Forever Dog, leading comedy podcast producer, sets leadership team

New York NY, USA—During a period of unprecedented growth at Forever Dog, in which monthly network downloads have increased by more than 1500%, the leading alternative comedy podcast producer has named Gary Reisman chief executive officer. In one of his first official duties as CEO, Reisman has tapped veteran entertainment and advertising sales executive Karen Bressner as the media company’s chief revenue officer.

The announcement was made today by Forever Dog Co-Founders Brett Boham, Joe Cilio and Alex Ramsey.

The news follows the company’s recent announcement of 11 new shows that are joining its network of original weekly podcasts. Forever Dog’s roster now includes 30+ shows, which garner millions of downloads a month and feature talent including James Adomian, Sabrina Jalees, Alaska, Abby Elliott, Bowen Yang, Patti Harrison and many others.

Early into Reisman and Bressner’s tenure at Forever Dog, advertising sales have increased substantially, quadrupling year-over-year with new clients including Netflix, Audible and Zip Recruiter, among others. Also under Reisman’s leadership, Forever Dog has forged a partnership with National Lampoon to develop podcasts for television and streaming platforms.

Said Boham, Cilio and Ramsey, “At a time in which Forever Dog is adding an energetic new lineup of shows from revered talent, while also expanding its horizons via our television projects with National Lampoon and through new brand partnerships, we’re ecstatic to have Gary at the helm. His expertise in multiple facets of a rapidly evolving media landscape, matched with his keen creative instincts and passion for the business make him the perfect candidate to lead Forever Dog into the future of podcasting and the broader entertainment industry.”

Reisman brings to Forever Dog a decades-long background in entertainment, media and strategic marketing. He was previously founder and CEO of LEAP® Media Investments, a premiere, strategic data and analytics company with clients including NBCU, FOX, FX, Ovation TV, TV One, FUSE, AOL and Yahoo.

Prior to launching LEAP, Reisman was vice president of strategic marketing at Turner and vice president of sales and marketing for CNN.com international, where he guided the expansion of CNN.com across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

“Podcasting has become the preeminent platform for marketers to build relationships with the seemingly unreachable millennial and GenZ audiences,” said Reisman. “As an industry leader in content created by and for those audiences, Forever Dog is in the midst of constructing exciting new avenues for brands to integrate into an ever-growing roster of comedy programming. I’m delighted to be blazing the trail alongside Brett, Joe and Alex, and I’m also pleased to have an executive as proficient as Karen leading our ad sales initiatives, as we usher in a new chapter at the company and navigate the industry’s fertile grounds.”

As CRO, Bressner oversees all advertising sales, ad sales marketing and revenue aspects for Forever Dog, spearheading the development of the company’s creative advertising packages, which offer brands unique ways to reach the network’s audience.

Bressner leverages nearly 30 years in entertainment. After beginning her career at advertising agencies Young & Rubicam and Foote, Cone & Belding, Bressner moved into ad sales with a 10-year stint at Discovery Communications, helping grow the brand from a single network to the mass media company it is today. She went on to become senior vice president of national advertising sales at Viacom and then at TiVo. She has also served as head of ad sales at AccuWeather Digital Media and was an ad sales executive for Fox Digital Studio. Before joining Forever Dog, Bressner led ad sales for cable network Z Living.

About Forever Dog

Forever Dog is a media company and leading producer of original, offbeat and boundary-pushing comedy podcasts, including 30+ weekly shows that garner millions of downloads a month. Founded in 2016 by creatives and entrepreneurs Brett Boham, Joe Cilio and Alex Ramsey, Forever Dog’s popular and critically acclaimed podcasts feature a diverse roster of respected comedians, including James Adomian, Alaska, Abby Elliott, Sabrina Jalees, Bowen Yang, Patti Harrison, Jo Firestone, Kevin McDonald, Catherine Cohen, Brett Davis, Jamie Lee, Mitra Jouhari, Rhea Butcher and the creators of TBS’s Search Party, among many others. Forever Dog shows span myriad genres and topics, and include Las Culturistas, Race Chaser, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Seek Treatment, A Woman’s Smile, Teen Creeps, Food 4 THOT, The Goodie Goodie, The Unofficial Expert, Black Men Can’t Jump in Hollywood, Dark Tank, The Underculture, Beyond and more. The company also recently partnered with National Lampoon to develop Forever Dog podcasts for television and streaming platforms.