Vice Media has hired ABC News veteran Van Scott to be vp of communications.
Scott will lead all U.S. communications for the company, which includes the Vice digital brands, the Viceland cable channel and a TV show on Showtime. He will report to Laura Misselbrook, Vice’s senior VP of communications, who is based in London.
Scott was most recently at ABC News, where he led coverage around political coverage and breaking news, and worked on the network’s flagship evening newscast World News Tonight with David Muir. He had previously worked at CNN.
“Vice Media is a brand I’ve always respected, and especially in the last few years, the award-winning and bold work has been second to none,” Scott said in a statement. “I am delighted to join this formidable, creative and talented team during an era of great expansion. I look forward to hitting the ground running to help the company reach new heights.”
Scott departs ABC News just a few weeks before the network news division gets a new president. Kim Godwin will step in to lead the Disney-owned news division in May. Scott’s boss at ABC News, Julie Townsend, also announced her departure this week, saying she would join an “iconic American company” outside of the media business to lead its communications.
Vice, meanwhile, is said to be in talks to go public via a SPAC merger.