Bart Story, Entertainment Research Executive at SAG-AFTRA and MarketCast, Dies at 63

Bart Story, a veteran entertainment research executive who worked in the home video distribution industry before leading research and development at SAG-AFTRA and MarketCast, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles from complications related to metastatic urothelial carcinoma, according to a family representative. He was 63.

For more than two decades, Story served as the senior director of market research at entertainment advising firm MarketCast, where he guided the marketing arms of studios, networks and streamers in audience engagement, creative testing and positioning strategies.

“Across his two-decade career with MarketCast, Bart helped hundreds of movies achieve success, meaningfully connecting with thousands of clients, focus group respondents, 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 an excellent collaborator and partner, but an incredible person who made an impact on everyone he met.”

Before joining MarketCast, Story was the 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 age.

The longtime executive earned his master’s degree at USC’s Annenberg School and earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. As a young man, he worked in movie theaters, which sparked his curiosity and passion for joining the entertainment industry. Story resided in Denver, Colo.

He is survived by his husband, Patrick Jager, and their son, Brandt. A private celebration will be held in the near future.