America Online, Inc., has named Shawn Hardin as senior vice president, product and programming, AOL Broadband. Hardin will report to AOL Broadband President Lisa Hook and will oversee all aspects of product and programming for the AOL high speed broadband service, including overall product and applications development and the creation of the next-generation of broadband content.

Hardin's experience spans the fields of entertainment, film, television, information technologies and the Internet. Over the last decade his focus has been the intersection of technology, media, and business, first as a co-founder of NBC Television Network's Interactive Division and later as executive vice president for NBC Internet.

"At AOL, we believe that what's exciting about broadband for consumers is not just the speed of the connection, but the level of convenience and more compelling content that speed will make possible. Shawn Hardin's job is to turn that promise into reality for consumers -- shaping the next generation of the Internet with all of the convenience and ease-of-use that have made AOL the world's most popular online service," said Hook.

Prior to joining AOL, Hardin's most recent position was as the executive vice president and chief product officer for NBC Internet where he oversaw product development, design and usability, research, publishing operations, and interactive content. Immediately prior to that, he was EVP and acting group general manager at NBCi.

Previously, Hardin was senior vice president of Snap.com, an information, navigation, and content aggregation portal service, where he managed the engineering, product, and design departments. He also led the development of convergence and broadband opportunities with television, cable, telecommunications and other emerging platforms.

Hardin has also worked at NBC (General Electric) where he co-founded two entrepreneurial divisions focused on the emerging convergence of interactivity and television. As vice president and executive producer of NBC Digital Productions, he oversaw both online content and enhanced-television services for the network's new technology and Internet operations in both Los Angeles and New York City.

"With more than 34 million members, more than 70 minutes per day average usage, the resources of AOL Time Warner, and a hard-earned reputation for making it easy for anyone to take advantage of new technology, AOL has a tremendous head start on taking broadband to the mass market," said Hardin.

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