HarperCollins is reorganizing its product development team in the general books group. The moves, which include hiring two new staffers to take on the role of executive director of digital product development, are, the publisher said, intended to "increase product innovation, best-practice sharing, and scaling of successful ideas and projects."
Taking on the aforemention roles are Adrianna Dufay and Brian Perrin. Both Dufay and Perrin will report to Carrie Bloxson and will, HC said, "work with the imprints to help conceptualize and develop new digital platforms and products for individual genres and titles." The new products, the publisher elaborated, could include anything from apps to e-books to video to social gaming programs.
Dufay, who was a senior marketing manager at JPMorgan Chase, will be working on digital products for the Avon, William Morrow, Morrow trade paperbacks, Voyager, and HarperOne imprints. Perrin, who arrives from NBC (where he was director of digital development), will be working with the Amistad, Ecco, Harper, Harper Business, Harper Design, Harper Perennial, Harper trade paperbacks, and It Books teams. HC added that both new hires will also be available to "partner" directly with HC authors.
HC has also named Ana Maria Allessi to the newly created role of v-p of digital innovation. Allessi, who was most recently v-p and publisher of Harper Media (and began at the publisher in 2001 as audio editor), will now report to chief digital officer Chantal Restivo-Alessi, and her responsibilities will include, HC explained, "planning and executing global digital innovation strategies across all divisions of the company."
