JUKIN MEDIA TAPS TOP TECH AND CREATIVE EXECS TO EXPAND COMPANY’S BUSINESS OPERATIONS
JUKIN MEDIA TAPS TOP TECH AND CREATIVE EXECS TO EXPAND COMPANY’S BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Lee Essner Named President and Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Levin as Director of Talent and Strategic Partnerships
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (February 14, 2014) Expanding its executive team to meet the demands of its fast-growing business operations, Jukin Media, the company that discovers, acquires and distributes today’s hottest viral videos, today announced that Lee Essner joins the company as President and Chief Operating Officer and Jeff Levin is on board as Director of Talent and Strategic Partnerships.
Essner originally joined Jukin Media as an advisor in 2013, bringing more than 20 years of experience in executive-level management and corporate transactional experience to the Los Angeles-based digital media company. In his role of President and COO, Essner will oversee operations, strategy, product, and legal affairs.
“Lee has been a tremendous asset as an advisor,” said Jukin Media Founder and CEO Jonathan Skogmo. “Taking on this expanded role is a natural way to further leverage his background and experience in helping to build and grow digital and tech companies.”
Prior to Jukin Media, Essner founded AccessDNA, which was acquired by Informed Medical Decisions in 2011 and previously served as the former COO of WeddingChannel.com, which was acquired by The Knot in 2006. In addition to advising Jukin Media, Essner has worked with dozens of start-up companies, including PageWoo, FanAppz and Capsule, as well as serving as Executive-In-Residence for LA-based incubator Idealab.
Further bolstering its staff, Jeff Levin, former Head of Talent at AwesomenessTV, joins Jukin Media as its new Director of Talent and Strategic Partnerships. In this role, Levin manages Jukin Media’s array of up-and-coming video creators, which includes Vine celebrities Logan Paul and BatDad. Levin will work closely with talent to expand their reach across emerging platforms and traditional media, fostering global brand and media partnerships.
At AwesomenessTV, Levin was responsible for discovering emerging YouTubers to strengthen the network’s roster of more than 60,000 channels. He also served as an eagent trainee at ICM where he worked with international talent/literary agent David Unger.
Due to its significant growth and expanded business operations, Jukin Media has relocated from its Hollywood headquarters to a 6,400 square foot facility in Culver City, Calif. The new office space features full editing and production suites, and enough space to accommodate the company’s projected 25-35% growth in 2014 and creative needs. In January 2014 alone the company gained more than 300 million views.
As for the company’s future, Essner is bullish. “I’m excited to help lead Jukin Media through its next phases of growth and continue building the leading viral video licensing engine and entertainment network in the world.”
Founded by Jon Skogmo, one of the “25 New Media Stars of the YouTube Business Ecosystem,” Jukin Media has become the worldwide leader in the discovery, acquisition, monetization, and distribution of user-generated video content. The company has helped thousands of content creators monetize their content online and via traditional media licensing. The company's vast library of short-form viral content is regularly seen on premier news and entertainment outlets such as CNN, MTV, NBC, Yahoo!, and countless others.
