ESPN has appointed longtime PR executive Josh Krulewitz as its new SVP of communications. In this position, Krulewitz will assume the leadership of ESPN’s communications department and work closely with his Disney colleagues to enhance the various ESPN brands and their reputations.
Krulewitz replaces Chris LaPlaca, who is retiring at the end of the year after a remarkable 43-year career with ESPN, 15 of those as head of the communications department.
“Josh is a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic communications leader,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. “I’ve worked closely with Josh for many years and have benefitted from his excellent advice during many challenging situations. I have seen him cultivate countless relationships with media and ESPN colleagues over the years, all of which will benefit him and all of us as we continue to navigate through a complex sports media environment.
Krulewitz will jointly report to Pitaro and Kristina Schake, svp, chief communications officer, The Walt Disney Company.
During his time at ESPN, Krulewitz has worked with nearly every aspect of the company’s business, including all sports (professional, college, and high school) as well as league and event agreements, network and program launches, business communications, special campaigns, issue management, government and investor relations, internal communications and more. He has advised executives, talent, and employees within ESPN on everything from media and employee relations to brand building, narratives, and strategy.
Krulewitz joined ESPN Communications as an intern in 1990 while an undergrad at the University of Connecticut and worked in that intern role for parts of 1990 and 1991 in that intern role before joining full-time as a publicist in July of 1992.
He rose through the ranks with multiple promotions, eventually being named vice president in 2006.
Among the successful publicity campaigns he has been involved with include the launches of ESPN2 and ESPNU, the X Games, and the SEC and ACC Networks; ESPN’s unprecedented coverage of the entire NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament; ESPN anniversary celebrations; agreements with the NFL, SEC, MLB, NBA, CFP, XFL, Wimbledon, ACC, NCAA, U.S. Open tennis and more.
Krulewitz has also been part of PR campaigns and traditional media relations involving ESPN content initiatives, including First Take, the ESPYS, E60, College GameDay, SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, and SportsCentury.
Krulewitz begins his new assignment on Dec. 31.