TruthCo. Shifts Leadership and Initiates Board

-Branding and Cultural Insights Firm Announces Key Executive Changes and New Hires-

Pioneering omnicultural branding and insights firm TruthCo. announced today a change in top leadership, with COO Vernon Church adding the role of President to his duties. The move comes as CEO and Founder Linda Ong pares down her daily management of the business to focus on TruthCo.’s key client brands, public speaking and strategic opportunities, including her first book. The leadership shift coincides with the establishment of the company’s board to include Church and veteran strategy consultant Mark Gilbertson, as well as Ong.

Ong will continue as the company’s CEO, developing brand strategy and expanding the company’s offering into new verticals, including the Hospitality and Luxury categories. In addition, Ong will expand her public speaking and thought leadership to other industries and is working on her first book, Hugging the Curve: Learning to Love the Culture of Change, which will explore and explain society’s current fascination with culture.

“I am thrilled to watch the company I have built from the ground up since 2000 grow into a media industry leader. I’m excited to have Vernon take our core business to the next level,” said TruthCo. CEO and Founder Linda Ong. “We are at an exciting and challenging time of transition in the TV industry and TruthCo. is deeply committed to helping businesses in that industry thrive.”

TruthCo.’s insights work with high-profile media and entertainment companies has cemented its leadership in semiotic analysis of the evolving consumer landscape, decoding societal shifts in order for brands to be cultural leaders. In the past year, the company has grown twofold and expanded operations to Los Angeles.

Truth Co. made two new hires in the New York office: Brian LaRock as head of finance and Rajiv Menon as cultural analyst. LaRock will oversee TruthCo.’s finances, accounting, human resources and tax matters. He most recently served as CFO for NewsCred, Inc., raising $37M in capital for the content marketing start-up. Menon will be conducting custom and syndicated cultural analyses on topics and genres that keep television and entertainment businesses relevant. Menon earned a Ph.D. from NYU and worked on brand insights and strategy projects with media and technology clients as a Research Executive at Flamingo. This rapid growth will now be led with singular oversight from Vernon Church as the new President.

Church has been COO of TruthCo. since March 2014 and was brought on to streamline the company and run day-to-day operations. Before joining TruthCo., he led digital and creative teams at HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley and Sons, Blue Man Productions, TMP Worldwide and UGO.

“Having the chance to work with a visionary leader like Linda and the talented team we’ve built is a dream job for anyone helming a company,” said TruthCo. President and COO Vernon Church. “We’re going to do some amazing things over the next few years and I’m honored to be part of that journey.”

TruthCo. is an omnicultural branding and insights company that analyzes the current cultural landscape to deliver actionable recommendations that keep entertainment brands and their offerings relevant. Connect with TruthCo. at www.truthco.net or on Twitter @TeamTruthCo.

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