Former Comcast executive Craig Parks is joining Jukin Media to run brands including FailArmy and the Pet Collective.
As general manager of brands, he will oversee a portfolio that reaches 160 million people across social media platforms and work on over-the-top distribution of those brands onto platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. He will report to Lee Essner, president and chief operating officer of Jukin.
Parks oversaw programming at Comcast’s short-lived video platform Watchable, which aimed to provide ad-supported shortform series to viewers. Prior to joining Comcast, he oversaw live programming and specials at Participant Media. He also spent a number of years at IFC.
Related Stories
“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,” said Essner.
Added Parks, “These are truly modern-day media brands, each with an ecosystem that spans all the major social platforms, connected TVs, mobile apps and even traditional TV. Not only are they built for consumers who increasingly spend time across platforms for their entertainment, it’s ideal for advertisers to be able to reach consumers wherever they view video content.”
Ten-year-old Jukin made its name licensing user-generated videos on YouTube and helping the people behind the clips make money by licensing them for commercial use. The company conducted a round of layoffs in early 2018 but has since staffed up with veterans like Parks and Jill Goldfarb, who joined in December to lead linear programming.
Jukin’s brands, which also include People Are Awesome, JukinVideo and Poke My Heart, worked with advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, Disney, Netflix and Paramount in 2018.
