Wanyu Zhang promoted to Brand Director
In a note to staff, Senior Director of Brand & Marketing, Kristin Hume announced the following update:
Hello all,
I am very pleased to share that, starting April 11, Wanyu Zhang will begin a new role on my team: Brand Director. In this role, Wanyu will lead our mighty, hard-working Creative Team as they launch new brands and design marketing campaigns that grow our audience and deepen engagement. Along with her team, she'll also work to strengthen NPR's overall brand presence in the world, through exciting new endeavors and a renewed focus on brand consistency.
I want to pause on Wanyu's journey at NPR, because it's a story worth telling. Wanyu started at NPR eight years ago, as an intern twice over — first on Consumer Products and then on the RAD Team. She also moonlighted as a volunteer tour guide for Emily Littleton's team, giving tours of our HQ to the NPR fans from around the country. From there, she moved to Marketing as a Creative/Photography specialist, where many of you got to experience her prowess at photo shoots. Under her leadership and hard work, 'Headshot Day' became almost a holiday of sorts at NPR.
Wanyu was then promoted to Senior Producer on the Creative team, while graciously working double-duty as Manager of our podcast cross-promotion until we were able to fill that role. Most recently, Wanyu worked in a dual role as a Senior Marketing Strategist on Elyse's team —managing rebrands and marketing campaigns for shows such as Code Switch, Invisibilia, Everyone and Their Mom, TED Radio Hour, Throughline, and many more — and an International Business Senior Manager on Dan McCoy's team — launching and managing new relationships with podcast distributors around the world. Wanyu has also been a vital leader and advocate of NPR's North Star ambition, serving as a Founding member and Co-Lead of NPR AZNS, the DEI Audience Hub, and the Women of Color Committee.
In all of the many, many hats Wanyu has worn during her NPR career, she's always thrown herself behind a single, mighty ambition: To make NPR better and stronger, however she can, both within the (virtual) building and out in the world. Those who have worked alongside her know well her creative brilliance; her warm, collaborative spirit; her fierce can-to attitude and almost magical ability to knock down any roadblocks; and her mentorship of many within our team and across all of NPR.
Please join me in congratulating Wanyu on this next phase in her NPR journey.
Kristin