Critical Role has announced that they've hired former Hallmark Channel Vice President of Product Alyssa Zeisler as their General Manager for Beacon. The hire is meant to, in Critical Role's words, "level up and evolve" Beacon for its next era. According to the press release, Zeisler will oversee Beacon’s product roadmap, business performance, content and platform strategy, as well as the continued evolution of Beacon as a community hub, creator-led ecosystem, and a central destination for all things Critical Role and TTRPGs.
Zeisler comes from outside of the TTRPG sphere, having most recently been Vice President of Product at Hallmark Media, where she helped relaunch the Hallmark+ streaming and commerce platform. She also worked at Dow Jones, where she was Vice President of Subscription and Strategic Products and Research & Development Chief at The Wall Street Journal, and Barron, where she was Audience Managing Editor.
“Beacon is central to how we think about the future of Critical Role, and it’s time for it to level up and evolve,” said Travis Willingham, CEO and Co-founder of Critical Role, in the press release. “Alyssa brings exactly the kind of leadership this next phase requires. She understands how to build lasting, audience-first platforms at scale, and her experience leading subscription and direct-to-consumer businesses makes her a perfect fit to help Beacon grow while staying true to the unique authenticity that makes Critical Role what it is.”
