Yellowhammer Multimedia is proud to announce that Brian “B.J.” Ellis has accepted an exciting new opportunity, departing the company to embark on this next step in his career journey.
Most recently, Ellis was serving as chief executive officer of Yellowhammer Multimedia, helping spearhead the company’s growth as one of the nation’s most successful state-focused media platforms. He originally joined the company, which includes Yellowhammer News, Yellowhammer Podcast Network and Yellowhammer Radio Network, in 2016 as its first head of business development before being elevated to the CEO role.
With the company’s revenue and audience size reaching record highs and continuing to rapidly grow, it is bittersweet to celebrate Ellis’ new job as partner and chief business development officer of Birmingham-based Telegraph Creative.
Yellowhammer owner and publisher Allison Ross explained that Ellis has provided immeasurable value to Yellowhammer’s audience and partners. Thanking him for his tremendous contributions, Ross emphasized the company Ellis helped build is also entering a new era in its own right.
“We could not be prouder of B.J., nor can words express the appreciation we have for the years of exemplary service he provided to Yellowhammer and, through his role, so many people across Alabama,” Ross said. “It is a great testament to his work that this exciting opportunity came to fruition.”
She concluded, “We wish B.J. the very best as he and Yellowhammer enter into these new chapters, which I know will be even more fruitful than the last.”
In his new job, Ellis will lead the implementation of Telegraph’s strategic growth plan and will join the company’s executive committee.
“B.J. has a well-earned reputation for being a world-class networker, but the reason he’s so successful building relationships is that he genuinely wants to help people,” Telegraph CEO Kevin McLendon said in a statement on Monday. “That makes him a perfect fit for Telegraph’s culture. Clients trust B.J. because they know he cares about their business and will go to the ends of the earth to make sure they are taken care of. That client-focused approach is an important part of what sets Telegraph apart. We couldn’t be more excited about adding B.J. to our team.”
“I’ve admired Telegraph’s work and culture of innovation for a long time,” Ellis remarked. “I’m looking forward to being a part of the team, accelerating the company’s growth, and providing the highest possible level of service to our clients and partners.”
In 2016, then-Yellowhammer CEO and current Telegraph Creative president Cliff Sims recruited Ellis to join Yellowhammer as its first chief business development officer. When Sims took a leave of absence to work on the Trump presidential campaign in New York, he tapped Ellis to temporarily run the company in his absence. Ellis then became Yellowhammer’s second CEO after Sims accepted a permanent job in the White House.
Ellis lives in Birmingham with his wife (Courtney), three daughters (Payton, Carli and Harper) and their dog Marco (a Belgian Malinois they adopted after it served two combat tours in Afghanistan as a military working dog).
Courtney continues in her business development role at Yellowhammer Multimedia.
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