John
Martin

When John Martin was promoted to chairman and CEO of Turner in January 2014, it was a big shift from his previous position as Time Warner’s chief financial and administrative officer. Now tasked with overseeing a portfolio spanning news, entertainment, kids/YA programming, and sports including TNT, TBS, TCM, Cartoon Network, TruTV, CNN, CNN International, CNN.com, HLN, Adult Swim, and Turner Sports, Martin is investing in original programming, mobile distribution, and expanding overseas markets.

Martin has balanced those investments by seeking rate increases from distributors and making tough cost-cutting decision in order to make Turner a leaner, more efficient company.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how the brand has evolved,” Martin told Variety in 2016 about CNN. “It’s been nothing short of a spectacular success story for us.” 

Now as the TV business faces the skinny-bundle era, Martin is busy reimagining a more tech-oriented Turner at a time when direct-to-consumer streaming means even the biggest brands will have to forge new paths.

Martin received an M.B.A. degree in finance and organizational behavior from the Columbia University Business School and a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He began at Time Warner in 1993 as a manager of SEC financial reporting. Before joining Time Warner, he was a Certified Public Accountant, working as a senior accountant at Ernst and Young.