Paul Hoffman Named Publisher of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Posted on June 25, 1997

Magazine and Television personality Paul Hoffman will join Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. as senior vice president and publisher, the company announced today.

Hoffman joins Britannica from the Walt Disney Company where he was president and editor-in-chief of Discover Magazine. He additionally was responsible for the prime-time TV series Discover Magazine and for video, theme park, and new media versions of the magazine. Hoffman also headed Disney's special-interest magazine group, where he worked on new magazine ideas, such as the soon-to-be-launched ESPN Magazine. He has been a special correspondent for the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning. This fall he will host the five-part PBS series Great Minds of Science. He is the author of ten books and a contributor to national magazines.

Don Yannias, chief executive officer of Britannica, said, "An executive of Paul Hoffman's caliber brings obvious experience and talent. And his intellectual credentials are impressive. But what will make Paul a valuable member of our team is the perfect match between his skills and our needs. He also shares our regard for Britannica's tradition of excellence and passion for its mission. Furthermore, he clearly appreciates our treasure, the database of knowledge we have collected over the centuries."

"As you can imagine, a 229-year-old company has gone through many transitions. We are going through one now, and Paul will play a key role as we navigate toward success in the 21st century. His primary responsibilities will be work with our 150-person editorial department to nurture and shape our world-renowned product and services and to extend our trusted brand into popular new content offerings. He also will help extend the company's brand identity through strategic alliances. Paul also will direct our Merriam-Webster subsidiary.