creative media outlets in Seattle. She most recently was chief creative officer and producer for Rainstream Media, Inc., which produces documentary films, podcasts and television programs with a focus on first-person storytelling.

She previously served as head of development and production for Vulcan Productions, where she led marketing, promotion and branding efforts for films, documentaries, social media and other digital content. She also has been producer and executive producer for numerous documentaries, including “Unseen Enemy,” on CNN, “The Ivory Game” on Netflix and “Ocean Warriors” on Animal Planet.

Gottlieb spent 11 years at CNN as executive director and director for long-form programming and documentaries. She led a team of more than 50 employees across advertising, communications, creative, marketing and sales teams. Under her guidance, “CNN Presents” received the Emmy President’s Award in 2009 for excellence in a body of work.

Before joining CNN, Gottlieb worked as a director of production for Turner Broadcasting networks TBS and TNT in Atlanta. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in South Carolina and an associate’s degree from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

She is a recipient of the George Peabody Award, a World Wildlife Fund Golden Panda Award and the Gracie Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by women in media and entertainment. She also received an Academy Award nomination for the documentary “Autism is a World.”

“I’m incredibly excited to join the team at Arizona PBS to create quality and engaging content rooted in the ideals of journalism,” Gottlieb said. “It’s a privilege to join these distinguished, award-winning journalists and storytellers. Arizona PBS has been a trusted source of news and information for over 55 years, and I’m eager to serve the PBS community.”

Ramsammy is a three-time Emmy Award winner with more than 20 years of coast-to-coast television experience in creative services, production and promotions.

Before founding the UnitedPublic Strategies public media consulting firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, he served as director of content projects and initiatives for Public Radio International in Minnesota. He previously was executive producer for “The Daytripper” and “FoodFinder,” two independent programs broadcast on PBS stations in Texas.

Ramsammy began his career as a media director and strategist for creative agencies in Scottsdale. He also worked as a freelance producer for Channel 3 News KTVK-TV in Phoenix, and earned a bachelor’s degree in film cinematography from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

“Audiences today are seeking curated relationships between the content they consume and support so we can drive deeper engagement and serve our audience better,” Ramsammy said. “With the combined resources of ASU, the Cronkite School and Arizona PBS, our mission-driven content experiences will be unmatched.”

About Arizona PBS
Arizona PBS is one of the nation’s leading public media organizations, with four broadcast channels and a growing array of digital platforms. A trusted community resource for more than five decades, Arizona PBS fosters lifelong learning through quality programming, in-depth news coverage and critical educational outreach services. It is one of the country’s largest public television stations, reaching 80 percent of Arizona homes and 1.9 million households each week through four channels. Arizona PBS has been part of ASU since the station launched in 1961.