Annie Howell is chief communications officer of Hallmark Media where she oversees all company communication functions, including corporate communications, media relations, publicity, and government relations, as well as talent relations and events. She provides strategic counsel to Hallmark executives and is the lead communications liaison with parent company, Hallmark Cards. Howell, who served a previous tenure at Hallmark Media as executive vice president of corporate communications & publicity from 2010 - 2014, also serves as the company’s primary spokesperson.
A seasoned communications executive with over 30 years of experience, Howell has extensive experience leading teams that excel in strategic communications, entertainment publicity and promotion, crisis communications, public relations, reputation management, brand launches, talent management, and social media. She is a writer, communication and media trainer and is an ICF certified executive coach.
Prior to rejoining Hallmark Media, Howell was principal and co-founder of The Punch Point Group, a communications, training and coaching company, of which she remains an equity partner. Her clients spanned a wide range of organizations, including American Express, Discovery Inc, NBC Universal, Showtime, CuriosityStream, MTA of New York, Netflix, TNT, George Washington University, National Wildlife Federation, UN Foundation, Phillipe Cousteau’s EarthEcho International, Disney/ESPN, Penguin Random House, and Hallmark Media, among others.
Prior to launching The Punch Point Group, Howell served as the interim head of communications at AMC Network’s SundanceTV in New York, where she played an integral role as a member of the organization’s senior leadership team during a management transition and restructure. While at Sundance, Annie led the brand’s comprehensive PR strategy, talent management, and awards campaigns for the 2015 Peabody Awards, as well as the Primetime Emmys, which garnered multiple nominations for limited series, The Honorable Woman, and lead actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, among others. She launched the second season of The Red Road, starring Jason Momoa and Julianne Nicholson, and the third season of critically acclaimed series, Rectify. She was also responsible for the PR and event campaign strategies for Deutschland 83’, the first German-language series to air on US television.
Previously, Howell’s eleven-year tenure with Discovery Communications included her role as SVP of communications & public affairs at Planet Green and TreeHugger.com, Discovery Communication’s global cross-platform initiative and channel devoted to the environment, and SVP of communications for the company’s U.S. networks division where she oversaw all communications and publicity efforts on behalf of Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Fit TV, Military Channel, Discovery Home, and Discovery Kids Channel. Howell also managed the U.S. division’s global talent management unit and communications for the company’s theatrical film unit (Discovery Films), advertising sales & marketing, distribution and affiliate sales, the Discovery Channel global education partnership, and the Discovery Channel pro cycling team, helmed by Lance Armstrong. Howell joined Discovery in 1999 as the director of communications for the Discovery Health Channel and Discoveryhealth.com, where she was a member of the launch team introducing the television industry’s first channel-website endeavor.
Prior to joining Discovery, Howell was a founding member and vice president at the Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm Powell Tate. She also served in account executive positions with Ogilvy & Mather Public Affairs.
Howell was honored by CableFax as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” in 2012, 2013, and 2021. A 2008 Fellow of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute,
