Arcadia Publishing names new CEO

Listen to this article

Arcadia Publishing, a Mount Pleasant publisher of history books and travel guides, has named a new CEO as part of a larger shift in leadership, the company said in a news release.

Brittain Phillips, who presently serves as director of business development, is replacing David Steinberger as CEO. The company said that Steinberger, who is an investor in the company, will join Arcadia’s board. Phillips began working for Arcadia in 2014 after more than 10 years with The History Press.

“The company is strongly positioned for growth, and Brittain Phillips has the ideal set of skills and experience to lead the company into the future,” Steinberger said in a statement.

Arcadia has been on a growth streak the last few years. In 2020, the company acquired River Road Press, and in 2019, Arcadia Publishing purchased Wildsam and Pelican Publishing. Phillips said that Steinberger put the company on that path of growth that continues to extend the brand.

“We’re excited to build on that vision,” Phillips said. “The addition of the Wildsam, Pelican and River Road imprints has enhanced what was already the premier publisher of local content, with more than 17,000 titles in print.”

Arcadia was purchased in 2018 by a group of investors assembled by former Penguin CEO and current Snap Chairman Michael Lynton, business executive Lili Lynton and Steinberger, chairman of the National Book Foundation and former CEO of the Perseus Books Group.

The company also has appointed William “Billy” Campbell to the company’s board of directors. Campbell is from Greenville and previously served as president of the Discovery Channel.