Rebecca Howard

As Senior Vice President of Emerging Platforms and Partnerships at Discovery Communications, Rebecca Howard leads strategy, programming and production for Discovery Communications’ Webby- and Shorty-award winning Discovery VR brand portfolio and drives social initiatives and new partnerships in collaboration with the company’s U.S. networks leadership. Howard assumes leadership of Discovery VR as the product surpasses 2M downloads and reaches 100M views across platforms. Since its launch in August 2015, the offering has grown to include over 130 immersive experiences, from network extensions to branded content and standalone videos. Prior to joining Discovery in this capacity, Howard served as a strategic virtual reality advisor for several digital-focused companies, including Discovery. Previously, Howard served as General Manager of Video at The New York Times, where she was responsible for developing and growing the company’s video content across platforms, overseeing content strategy, branding, marketing and distribution, and leading the launch of Times Video, which received an Emmy nomination for Modern Love and an Emmy win for A Short History of the High-rise. She also led the launch of New York Times VR and oversaw the launch of the company’s first VR film, Walking New York, created in partnership with Chris Milk. Howard also previously served as Head of Development at AOL/Huffington Post Media Group, where she oversaw the production, development and launch of original scripted and non-scripted series, and as VP Production, Fox Digital Studios at 20th Century Fox, where she created original programming, branded entertainment and various integrated marketing initiatives. Howard has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Vermont. She is based in Discovery’s Los Angeles office.