Otto Bell Named SVP and Chief Creative Officer

NEW YORK, NY – February 22, 2023 – Otto Bell has been named SVP and Chief Creative Officer of CNN Worldwide, overseeing the creative marketing department and reporting to Kristine Coratti Kelly, the EVP and Head of Global Communications. Bell joins CNN after eight years as Founder and CCO of Courageous, the commercial brand studio for CNN. He now oversees on-air and off-channel brand and marketing for all CNN Worldwide businesses including CNN, CNN International, CNN Digital and CNN en Español.

In his eight years at Courageous, Bell worked closely with numerous CNN teams to deliver hundreds of campaigns for hundreds of advertisers; all while pioneering profitable new revenue streams such as brand-funded Short Form Documentaries, Events and Experiences, VR/AR, Live Advertising, High Impact Digital Takeovers, Podcasts, Feature Films and Series.

Prior to Courageous, Bell helped found and lead Ogilvy’s Entertainment practice. As Creative Director he developed new media models and produced numerous brand-funded television series with partners such as BBC World News, CNBC, Nat Geo and Discovery. Before that, Bell worked in Brand Positioning, Brand Planning and Copywriting roles over three years in London, Paris and Shanghai as part of WPP’s prestigious “Fellowship” scheme.

In addition to his work in the corporate world, Bell is also an acclaimed independent Documentary Director and Producer. His debut feature “The Eagle Huntress” premiered at Sundance and sold to Sony Pictures Classics. It became the highest grossing documentary of the year, was nominated for BAFTA, PGA, DGA Awards and shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar. Bell’s other work includes “The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima” which premiered at Telluride, sold to Vice, and was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy. He is currently in post-production on his next documentary feature, “The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu” based on the NYT bestseller of the same title.

Bell has won every major creative award in the advertising industry – including over 300 while at Courageous. He has spoken on-stage at CES, SXSW, Cannes Lions, MIPCOM and TEDx. He was named one of “10 Directors to Watch” by Variety, a “Young Influential” by Adweek, a “Resident Fellow” of The Explorers Club, received a Murrow Award for “Innovation in Journalism” and became a Naturalized Citizen of the USA for his “Outstanding Contributions to American Arts and Media.” Bell holds a Masters in English Language and Literature from Oxford University.

Bell is based out of CNN’s New York bureau.

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About CNN Worldwide
CNN Worldwide is the most honored brand in cable news, reaching more individuals on television and online than any other cable news organization in the United States. Globally, CNN International is the most widely distributed news channel. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors and video viewers than any other news source. The award-winning portfolio of CNN includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and documentary feature and short films for broadcast, streaming and distribution by CNN Films across multiple platforms. CNN programming can be found on CNN, CNN International, HLN and CNN en Español channels, on the CNN Originals hub on discovery+ on HBO Max and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.