Erika Ayers Badan, the chief executive officer of Food52, is joining the board of directors for Vice Media as the company expands its foray into sports programming. Ayers Badan, the former chief executive officer of Barstool Sports, will be the only independent director on the board as the company’s sports division embarks on several unscripted projects. The news of Ayers Badan joining the board of directors for Vice Media was first reported by Dade Hayes of Deadline.
Vice Sports recently released the first episode of a three-part series surrounding the legacies of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady hosted by Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. Moreover, the division will be premiering a new six-part docuseries about John Calipari’s first season as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball team next month, which was produced by Omaha Productions. Vice Sports also announced a broadcast partnership with Arena Football One that grants it the right to Sunday Nights in the Arena in prime time starting in mid-March.
“Erika is an innovative media executive, who brings significant digital, sports and content creation experience to the Vice board,” Mike Lang, executive chairman of Vice Media, said in a statement. “We look forward to leveraging her expertise as we enter our next phase of strategic growth – with Erika joining our Board being the latest example of the momentum we’re building at Vice.”
Outside of her work in management and marketing roles for brands such as Yahoo, AOL and Bkstg, Ayers Badan has served on various company boards in the past. In addition to Vice Media, she is also a board member for Malaria No More, Axon and the Premier Lacrosse League.
“I have always had so much respect for the Vice brand and mission to be an authentic and alternative voice,” Ayers Badan said in a statement. “I spent a lot of time studying Vice as we were building Barstool Sports, and it’s exciting to be part of the company’s future. I look forward to partnering with Mike and the board.”
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