Maya Watson           

maya_watson2Vice President, Marketing | OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Maya Watson is an Emmy®-award winning Vice President of Marketing and Social Media at OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, the fastest growing cable network in the history of cable.  She has more than eight years of experience in creating integrated marketing campaigns across multiple mediums. In less than seven years, Maya went from intern to Vice President, making her the youngest executive at OWN.  President Erik Logan call her a “rising star within the company,” and in 2014 Maya was selected by Broadcasting & Cable as one of their Top 40 Cable Executives Under 40 and in 2015 was named Forbes magazine the Top 30 under 30 in Marketing and Advertising.

At OWN, Maya is responsible for conceiving, designing and executing marketing strategies across all of Oprah Winfrey’s and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s social media platforms and integrating them on-air and at live events. She’s an integral part of the Oprah’s Lifeclass team that won a primetime interactive Emmy for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Social TV experience in 2013.  She has also created and developed fully integrated campaigns and strategies for the top scripted shows on television including Greenleaf, Queen Sugar and Tyler Perry’s the Haves and the Have Nots, as well as SuperSoul Sunday and other top OWN shows.

Prior to OWN, Maya worked as a Regional Field Director for Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign in 2008, ESPN networks and CBS Television.

Maya Watson participates in a number of community initiatives that extend outside of work.  She currently serves on the board of I am That Girl, a world-renowned non-profit that is shifting girl culture around the world and has served as the co-chair for Chicago’s Young & Powerful and Prepare Yourself For Life, an initiative from the National Urban League.  Maya also speaks across the country at college campuses like USC, Northwestern and Notre Dame.

Originally from Minneapolis, Maya has a BS in Marketing & Advertising from Indiana University and an MS in Integrated Marketing and Communications from Northwestern University.  She resides in Los Angeles with her 11-year-old daughter Michelle and fiancé Ollie Banks.