Veteran producer Jon Erwin and former Netflix and YouTube exec Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten have announced the launch of The Wonder Project, a new independent studio that will cater to faith and values-oriented audiences.
Founded by Chief Content Officer Erwin and overseen by CEO Hoogstraten, The Wonder Project will look to create premium film and TV content for what they see as a huge audience that has traditionally been underserved by the entertainment industry. They’ll aim to build on the marked success in this arena of such recent titles as The Chosen and The Sound of Freedom, as well as older works like The Passion of the Christ, Heaven is for Real, I Can Only Imagine, War Room, Miracles from Heaven, and Soul Surfer, as they build their global audience.
More than $75 million in seed and Series A funding was raised ahead of launch from such major players as Sovereign’s Capital,...
Founded by Chief Content Officer Erwin and overseen by CEO Hoogstraten, The Wonder Project will look to create premium film and TV content for what they see as a huge audience that has traditionally been underserved by the entertainment industry. They’ll aim to build on the marked success in this arena of such recent titles as The Chosen and The Sound of Freedom, as well as older works like The Passion of the Christ, Heaven is for Real, I Can Only Imagine, War Room, Miracles from Heaven, and Soul Surfer, as they build their global audience.
More than $75 million in seed and Series A funding was raised ahead of launch from such major players as Sovereign’s Capital,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Kelly Merryman, the longtime YouTube executive who helped foster relationships between the video giant and major TV networks and film studios, has resigned after nearly seven years at the company.
The Los Angeles Times reports that it is unknown what triggered Merryman's exit, and what she plans to do next.
Merryman, who formerly served as VP of content partnerships, oversaw a team of 300 people in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, per the Times. She helped develop relationships with entertainment partners in the wake of Viacom's $1 billion copyright suit, filed against YouTube in 2007, which ultimately led to the creation of its Content ID tool. Merryman joined YouTube from Netflix, having previously served as the streamer’s VP of acquisition.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
The Los Angeles Times reports that it is unknown what triggered Merryman's exit, and what she plans to do next.
Merryman, who formerly served as VP of content partnerships, oversaw a team of 300 people in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, per the Times. She helped develop relationships with entertainment partners in the wake of Viacom's $1 billion copyright suit, filed against YouTube in 2007, which ultimately led to the creation of its Content ID tool. Merryman joined YouTube from Netflix, having previously served as the streamer’s VP of acquisition.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 9/6/2021
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
YouTube’s streaming television service has hired media vet exec Lori Conkling to oversee global partnerships.
Conkling, who has served as Evp of digital strategy at NBCUniversal for the past five years, has been named global head of partnerships for both YouTube TV and Google Fiber -- a high-speed internet, TV, and phone service that is slowly rolling out across America. Prior to joining NBCU, where she oversaw its investments in Quibi and Zola, Conkling led programming negotiations for The Walt Disney Company, Lifetime, and A+E.
In her new role, Conkling will lead programming and packaging strategies at YouTube TV, as well as negotiate content deals with broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks (RSNs), and affiliates. She will also serve as a representative for YouTube TV with respect to industry organizations, influencers, advertisers, distribution partners, and native YouTube creators. Conkling will be based in New York and report to Kelly Merryman,...
Conkling, who has served as Evp of digital strategy at NBCUniversal for the past five years, has been named global head of partnerships for both YouTube TV and Google Fiber -- a high-speed internet, TV, and phone service that is slowly rolling out across America. Prior to joining NBCU, where she oversaw its investments in Quibi and Zola, Conkling led programming negotiations for The Walt Disney Company, Lifetime, and A+E.
In her new role, Conkling will lead programming and packaging strategies at YouTube TV, as well as negotiate content deals with broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks (RSNs), and affiliates. She will also serve as a representative for YouTube TV with respect to industry organizations, influencers, advertisers, distribution partners, and native YouTube creators. Conkling will be based in New York and report to Kelly Merryman,...
- 3/12/2019
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
NBCUniversal executive Lori Conkling has been tapped by Google to lead global partnerships for its YouTube TV and internet service division, Google Fiber.
Conkling spent the last six years at NBCU, where she served as Evp of strategy and business development focused on digital.
In her new role, she’ll lead YouTube TV’s programming and packaging strategies, and will negotiate all deals with cable networks, regional sports networks, affiliates and broadcasters.
Based in New York, Conkling will report to YouTube’s VP of content and partnerships Kelly Merryman.
Conkling spent the last six years at NBCU, where she served as Evp of strategy and business development focused on digital.
In her new role, she’ll lead YouTube TV’s programming and packaging strategies, and will negotiate all deals with cable networks, regional sports networks, affiliates and broadcasters.
Based in New York, Conkling will report to YouTube’s VP of content and partnerships Kelly Merryman.
- 3/12/2019
- by Anita Bennett
- Deadline Film + TV
Lori Conkling is joining YouTube as global head of partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber. She comes to YouTube from after six years at NBCUniversal, where she was Evp of strategy and business development focused on digital.
In her new role at YouTube, Conkling will lead programming and packaging strategies, including negotiating all content deals in the pay-tv ecosystem inclusive of broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks, and affiliates. She also will be a lead representative for YouTube TV to industry organizations and influencers, advertisers, distribution partners, and YouTube creators.
Conkling, who started at YouTube on March 11, is based in New York. She reports to Kelly Merryman, VP of content partnerships. Conkling takes over for Heather Moosnick, who left YouTube last fall to join Hulu as senior VP of content partnerships.
“We’re excited to welcome Lori to YouTube to lead content partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber,...
In her new role at YouTube, Conkling will lead programming and packaging strategies, including negotiating all content deals in the pay-tv ecosystem inclusive of broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks, and affiliates. She also will be a lead representative for YouTube TV to industry organizations and influencers, advertisers, distribution partners, and YouTube creators.
Conkling, who started at YouTube on March 11, is based in New York. She reports to Kelly Merryman, VP of content partnerships. Conkling takes over for Heather Moosnick, who left YouTube last fall to join Hulu as senior VP of content partnerships.
“We’re excited to welcome Lori to YouTube to lead content partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber,...
- 3/11/2019
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Google has tapped a longtime Hollywood dealmaker to lead partnerships for its YouTube TV and Google Fiber products.
Lori Conkling, who most recently served as an executive at NBCUniversal, has joined the tech giant to lead programming and packaging strategies for YouTube TV, negotiating all deals with broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks and affiliates. She will be based out of New York and report to YouTube vp content and partnerships Kelly Merryman.
"We're excited to welcome Lori to YouTube to lead content partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber," Merryman said Monday in a ...
Lori Conkling, who most recently served as an executive at NBCUniversal, has joined the tech giant to lead programming and packaging strategies for YouTube TV, negotiating all deals with broadcasters, cable networks, regional sports networks and affiliates. She will be based out of New York and report to YouTube vp content and partnerships Kelly Merryman.
"We're excited to welcome Lori to YouTube to lead content partnerships for YouTube TV and Google Fiber," Merryman said Monday in a ...
- 3/11/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
YouTube has hired veteran fashion journalist and author Derek Blasberg to oversee the launch of a new division dedicated to fashion and beauty partnerships.
In this role, Blasberg will cultivate relationships between YouTube and high-profile figures and brands within the fashion and beauty industries, according to Business Of Fashion, so that they use the platform more optimally and with greater frequency. He will be based in New York and report to Kelly Merryman, YouTube’s vice president of content partnerships. Blasberg will not be tasked with forging sponsored deals between brands and YouTube creators, noted Business Of Fashion, as that responsibility exists within a different division of the company.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
In this role, Blasberg will cultivate relationships between YouTube and high-profile figures and brands within the fashion and beauty industries, according to Business Of Fashion, so that they use the platform more optimally and with greater frequency. He will be based in New York and report to Kelly Merryman, YouTube’s vice president of content partnerships. Blasberg will not be tasked with forging sponsored deals between brands and YouTube creators, noted Business Of Fashion, as that responsibility exists within a different division of the company.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 6/25/2018
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
A month ago, YouTube announced the launch of YouTube Red, a premium subscription service that costs $9.99 per month. Several outlets have described Red as YouTube’s Netflix competitor, which seemed like a flawed analogy at the time of the service’s launch. Now, however, the Red-Netflix comparison is gaining some traction. According to the Wall Street Journal, YouTube is in talks with major Hollywood studios and could license TV shows and movies for distribution on Red.
The Wall Street Journal’s report didn’t lay out any specific rights holders with whom YouTube is talking, though it did say that Susanne Daniels, whom YouTube hired away from MTV earlier this year, is involved in the process, as is former Netflix exec Kelly Merryman. According to one of the WSJ’s sources, YouTube has also enlisted the help of Google Play, which has brokered its fair share of film and TV licensing deals with major studios.
The Wall Street Journal’s report didn’t lay out any specific rights holders with whom YouTube is talking, though it did say that Susanne Daniels, whom YouTube hired away from MTV earlier this year, is involved in the process, as is former Netflix exec Kelly Merryman. According to one of the WSJ’s sources, YouTube has also enlisted the help of Google Play, which has brokered its fair share of film and TV licensing deals with major studios.
- 12/3/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.