SPOTLIGHT: MARY KATE MCGRATH
Chief Brand Officer, Gallery Media Group
Mary Kate McGrath is the Chief Brand Officer of Gallery Media Group, a rapidly growing digital media company that includes women’s lifestyle brand PureWow, the youth male culture brand, ONE37pm, a podcast arm featuring The CMO Podcast with Jim Stengel, Card Talk, Royally Obsessed and a large scale social media portfolio across Instagram and TikTok. In this role, she leads brand innovations and spearheads new business initiatives for the organization. McGrath is an operator with a demonstrated history of working across a range of organizations to scale brands, attract talent and grow revenue.
Before rejoining Gallery Media Group, McGrath was the Chief Operating Officer at Some Spider Studios, which was acquired by Bustle Digital Group in 2021. For seven years prior, McGrath held a number of positions with PureWow and Gallery Media Group. She first joined as PureWow’s Editor-in-Chief in 2013, where she was responsible for overseeing content and creative strategy, the launch of new verticals, production of custom content for advertisers and the expansion of video series. In 2017, she was promoted to Chief Content Officer at Gallery Media Group, where she oversaw the launch of ONE37pm, the advent of Gallery Podcast Co., and the launch of a portfolio of social-first brands. She joined PureWow after more than a decade in media, including positions at InStyle, Real Simple, and Travel & Leisure.
McGrath has appeared as a lifestyle expert on TODAY and Good Morning America, among others. In 2018 she became a board member of Quesnay’s “Female Founders in Tech,” a program that recognizes and supports female-led innovative startups that positively impact financial services, while providing innovative solutions to corporations seeking innovation. She is currently a mentor for the 92Y Women inPower program and a board member of New York Women in Communications
Five Questions for Mary Kate:
- WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO JOIN THE NYWICI BOARD OF DIRECTORS?
I care deeply that the media landscape is as welcoming to its rising stars as it was to me. I believe NYWICI is the way to bring new talent into the fold and make them feel welcome.
- WHAT PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE DO YOU LIVE BY?
Find your tribe. Find the people you can trust and talk to. Even if you don’t work with them on a daily basis, everyone needs their work circle of trust.
- WHAT’S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I am wildly afraid of birds. Love them in art and on wallpapers, hate them at the beach.
- WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU’VE WATCHED, LISTENED TO AND/OR READ IN THE PAST MONTH?
Loved watching Loot with Maya Rudolph and Yellowstone with Beth Dutton, and adored the book, “When Breath Becomes Air,” by Paul Kalanithi.
- WHAT 5 PEOPLE, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU INVITE FOR DINNER?
Michelle and Barack Obama, Whitney Houston, my Grandmother, and the writer, Calvin Trillin.
