Julie Stone Joins Driver Media as Executive Producer

DRIVER Media, an outsourced advertising and content production service for agencies and marketers, today announced that veteran production executive Julie Stone has joined the company as Executive Producer. 

Stone brings a wealth of client-side production experience to DRIVER, having spent over a decade at Victoria’s Secret, where she was Director of Broadcast Television and Web Video Content, as well as Creative Director of Broadcast for parent company Limited Brands. While there she helped create and produce some of the most iconic fashion advertising and broadcast content to ever grace the pop culture zeitgeist, helping make the Victoria’s Secret brand synonymous with beauty, sexuality, mystery and passion. 

In addition to her time at Victoria’s Secret, she’s also worked with a who’s who of major fashion, beauty and personal care brands, including Ralph Lauren, Neutrogena, Bath & Bodyworks, Revlon and Michael Kors, to name a few. 

“We’re thrilled to have Julie join us,” says JD Williams, Co-Founder of DRIVER Media. “Her depth of experience and understanding of brands is the perfect complement to our team, and promises that DRIVER will continue to be a major force in the ongoing evolution of the advertising content production process.”

Stone’s hire adds significantly to DRIVER Media’s expertise, which runs the gamut from agency producing and staffing of production teams to business affairs, in-house production, creative editorial and post, digital media production and distribution and other related services. 

In addition to her intimate knowledge of the fashion and beauty world, Stone also possesses a deep insight into how marketers think and act – both of which will help DRIVER Media as it increases the amount of direct-to-client work the company handles and moves aggressively into production opportunities for brands aimed at women, kids and families via the online programming provided by sister company DRIVER Digital (www.driverdigital.com).

A self-described “production brat,” having grown up on the sets of TV commercials being directed by her father, Stone got her start as a producer at the New England ad agency North Castle Partners, where she worked on a range of consumer brands such as Ocean Spray and Slim Jim. 

She then moved to New York to work as Senior Producer at the boutique Carlson & Partners – known for its work with high-end fashion, luxury and beauty brands – where she worked on Ralph Lauren and Neutrogena.  Stone joined Victoria’s Secret in 2001 and was an integral part of CMO Ed Razek’s team that transformed the brand into the powerhouse it is today.  

“For many years I’ve been attracted to the great work being done at DRIVER,” says Stone. “I just loved their passion, energy and dynamic business model, which is perfectly positioned in this era where brands are often moving independently of their agencies to pursue and execute marketing ideas and concepts.  In this respect, there’s a lot DRIVER Media can do to help them grow by taking the burden off them as to how to get content produced, whether traditional advertising, branded content or digital.”

Stone’s hire comes as DRIVER Media expands its reach in the area of client-direct work. Recently it partnered with The Coca-Cola Company to produce an ambitious series of World Cup documentary-style web films and thirty and sixty-second TV spots. Shot in countries around the world, the series profiled people for whom soccer plays a pivotal role in their lives. 

Her expertise in the fashion, beauty and personal care space will also be an asset to DRIVER Digital, which recently struck agreements with hair care brands John Frieda and TRESemmé to create content around YouTube personality Judy Travis and her DRIVER Digital channels, “It’s Judy Time” and “It’s Judy’s Life.”

“Having Julie as a senior member of the DRIVER family as we leverage our audience and its relationship with Judy will be huge benefit to our clients,” says DRIVER Media Co-Founder Scott Weitz, CEO of DRIVER Digital.  “Her understanding of the brand marketing process and how to effectively produce highly-targeted media content is going to be invaluable.”