Former Discovery, Inc. Executive Tapped to Lead External Outreach for One of the Country’s Largest Multiple Listing Services

Bright MLS, the leading multiple listing service (MLS) in the Mid-Atlantic representing 95,000 real estate professionals in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia, today announced that Chris Finnegan is joining the Bright MLS executive team as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. In this role, Finnegan will oversee all external outreach for the organization; including marketing, communications, local account management, industry events, and shareholder relations.

Finnegan joined Bright MLS in March 2019 as Vice President of Marketing and Communications, focusing on media relations, industry outreach and brand development. In his expanded role, Finnegan will develop strategies to drive subscriber success by enhancing awareness of Bright MLS’s industry-leading technology, tools and data.

Finnegan came to the real estate industry from the media and entertainment field, having spent ten years at Discovery, Inc., where he was Senior Vice President of Communications. At Discovery, Finnegan oversaw communications for a number of cable networks and business units; such as Animal Planet, Science Channel and the Discovery Studios production unit. He also has deep experience from the agency side of the business, having worked at the boutique consultancy The Punch Point Group, as well as global corporate agencies Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Washington DC, and Ketchum in San Francisco.

“When I was building out my senior team, I made a point to recruit executives with expertise from industries outside of real estate. Chris’s media background has been a significant advantage for him, as he has deep experience representing emerging technology and data from a fast and constantly-evolving industry,” said Brian Donnellan, President and CEO of Bright MLS. “He’s already made great contributions to Bright MLS, and I look forward to working with him as a member of my executive team in his new capacity of Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.”

At Bright MLS, Finnegan works closely with the executive team and Board of Directors on setting and implementing overall organizational strategy. His core expertise includes external positioning, media relations, brand marketing, internal communications, strategic messaging, government relations, and crisis communications. He also serves as a primary spokesperson for the organization.

Finnegan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Molly, and son, Charlie.

About Bright MLS

The Bright MLS real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. As a leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Bright serves approximately 95,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve over 20 million consumers. For more information, please visit www.brightmls.com.