About
Scott Hums is a content team leader with a results-oriented mindset. Scott approaches managing a team empathetically, with the heart of a teacher. He has experience developing training and coaching programs to deliver record-breaking results.
He excels at bringing a diverse team together and leading them to success through clear strategic planning and vision, collaboration, innovative thinking and integrity.
Director of Content
Scott is a leader with a results-oriented mindset. He has been a member of senior leadership at multiple TV stations across the country, guiding his teams through workflow and technology changes as well as major station changes and crises. Scott has inspired and motivated his teams to perform at a high level, dominating market share for web traffic and social engagement.
He excels at using data and previous experience to understand an audience, then applying that understanding to create a strategic plan to engage viewers and users with thoughtful content initiatives and audience development tactics. Scott can communicate with authority across multiple departments and seniority levels, translating complicated concepts and initiatives into department-specific language. He approaches managing a team with the heart of a teacher. He has experience developing training and coaching programs to deliver record-breaking results from the most skilled digital native to a novice digital transplant.
Scott has successfully implemented dramatic workflow changes by merging the assignment desk and digital teams at multiple TV news stations and has experience building a positive, high-performing work culture. He has a track record of constantly learning and expanding his skillset to fit new challenges, such as learning web development skills to fill an important area of need at WTHR. Scott's work has been honored with multiple broadcast industry awards, including winning a Technical Achievement Emmy for developing an election touch screen application.
Experience
Director of Content, WTHR-TV
June 2022 - Present
INDIANAPOLIS — Leader of WTHR newsroom and responsible for content across all WTHR broadcast and digital platforms. Focused on improving communication and setting a clear strategy for the broadcast operation. Graduated from TEGNA’s Executive Leadership program in October, 2022.
Digital Director, WTHR-TV
August 2015 – June 2022
Leader of WTHR digital platforms including WTHR.com, WTHR News and Weather apps, OTT apps and social media. A member of the newsroom and station management team. Developed and executed content strategies across all platforms. Managed and tracked analytics and brought real time data and social discovery visualizations into the newsroom.
Digital Media Director, WISH-TV
December 2012 - August 2015
INDIANAPOLIS — Responsible for overall direction of station's digital and social operations and strategy. Digital department head. Managed digital content team, website developer, and coordinated efforts with the digital sales team. Oversaw three relaunches of main website. Managed creation of several innovative content initiatives including mapping software, databases, election results, special home page navigation, and special investigative templates.
Adjunct Instructor, University of Indianapolis
January 2019 - May 2019
INDIANAPOLIS — Taught one semester of DIGI-410: Digital Analytics for the University of Indianapolis. The class covered web and social analytics, advertising metrics as well as strategies on how to analyze data and create data-based action plans across multiple platforms.
Web Channel Director, KTVX-TV / KUCW-TV
August 2008 - December 2012
SALT LAKE CITY — Responsible for overall direction of website content and sales. Developed workflow plans for breaking news, daily news, and video publishing. Led adoption of social media for the overall brand and for newsroom journalists. Increased content numbers four-fold and grew website traffic into second place as a fourth-rated station according to comScore.
Web Channel Director, WNDU-TV
May 2007 - August 2008
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Responsible for overall direction of website content and sales. Started social media effort. Web department head. Developed and launched business directory. Managed SEO/SEM. Negotiated partnerships with third party websites to increase traffic. Won an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Website.
Photojournalist / Editor / Producer, WNDU-TV
May 2002 - May 2007
Special assignment producer, photographer and editor responsible for long form series and sports content. Work included station special events like 50-year anniversary special, Notre Dame Football pregame show and syndicated Notre Dame Football coach’s show. Also covered general assignment news photography and editing. Won multiple awards from Indiana AP, SPJ, RTNDA, and NPPA.
Photographer / Editor / Producer, WIPB-TV
2001 - 2004
MUNCIE, Ind0 — Executive Producer / Director / Segment Producer / Graphic Designer for half hour feature/light news program. Photojournalist / Editor / Director for daily news program. Shot video as requested by various Ball State University departments and programs.
Photojournalist / Editor, WSJV-TV
May 1999 - August 2001
ELKHART, Ind. — General assignment news photographer and editor. Worked extensively with sports department on half-hour Friday night high school sports show.
For a more detailed dive into Scott's experience, please go to linkedin.com/in/scotthums.
Education
B.A., Telecommunications — Ball State University
2001-2004
Graduated with an emphasis in television production. Took classes in web writing, management, and television production. Member of RTNDA and SPJ. Photojournalist/Editor for the CNN Student Bureau program. Production manager for the WCRH student TV program. Executive Producer for live half hour student newscasts and directed live newscasts. Won the national SPJ award for news photography and 8 regional SPJ awards. Honored by peers twice as Member of the Year for different TV programs. Took classes at Indiana University South Bend in 2000-2001 while working full time at WSJV.
Leadership Certificate, University of South Florida
2021
Completed a 20 hour training program on inclusive and ethical leadership from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business M3 Center.
Executive Leadership Program, TEGNA
2022
Selected to and graduated from TEGNA's Executive Leadership Program. The program was designed to challenge attendees to think and act differently as senior leaders. The program focused on Leadership Self Awareness and also tackled topics like Leading Individuals for High Performance, Leading Teams for Results, and Leading Strategically for Innovation and Change.
Skills
- Broadcast and digital content workflow optimization.
- Analysis of broadcast / digital metrics to develop, maintain and evolve strategic action plans.
- History of building innovative and award-winning solutions for digital and broadcast content.
- Experience managing budgets and negotiating vendor contracts.
- Background teaching complex processes and concepts in both work and classroom settings.
- Experience with project management using Jira and Monday.com software.
- Website management including digital content creation, SEO and daily use of website metric tools including Google Analytics, Chartbeat and Adobe Analytics.
- Digital sales management including creating presentations, tracking sales, executing campaigns.