Bart Story, an entertainment research veteran who worked in the home video distribution industry before leading research and development at SAG-AFTRA and MarketCast, died Tuesday in Los Angeles from complications related to metastatic urothelial carcinoma, according to a family representative. He was 63 years old.
For more than two decades, Story served as senior director of market research at entertainment consulting firm MarketCast, where he guided the marketing arms of studios, networks and streamers in audience engagement, creative testing and positioning strategies.
“During his two-decade career at MarketCast, Bart has helped hundreds of films succeed, making meaningful connections with thousands of customers, focus group participants and teammates along the way,” said Jeremy Radisich, President of Entertainment at MarketCast. “His work was characterized by a thoughtful and gentle approach that made him not only a great collaborator and partner, but also an incredible person who had an impact on everyone he met.”
Before joining MarketCast, Story was director of research at SAG-AFTRA. He also worked at the Video Software Dealers Association, where he was instrumental in bringing the video distribution market into the modern era.
The longtime executive earned his master’s degree from USC’s Annenberg School and his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. In his youth, he worked in movie theaters, which sparked his curiosity and passion for the entertainment industry. The story resided in Denver, Colorado.
He is survived by his husband, Patrick Jager, and their son, Brandt. A private celebration will take place soon.
