Lisa Holton
Founder & CEO, Fourth Story Media
Lisa Holton is the founder of Fourth Story Media, a digital media company that invites kids to participate in the stories they read. Fourth Story Media launched its first series– a collaborative, interactive fiction series for teen girls called The Amanda Project– in Fall 2009. The Amanda Project (www.theamandaproject.com) is a series of mystery novels and the Webby Award-winning website where girls create their own characters and then participate in the ongoing story–which changes based on their contributions.
Lisa Holton is a noted authority and expert on the intersection of emerging digital media and children’s publishing. She speaks regularly at new media conferences. Her appearances include: Jouve European Digital Media Conference, Storydrive/Argentinian Cultural Summit, SXSW Interactive, MIT’s Sandbox Summit, and CUNY’s Reading in a Digital Age.
Prior to launching the new media start-up, Holton was President, Scholastic Trade Publishing and Book Fairs. During her tenure at Scholastic, Holton managed the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling and initiated and oversaw development of The 39 Clues. During her watch, Scholastic acquired and published an impressive line-up of award-winning and bestselling books including The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Mommy! by Maurice Sendak, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Before joining Scholastic, Holton ran the Disney Global Children’s Books division at The Walt Disney Company. During her nine years there, Holton built the Hyperion Books for Children division, developing a number of bestselling series that launched major franchises for Disney. Holton also founded Jump at the Sun– an imprint devoted to African-American culture and literature– publishing Toni Morrison’s first children’s book as well as the bestselling series, The Cheetah Girls. Prior to joining Disney, Holton was the Editor-in Chief of HarperCollins Children’s Books. Holton serves on the board of the New York Women’s Foundation and is a trustee of the Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
