C.J. Kettler

C.J. Kettler is the president of King Features, a division of Hearst Newspapers, and serves as a HearstLab Scout. Kettler joined Hearst in 2017 and is leading the evolution of King Features, which boasts a portfolio of world-class IP including comics, puzzles and pop culture brand franchises such as Popeye, the Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Betty Boop and Cuphead. She is focused on digital transformation, entertainment, merchandising/licensing and direct-to-consumer businesses. The Cuphead Show!, an animated series of 1930s-inspired cartoons, is set to debut on Netflix in mid-2021.

A media industry leader with broad management and digital experience, Kettler was EVP, consumer brands and strategy, at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt until May 2017, where she successfully transitioned Channel One News into an educational product, launched Curious World, a mobile subscription service for millennial families, and produced the Emmy-nominated animated series Carmen Sandiego, which premiered on Netflix in January 2019. She joined Channel One News, owned by private equity firm Zelnick Media, as CEO and chair in November 2012 and led the sale of the company to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ: HMHC) in May 2014.