July 16, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Common Sense Media announced today that Anne Kallin Zehren has been named president of the organization. Zehren will assume her duties effective immediately.

An award-winning marketer, Zehren joins Common Sense after years as a media executive with Current TV, Teen People, Glamour, and Newsweek.

"Simply put, Anne knows how to build lasting, successful consumer brands, and we couldn’t be happier to have her here helping turn Common Sense into a household name," said Common Sense Media CEO and Founder James P. Steyer. "Kids today are using more media than ever – in fact, they actually spend more than twice as much time with the media than they do with their parents. Moms and dads are looking for a way to make sure that they – not the media – are the primary influence in their kids’ lives. Common Sense is the answer to this issue, and Anne is the person to bring Common Sense to millions of parents across the country."

Zehren’s record as an executive has been marked by the creation of strong consumer brands which, when combined with innovative marketing tactics, have experienced robust and sustained growth.

Previously, Anne was the president of sales and marketing for Al Gore’s Current TV. While there, she helped create, launch, and brand the first cross-platform television network – and the first to feature viewer-created content. Under her leadership, Current experienced extraordinary growth and attracted significant advertising revenue.

As the founding publisher of Teen People, Zehren launched and oversaw one of the fastest-growing magazines and teen Web sites ever. Teen People’s circulation increased by more than 200 percent in its first four years, and after five years, the magazine’s readership had topped 10 million. To keep the magazine’s content unique and relevant, she established a network of 12,000 ahead-of-the-curve readers called TrendspottersTM who helped advise editorial decisions.

“I’m so excited to step into this role because I fundamentally believe in Common Sense’s mission,” Zehren said. “As a mother myself, I know how difficult it can be to get control over the massive amounts of media in kids’ lives and the profound impact it can have on their well being. I believe if parents use www.commonsense.com we will have a happier, smarter, and more engaged generation of kids. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is the nation's leading nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the impact of media and entertainment on kids and families. Common Sense Media provides trustworthy ratings and reviews of media and entertainment based on child development criteria created by leading national experts.