Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, has named Mary Beech as its chief marketing & transformation officer, effective January 1, 2022. Based in New York, Beech will assume a new role for the company and be charged with creating greater customer centricity, data-driven activations with a focus on digital, and connectivity throughout Scholastic to better serve educators, caregivers and children. She has been an independent director on Scholastic’s Board since 2018 – from which she will resign in advance of her new position which reports directly to CEO and president Peter Warwick. Beech has most recently served as the CEO of Sarah Flint, a direct-to-consumer, luxury footwear brand for women, where she was responsible for the growth of the brand and business. Prior to joining Sarah Flint in February 2020, Beech was the principal of MRB Brand Consulting, having also served as EVP and chief marketing officer of Kate Spade New York for seven years, where she was responsible for all aspects of marketing and communications for the brand. From 2000 to 2013, Beech held various management, marketing, licensing and brand management positions at The Walt Disney Company, including responsibility for the launch and growth of the Disney Princess brand. Her leadership at Disney culminated in her role as SVP, global licensing and marketing for Disney/Pixar Animation….
Blake Lively Is Sued By Crisis Specialist In Latest “It Ends With Us” Litigation
A Texas crisis communications specialist has sued Blake Lively for defamation after the actor pulled him into her legal fight with co-star and director Justin Baldoni over their film, "It Ends With Us."
Jed Wallace and his company, Street Relations, filed the $7 million lawsuit in federal court in Texas on Tuesday. It says he had nothing to do with any campaign to harm Lively's reputation as she alleged in a court filing.
Wallace is not among the defendants in Lively's federal lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company and publicists, in which she alleges sexual and other harassment during the production and a campaign to smear her after it. The crisis specialist is named in the court papers and the New York Times story published on the day the series of legal battles began in December when Lively filed a complaint.
Lively's lawyers said in a statement that Wallace's lawsuit "is not just a publicity stunt."
"It is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department," the statement said. "While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court."
In a filing last week in Hays County, Texas, that seeks a deposition from Wallace, Lively alleges he was used by publicists working with Baldoni to weaponize "a digital army around the country, including in New York and Los Angeles, to create, seed, manipulate, and advance disparaging content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums."
Wallace's lawsuit says neither he nor his company "had anything to do... Read More