Fandor CEO Ted Hope Steps Down, Chris Kelly Takes Over

Ted Hope is stepping down as CEO of Fandor, the online streaming film service, to return to producing. Chris Kelly, the company’s lead investor and former Facebook general counsel and chief privacy officer, will take over the reigns as interim CEO.

“Ted and the Fandor team have positioned us very well for continued expansion in 2015,” Kelly said. “While Fandor represents the next evolution of the film industry that Ted has been advocating for years, he was very eager to get back to making movies.”

Hope, who said he will remain an advisor to the company, added, “Fandor is leading the way in fostering a great audience experience for online cinema. But filmmaking is my first love and I cannot resist returning to where my prime talents and skill set reside, and that is getting great films made well.”

Over the past year, Fandor has more than doubled its subscriber base, expanded its library and improved its technology, the company said. A new initiative with universities will launch in early 2015. Fandor also recently partnered with Hulu to bring The Criterion Collection to its members. It ended the year with a day and date SVOD release in conjunction the the Film Society Of Lincoln Center of Bruno Dumont’s Li’l Quinquin, the first episodic series Fandor has premiered.

Kelly joined Facebook in 2005 as one of the first senior employees, and at various times served the company as general counsel, vp corporate development, chief privacy officer and head of global public policy. He left in 2009 to pursue the Democratic nomination for Attorney General of California. In 2010, he launched Kelly Investments, a family office pursuing transformational investments in technology, media, and finance.

Fandor is one of the fund’s earliest companies. Kelly also serves as co-owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and as the national chair of the New Leaders Council, a progressive leadership training organization for millennials interested in public service.