David Kang to Head Up Rolling Stone, Us Weekly Online

David Kang will be leaving his post at Hearst to take charge of online publishing for Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal. As Wenner Media’s chief digital officer Kang will have full P&L responsibility for sites that command 13.2 unique monthly visitors.

The new post was “too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Kang told paidContent. As “an avid hard rock guitar player, having an opportunity to work for an iconic music brand like Rolling Stone is an ‘Almost Famous’ moment for me.”

Kang says he will “focus on a brand-centric model based on user preferences, data and a seamless multiplatform experience with multiple revenue streams.” That will involve building strategic partnerships with companies like Spotify and deepening relationships with advertisers through multiplatform integrated deals and branded entertainment campaigns.

He will start work at Wenner on January 20, less than 10 months after
he joined Hearst in March of 2011 where he had been developing digital apps, mobile sites, branded YouTube channels and e-books for titles like Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan. Since August of 2007 Kang was SVP and general manager of online subscription services at Rodale which publishes health magazines like Men’s Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Running Times, and Organic Gardening. Before that Kang was SVP of entertainment for Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

David Kang has a bewildering array of academic degrees, including a B.A from Stanford, an MA from Harvard, a PhD from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School.