TheStreet chairman: Branded content will increase revenues

TheStreet.com chairman Larry Kramer sent the following announcement to the staff on Wednesday:

All,

As you know, we are working on several new ways to increase revenues.  One of the most promising ideas to come out of our discussions is to create a new content operation specifically to help our customers, particularly our B-to-B customers using BoardEx and The Deal, tell highly customized stories to their many constituencies.   The idea is to help them communicate to those audiences. They need help doing that, and it’s a natural and fitting extension of what we do at TheStreet.

We are moving quickly and decisively into this growing space by creating a new custom media division called “Blue Chip Content Studio.”

I’ve asked Jeff Kanige to run content for this new division as its “Creative Director” reporting to Michael Crosby, president of The Deal. Emily Newman will lead business development efforts for this new initiative.

Jeff and Emily will help the many brands with whom we work to develop and execute their customized content strategies, something many companies are trying to do today.  Jeff will draw on his long experience as a top editor with his fantastic knowledge of the institutional businesses and industries we serve.  This is a critical part of our effort to build a growth company, and we are counting on Jeff’s long experience as a storyteller to help give us a leg up in the competition for this lucrative new business.

Tara Murphy will remain as Managing Editor, and will run the newsroom, reporting to her new boss, Dave Callaway.

I will continue to bug all of them.

We are announcing this publicly this morning.

Thank you for the support and, as always, please let me know of any questions.