Jukin Media said it has hired former Comcast Watchable head of programming Craig Parks as general manager, brands.
In the newly created role, Parks, who has more than 20 years experience in the media industry, will lead programming and strategy for Jukin’s owned and operated media brands People Are Awesome, FailArmy, The Pet Collective, JukinVideo, and Poke My Heart. According to Jukin, those brands combine for more than 160 million followers and nearly 4 billion video views across Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram and are distributed on more than 20 mobile, web, and OTT video services in the U.S. and abroad.
“Craig is a true pro and the perfect choice to lead our efforts as our brands continue to grow and evolve from social media powerhouses to full fledged multimedia entertainment brands,” Jukin Media president and chief operating officer Lee Essner said in a statement.
Related: Frank Named President of Software Firm AdPredictive
Prior to Watchable, where he was responsible for overall programming and audience strategy, Parks was SVP live programming & specials at Participant Media, and SVP, digital media at IFC.
“These are truly modern-day media brands, each with an ecosystem that spans all the major social platforms, connected TV, mobile apps, and even traditional TV,” said Parks in a statement. “Not only are they built for consumers who increasingly spend time across platforms for their entertainment, they're ideal for advertisers to be able to reach consumers wherever they view video content.”
Parks will report to Essner.
