As Chief Marketing Officer at OverDrive, Jen Leitman leads global brand strategy and marketing for the company’s flagship platforms—Libby, Kanopy, and Sora—used by millions of readers, educators, and film lovers worldwide. She drives cross-functional campaigns that blend creative storytelling with data-driven strategy, positioning OverDrive’s portfolio as essential digital experiences in public libraries and schools. With a background in media and lifestyle marketing, Jen brings a sharp creative lens to every go-to-market plan. When she’s not mentoring teams or mapping GTM plans, she’s probably reading something fantastical, or helping others do the same.

How many years have you been a judge?

This is my first year!

What excited you about judging for the Telly Awards?

I started my career as a writer/producer, and creative storytelling has remained at the heart of everything I do. I love it! I’m constantly inspired by great campaigns and compelling visual work, always that person who shares the great ads, spots, and brand videos. Video is a uniquely powerful medium for emotional connection, and I’m excited to celebrate the work that moves people and elevates ideas. Judging the Tellys is a chance to see the best of the best and get inspired.

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

My first job in the industry was anything but glamorous—it was so crazy. Fresh out of college, newly married, and living in a rural town near where my husband was teaching agriculture, I landed a role as “Promotion Manager” at a tiny TV station that had once been a McDonald’s restaurant. We were a brand-new Fox affiliate in a market ranked over 200, and while the title sounded impressive, the pay was so incredibly low I actually lied to my parents about it. I created local commercials, wore a Bugs Bunny costume at the county fair, organized a clothing drive for flood victims, worked on a PSA for the Rubber Duckie Races (I shot the “duckies” working out at a gym for the big race), and was even a “jockey” on a hospital bed that my colleagues pushed down Main Street for charity. It was scrappy and unpredictable, but it taught me how to hustle, connect with a community, and find some joy in the work, no matter the budget or the backdrop.

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

I’m most proud of our new Stream Smarter brand position for Kanopy. It was a complex challenge—crafting a unified identity for a streaming platform that serves both the public library space and higher education, with very different audience needs. What we landed on is flexible, intuitive, and creatively rich: a positioning that’s easy to write into, adaptable across channels, and resonant with multiple segments. Stream Smarter speaks to what makes Kanopy unique: ad-free, subscription-free access to 30,000+ titles across genres, all curated and available through trusted institutions around the world. It’s a smart choice for curious minds.

What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?

One of the most challenging parts of my role, and the industry, is navigating the tension between driving demand and respecting the realities of tight partner budgets. Unlike commercial streaming or consumer products, increased interest in our platforms doesn’t automatically translate to increased purchasing power. Libraries and schools operate within constrained funding, and while we aim to grow brand awareness and usage, we also have to be mindful of the experience we’re creating for both partners and patrons. It’s a delicate balance: building excitement and engagement without overpromising access. My goal is always to ensure our platforms feel valuable, seamless, and mission-aligned—never frustrating or out of reach.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

When I’m judging a video, I’m not just looking for something slick or pretty—I want to feel something. The story has to grab me early and hold on, whether it’s emotional, funny, weird, or raw. I pay attention to how it’s shot, cut, and scored, but I’m more interested in whether those choices actually make me feel something. If it sticks with me after it’s over, that’s what I call excellent.

What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?

As Chief Marketing Officer, I lead a high-performing team of 36 marketers, creatives, and strategists who drive growth across OverDrive’s portfolio of brands—Libby, Sora, and Kanopy—for both domestic and international audiences. Our department spans emerging market strategy, experiential marketing, creative development, digital and content marketing, copywriting, brand partnerships (including recent collaborations with Read with Jenna and Tyler Childers), social media, media relations, and paid media. Operating in a B2B2C environment, we build campaigns that resonate with both our institutional partners and the end users they serve.

My role blends strategic vision, creative leadership, and a deep commitment to performance. I work closely with my team to develop cross-channel campaigns that are not only cohesive and brand-aligned but also measurable and optimized for growth. At the heart of it all is a love for the content—we’re promoting books, movies, and educational resources that enrich lives—and a belief in the impact we’re making. These platforms help communities thrive by expanding access to information and high-quality entertainment. I’m proud to lead a team that’s collaborative, resilient, and always ready for (almost!) anything.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

Working on Sora is the most exciting part of my role right now—it’s where storytelling meets purpose. We’re building a platform that not only inspires K-12 students to read more but helps close equity gaps in education, and that’s deeply motivating. At the same time, stepping back into original programming with Kanopy Originals feels like coming home creatively. There’s something powerful about bringing fresh, thought-provoking content to libraries—originals are yet another reason to get a library card. These are meaningful brands with real impact, and it’s a privilege to help shape platforms that are doing good in the world.

Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?

To spark creativity, I lean into curiosity, hard. I consume a ton of content—not just the stuff I love, but also things that challenge me or make me uncomfortable. I actively seek out voices, brands, and styles outside my usual taste because that’s where the unexpected ideas live. I read constantly—I’m such a nerd…books, articles, newsletters, random deep dives. I believe we learn the most when we stay curious, keep our eyes open, and don’t just wait for inspiration—go looking for it.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?

I thought I’d be a television anchor, drawn to journalism and politics. I was a total news junkie. I still am. But once I got into college, I realized the path I was on didn’t feel quite right. I wanted to be more creative, to make things up instead of just reporting them. That pivot led me behind the scenes, still in TV, where I found my passion for shaping stories and then building brands. What’s wild is that I’ve ended up working on platforms that reflect everything I’ve always loved—books, TV, and movies. I still can’t believe I turned my love of books and media into a career that feels this personal and purposeful.

In your experience, what is a significant change you are seeing happen in the video, television, and/or film industry, and what insight can you share about how to navigate it?

The biggest shift I’m seeing in video right now is AI—no question. It’s everywhere, and it’s moving fast. On one hand, it’s giving creators access to tools that used to take teams and budgets—things like editing help, versioning out multiple assets, visual effects are suddenly at our fingertips. But at the same time, it’s so unsettling. There’s this wave of content being made by pulling from existing work without credit, without consent. You can feel when something’s missing some soul, that human spark…when it looks right but doesn’t feel right. It’s efficient, but often sort of empty. I just read What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown, which dives into some of these exact fears—AI, big tech, and the good and bad of a connected world. It’s fiction, but it hit close to home. We’re at a turning point, and we have to be really thoughtful about what we gain and what we’re willing to lose.