HILL CLIMBING AT MTV NETWORKS

Janet "King Of The" Hill has the "greenlight" at MTV Networks, where she has been named head of West Coast Communications by Executive VP Communications Carole Robinson "Crusoe." She replaces Linda Alexander, recently named Sr. VP Communications for MTV Latin America (see 7/31 story).

Hill comes to MTV from Miramax Films, where she was Executive Vice President of Publicity, overseeing national campaigns for such films as In the Bedroom, Shakespeare in Love, Good Will Hunting, Pulp Fiction and the recent HBO joint venture Project Greenlight.

Hill will be responsible for all internal and external communications for MTV Networks’ West Coast offices, including business, trade and consumer publicity and feeding Trakin and Pollack free lunch at the Ivy every month or so. The position also entails managing media relations and community outreach for programming, production, ancillary businesses, events and feature films for MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies, as well as promoting West Coast-based events such as Kid’s Choice Awards, The MTV VH1 Awards and MTV’s Icon.

Said Robinson: "Janet brings tremendous experience to MTV Networks, and she will be a key asset to our company and our film business in particular. Apart from having a background that is a great fit for us, Janet has excellent relationships with the media, is a strategic and creative communications person and is a great manager of people. At least that’s what she told me in the job interview."

Hill began her communications career at Tri-Star Pictures in 1987, then was a Senior Account Executive at PMK Public Relations. She was also a partner at Yorke & Hill Public Relations, handling campaigns for New Line Cinema and Twentieth Century Fox.

Ariana Urbont and Vanessa Reyes-Smith are expected to be raised to Senior Directors Corporate Communications in the move.