Managing Director Named for New King Digital Unit

By: E&P Staff John Soppe has been named managing director of King Digital, a new unit of King Features Syndicate described as "an entertainment enterprise that will deliver a richer user experience for the company?s current syndicated content and will develop new products and services for the online marketplace."

"New communication technologies have changed the way we all access entertainment and information," said King President T.R. "Rocky" Shepard III in a statement. "John has a strong track record in implementing new media and business solutions across a variety of platforms."

Prior to joining King, Soppe spent three-and-a-half years as head of the supply chain services department at ACP Magazines, a large publisher in Australia, where his responsibilities included building business-to-business and consumer Web sites. From 1999 to 2001, he worked for bolero.net, an Internet startup company.

Soppe graduated from Ohio State University in 1992 with a B.S. in engineering.

King distributes about 150 comics, columns, editorial cartoons, and other features. "The challenge and the opportunity," said Soppe, "lie in successfully leveraging our current properties and assets across multiple applications. At the same time, being inspired by the new technologies, we will work closely with our talented creators and new partners such as aggregators and carriers to develop new products and services.