Curt Hecht, Weather Channel Executive, Dead at 47

Digital pioneer battled lung cancer, despite being a non-smoker

Curt Hecht

Weather Channel executive Curt Hecht has died following a battle with lung cancer. He was 47.

Hecht served as Global Chief Revenue Officer at the company, a post he held since June 2012. In the job, Hecht was responsible for the overall strategic definition and management of Weather’s domestic and international business development, local platform development, and ad sales revenue generation across digital and cable channels. He also launched the company’s WeatherFX division in late 2012.

Hecht joined TWCC after 20 years with Publicis Groupe, where he was last CEO of the VivaKi Nerve Center in Paris. In 2007, Hecht was named an Ad Age Media Maven and OMMA All-Star, and in 2008, Mediaweek recognized him a Media All-Star for his work in the digital space.

Weather Company Chairman and CEO David Kenny remembered Hecht in a touching internal memo, which is posted in full below. “Life is neither fair nor predictable,” Kenny wrote of the non-smoker succumbing to lung cancer.

“I have known Curt for at least one third of his short 47 years, and I can tell you that his life mattered in countless ways,” he continued. “His life mattered most to his wife, the love of his life, and his two beautiful, young daughters.”

“I miss you already, Curt,” Kenny concluded. “I am sure we all do.”

Read Kenny’s staff note here:

Dear Weather Company Family,

I am incredibly sad to share the incomprehensible news that we have lost our dear friend and colleague, Curt Hecht, to lung cancer. Curt was battling lung cancer over the last five months, something that is almost impossible to believe given what an amazing athlete he was and that he never smoked. Life is neither fair nor predictable.

I have known Curt for at least one third of his short 47 years, and I can tell you that his life mattered in countless ways. His life mattered most to his wife, the love of his life, and his two beautiful, young daughters.     

Curt’s life mattered to the digital advertising industry, as he pioneered countless innovations with his clients at Starcom MediaVest, VivaKi, Publicis, and The Weather Company. Curt was an early pioneer in search, “native” advertising, localization, social-informed ads, and retargeting. Curt created the first agency trading desk.

Curt’s life mattered to The Weather Company. He recruited and developed an extraordinary team. He strengthened our relationships with key partners, including Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Hearst. He had the vision for WeatherFX, which has totally changed the value of our audience to advertisers. He championed the best programmatic operation in the industry.    

Curt’s life and friendship mattered to me. Curt and I had breakfast in Las Vegas during CES 2012, and he encouraged me to take the risk and realize the potential of transforming The Weather Channel Companies. A few months later, he took his own risk to join us. In every tough situation, Curt kept me anchored on what matters — family first, our people second, clients and audience third, and the money will take care of itself. Curt and I both dream big, but he is the one who could turn the dream into a reality. When daily pressures created chaos and drama, Curt would prioritize and keep us focused on the most important and critical matters.

Curt only shared his cancer battle with a few people. He did not want a fuss, or pity, or distraction. Those of us close to him developed an aspiration to be “just half as tough as Curt.” To him, cancer was like a challenging bike ride. He attacked it with grit and determination, and fearlessly agreed to clinical trials so that others could also learn from his fight.

Curt’s life mattered, and he is simply irreplaceable. His spirit is still with us, and we will continue our success if we are only “half as strong as Curt.” I miss you already, Curt. I am sure we all do.

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