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Trusted Media Brands
Trusted Media Brands is a community-driven media company founded from Reader's Digest, reaching 200M+ consumers monthly.
Trusted Media Brands
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) traces its roots to Reader's Digest, founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Acheson Wallace. The company today is owned by an investor group that includes the private-equity firm RDA Holding, which acquired Reader's Digest out of bankruptcy in 2013. Bonnie Kintzer served as CEO from 2014 until Stephen Colvin replaced her in June 2025. TMB operates as a diversified media company with multiple revenue streams. Its portfolio includes owned-and-operated websites (exceeding 100 million monthly visits), a collection of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels under brands like FailArmy, The Pet Collective, People Are Awesome, and WeatherSpy, as well as print magazines such as Taste of Home and Family Handyman. The company earns revenue through advertising, user-generated content licensing, native advertising, custom print, data solutions, and consumer products. TMB also operates a video licensing and clearance business serving brands and agencies. Key acquisitions include Jukin Media in 2021 (per Variety, August 2021), which brought viral video assets FailArmy and People Are Awesome. The company employs approximately 1,500 staff across offices in New York, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Gurgaon, India. Total professional headcount is not publicly disclosed. TMB also maintains the Reader's Digest Foundation, established in 1938 to support children's literacy and education. TMB's governance includes an Employee Code of Conduct and Vendor Code of Conduct. The company's Insights Lab produces consumer research from its first-party data. TMB's structural differentiator is its community-driven content model: rather than commissioning original journalism, it curates and amplifies user-generated stories and videos. This lowers production costs while building scale — 2.5 billion monthly video views across social platforms and a FAST channel footprint that ranks among the most-watched globally. The model relies on search- and social-driven traffic rather than a paywall, giving TMB broad reach but limited direct subscriber revenue.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Pleasantville
Corporate office
Pleasantville, NY, United States
Additional offices
New York, NY · Los Angeles, CA · Milwaukee, WI · Gurgaon, India
Principals
Stephen Colvin
Chief Executive Officer
Bonnie Kintzer
former Chief Executive Officer
Bryan Odom
Chief Content Officer, Video & Production
Rose Ferraro
former Chief Revenue Officer
Jack Essig
Chief Revenue Officer
Eric Gillin
Chief Brand Officer
Jennifer Salmieri
SVP, Global Operations
Jill Goldfarb
SVP, Streaming TV
Joe Moschella
Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel
Jonathan Hills
SVP, Product
Leonard Labuschagne
SVP, Technology
George DiGuido
SVP, Consumer Marketing
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Trusted Media Brands?
Trusted Media Brands is a privately held operating company, not an investment firm. Strategic and capital-allocation decisions are made by CEO Stephen Colvin (appointed June 2025) and the board of directors. Bonnie Kintzer was CEO from 2014 to June 2025.
Is Trusted Media Brands a family office or a media company?
TMB is an operating media company, not a family office. It owns and operates brands such as Reader's Digest, Taste of Home, Family Handyman, FailArmy, and People Are Awesome, generating revenue from advertising, licensing, data solutions, and consumer products.
What investment stages does Trusted Media Brands typically target?
TMB does not function as an investment firm making external equity investments. It has acquired companies such as Jukin Media in 2021 but those are strategic additions to its portfolio of owned brands rather than financial investments.
Does Trusted Media Brands participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
TMB does not publicly disclose any LP commitments or direct investment activity. Its acquisitions, such as Jukin Media (per Variety, August 2021), are strategic media purchases rather than financial-sponsor deals.
Which sectors does Trusted Media Brands explicitly avoid?
TMB's content covers wholesome topics including food, home, nature, pets, and positive human-interest stories. The company explicitly curates content that is family-friendly, safe for advertisers, and avoids politics, conflict, and mature themes.
Where does the underlying wealth come from at Trusted Media Brands?
Trusted Media Brands is owned by an investor group that includes the private-equity firm RDA Holding. The original wealth behind Reader's Digest came from the founding couple DeWitt and Lila Wallace, but TMB today is a corporate entity with institutional ownership.
Does Trusted Media Brands maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes, the Reader's Digest Foundation was established in 1938 and is dedicated to children's literacy and educational success. TMB also operates an annual Day of Caring and Holiday Helping Hands programs for employees. These are separate from the company's for-profit operations.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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