Corporate Communications Exec Nancy Carr Dies

Longtime television corporate communications and PR executive Nancy Carr died Feb. 18 in a Los Angeles-area hospital, according to a statement from Hallmark Channels. She was 50.

Carr, who had been battling a brain tumor, most recently served as senior VP, corporate communications, Hallmark Channels, helping to raise the brand's profile in Washington as a family-friendly programming destination.

Bill Abbott, president and CEO, Hallmark Channels, said in a statement: “We are grateful to Nancy for guiding the company’s corporate media strategy for more than five years. On the personal side, those of us who cared deeply for and about Nancy will never forget her dedication to life’s smallest creatures, as she worked tirelessly for animal rights and animal rescue. The company sends deep and sincere condolences to Nancy’s family.”

In a statement, Carr's former colleagues in the CBS Communications Group said: “It’s a very sad day. Our thoughts are with her husband, Ronnie and her family. We’ll remember Nancy as the architect behind some of CBS’s biggest mini-series and live events campaigns, as well as an exceptionally dedicated colleague and most importantly, a kind and caring person.”

Carr joined Hallmark in 2005 from CBS, where she was vice president of communications from 1999 to 2004. At CBS, she helped promote CSI, CSI: Miami, and Hallmark Hall of Fame specials, so the Hallmark move was an easy fit. She also oversaw publicity for CBS presentations of the Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards.

She was familiar to media journalists as organizer of annual Upfront presentations and TCA Press Tour events.

Her resume included a stint at Fox Broadcast as senior manager of publicity, and an earlier tour of duty at CBS as a senior publicist.

Her professional associations included the Television Publicity Executives Committee where she was treasurer, and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) where she was on the planning committee for its annual Leadership Conference.

She was also a member of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association Public Affairs Committee, and a member of Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, where she was on the Board of Governors, and of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, Hollywood Radio & Television Society (HRTS), and the Association of Cable Communicators (ACC).

Carr was a graduate of the University of Southern California.

Survivors include her husband, Ronnie Bradford, who retired from CBS last year, and a stepdaughter, Leslie.

No memorial service had been scheduled at press time. Hallmark pointed out that Carr was a supporter of feralcatcaretakers.org and fixnation.org.