PRESS RELEASE: John Gower Promoted to Vice President of Future Plus

8th Jul 2010 14:00

John Gower Promoted to Vice President of Future Plus SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKETWIRE) -- 07/08/10 -- Future US, the special-interest media company, today announced the promotion of John Gower to Vice President of Future Plus, the company's custom publishing division. Gower oversees the strategy, editorial direction and business performance for all of Future Plus' media including the just-launched @Gamer magazine, developed for customers of Best Buy; World of Warcraft: Official Magazine, produced in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment Inc.; NVISION, created for NVIDIA; and Crochet Today!, which supports the marketing efforts of crafts leader Coats & Clark. Other Future Plus partners include Apple, Kmart, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, RIM and Toys"R"Us. "John is developing a big business for Future, as continuing shifts in entertainment and technology create new communications challenges for marketers," said John Marcom, President of Future US. "We are finding that custom print and digital programs help deepen and extend customer relationships in ways that conventional advertising messaging just can't." "Our ability to produce targeted, beautiful and highly measurable magazines and websites has made Future Plus one of the fastest growing custom publishing agencies in the US. Our primary role is to develop profitable conversations with customers for some of the biggest brands in the world," said Gower. "As mainstream brands like Best Buy look for a unique way to connect with their customers -- including the millions of gamers who frequent their stores -- Future Plus truly meets that need in a way that no other content creator can." Gower joined Future in 2004 and using his 15 years of media experience, helped make Future Plus UK an award-winning publishing force, securing business from major retailers, blue-chip companies and globally recognized brands. In 2007, he transferred to Future US to lead the newly created Future Plus US custom publishing division. Gower has established partnerships with NVIDIA, Toys"R"Us, Best Buy, and Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., which resulted in the 2010 launch of the ultimate World of Warcraft magazine targeted at the more than 11.5 million gamers across the globe. Under Gower's leadership, Future Plus develops independent publications that have built in consumer and advertising revenue streams, which offset partnership risk. The division's unique approach helped it achieve a 24 percent revenue gain in the first half of 2010. About Future Future plc is an international special-interest media group that is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: FUTR). Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK and US creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interests. We hold strong market positions in games, music, technology, action sports, film, automotive and crafts. Our biggest-selling magazines in the US include Official Xbox Magazine, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, Nintendo Power, PC Gamer, Guitar World, Maximum PC and Mac|Life, while our UK business publishes leading titles such as T3, Total Film, Digital Camera, Fast Car and Classic Rock. Our web sites include GamesRadar, BikeRadar, TechRadar, and MusicRadar. Future sells over 4 million magazines each month; we attract more than 11 million unique visitors to our websites; and we host 16 annual live events that attract hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts. In addition, Future exports, syndicates or licenses its publications to 90 countries internationally, making us the UK's biggest exporter of monthly magazines. Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1301940 Media Contact Heather Sorensen Plugged In PR for Future US 503-841-0625 [email protected] Brigit Valencia Plugged In PR for Future US 360-597-4516 [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 08, 2010 09:00 ET (13:00 GMT)