May 5, 2006 6:02 AM, PROMO Xtra

Ross

News America Marketing has formed an Entertainment & Specialty Marketing division led by studio veteran Steve Ross.

Ross heads up News America's efforts to sell entertainment properties on its advertising and custom-publishing vehicles, including SmartSource Magazine FSIs and in-store media.

"The proliferation of entertainment content combined with the saturation of traditional advertising mediums calls for new and dynamic solution-based marketing models that resonate and generate cultural noise," Ross said in a statement. "So, as we continue to create and strengthen the sales vehicles that will make an impact on the consumer, News America Marketing's reach can effectively help define this new space for the entertainment industry as a whole."

Ross comes to News America from Mattel, where he supervised global entertainment and business development for the full portfolio (including Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl and Fisher-Price).

Ross, who joins News America on May 1, earlier was president of worldwide licensing & merchandising at 20th Century Fox (owned by News Corp., as is News America), overseeing $1 billion in annual retail sales. His licensing coups at Fox include the global success of The Simpsons in the late 1990s.

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