Sports Media Report
TOGETHXR — the trailblazing women’s sports media and commerce company co-founded by world-renowned professional athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird — today announced that Kati Fernandez has joined the company as Chief Content Officer. Fernandez has spent seven years at ESPN, where she most recently was Head of Content Development and helped lead the creation, development and execution of some of the ESPN’S most successful programs.
“Kati’s passion for sports, enthusiasm for storytelling and experienced leadership make her a perfect fit for TOGETHXR as we expand and innovate our storytelling capabilities across platforms and continue to grow our studio business. We couldn’t be more excited to have her join the team,” said Nancy Dubuc, TOGETHXR’s Executive Chair.
“This is an exciting next step for my career, coming to a business in TOGETHXR that has already established itself in a very short period as the leader in the expansive storytelling space around women’s sports,” Fernandez said. “We are just getting started in what can be done on a global basis to identify and execute a media strategy to bring even more landmark stories to a wider audience, and I look forward to helping lift all of these amazing voices even higher by working with the team that has already been assembled, with more news and expansion to come as we grow.”
Fernandez joins an executive leadership team that includes Dubuc, who joined the business in April after a standout media career that has included roles as CEO at A+E Networks and Vice Media, and Jessica Robertson, Co-Founder and now Chief Brand Officer. Robertson will continue to lead how TOGETHXR expands its position in brand expression, as it opens up additional channels of growth in areas including international athlete, team and league partnerships and thought leadership.
As Chief Content Officer, Fernandez will lead TOGETHXR’s content strategy and execution, with a focus on how the platform can drive audience and revenue growth through original IP, studio programs, special events and branded content. Her new role will also bring a significant expansion and execution of content strategy across short form, mid form, long form, newsletter, and podcasts, identifying and developing stories that align with not just the brand but the expanding role TOGETHXR has had in the media, lifestyle, entertainment and sports landscape.
TOGETHXR continues to be the fastest growing women’s sports platform of its kind, tripling year-over-year revenue while expanding its reach across all social platforms. The business continues to expand in the brand partnerships, podcasting and video creation, merchandise and owned content areas, and has hosted over 50 live events tied to the biggest sporting and popular culture moments year-round with more planned in the coming months.
Fernandez began at ESPN in 2019, and rose to the position of Head of Content Development at ESPN, overseeing the evaluation of content ideas for ESPN Films, 30 for 30, original series, and premium storytelling podcasts. She helped lead the drive for the network to create and optimize all areas of original content, including across ESPN+, ESPN Originals, new studio launches and the award winning “30 for 30” series. Her team also led the launch of The Undefeated (now Andscape) on ESPN+, a hub for stories at the intersection of sports, race and culture.
Before joining ESPN, Fernandez was a producer for Hulu, helping develop and execute multi-channel production strategies for Hulu with Live TV, overseeing campaigns from launch from 2017 to 2019. Born and raised in The Dominican Republic, she has a Bachelor of Arts in Music & Pre-Medical Studies from The College of the Holy Cross, and a Master of Science in Communications from Syracuse University as well as a certificate from the Leadership Program in Multimedia Storytelling at Cornell University.
She begins her new role this week.
