Jim Pollock joins AP as regional media director for Pacific Northwest, based in in Seattle

Jim Pollock, a digital media executive with previous experience at Microsoft and MSNBC, has been named The Associated Press' director of regional media for the Pacific Northwest.

The appointment was announced Monday by Jim Clarke, AP's interim regional director for the West.

"Jim will be a great asset to the AP as we partner with our members and customers to deliver news on current and emerging platforms," Clarke said. "He brings deep experience in the digital and broadcasting worlds, two sectors important to the AP's future."

Pollock, 47, will be based in Seattle, where he will oversee AP's relationship with its newspaper and broadcast members in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and identify new customers for AP news content and services.

Pollock will report to Clarke and Michael Fabiano, director of local broadcast markets.

Pollock most recently worked as a consultant. Through his company, Emdash Media, he advised digital ventures on product and brand strategy, partnerships, corporate development and monetization. He spent seven years at MSNBC, rising to director of business development before leaving in 2013. From 1997 to 2006 he worked as a researcher, editor and eventually business development executive at Microsoft.

His newsroom experience includes a stint as a reporter for the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun's New York City bureau.

Pollock holds a master's in international finance from Columbia University. He majored in international studies at the University of Washington.

He succeeds Kevin Walsh, who retired after a 31-year career with the AP.