Ex-Tribune executive Dan Strauss hired to grow TheWrap

The former top digital executive at Tribune Publishing, who left last September, has landed as the chief product officer of TheWrap, a Hollywood online news site.

Dan Strauss, based in Los Angeles, had been the senior vice president and general manager of entertainment and lifestyle at the Los Angeles Times starting in November 2017, but stayed with the parent company Tronc — as Tribune was known briefly — when the LA Times was in the process of being sold to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

He started with TheWrap June 1 as its first chief product officer.

The hire comes as TheWrap battles the 800-pound gorilla of Penske Media, which owns TheWrap’s one-time bitter online rival, Deadline, as well as the leading trades, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Sharon Waxman, founder and editor in chief, said Strauss will be charged with growing subscriptions, developing new products and seeking licensing and partnership deals as the company rebounds from COVID-19, which shut down much of Holylwood.

Strauss, earlier in his career, spent nearly three years as the digital general manager of The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard from 2013 to 2016 under its previous ownership.

“TheWrap has entered a new phase of growth after emerging successfully from the challenges of the pandemic year,” said Waxman, who launched the company in 2009 with backing from Starbucks founder Howard Schultz.

She didn’t disclose financials, but said the company is no longer in investment mode and is making a profit.

“Dan is a key element of that growth strategy and an important addition to our top-notch management team,” she said.