Rene Rechtman, who resigned as CEO of AOL’s branded content division last fall, has joined multichannel network Maker Studios in the newly created role of president of international.
Rechtman also is investing in Maker; the amount of his stake was not disclosed. His hiring comes after Maker Studios in September 2013 completed a $26 million series C financing round with investments from Canal+, Astro, SingTel Innov8, Lakestar and Northgate Capital to expand the company’s investor base to include major players in key international markets.
Maker is overdue in appointing an exec to head its international biz. The company, one of the biggest YouTube multichannel networks with more than 4 billion monthly views, already works with content creators in more than 100 countries and generates more than 60% of its viewership outside the U.S.
Rechtman, who will be based in London, reports to Maker executive chairman Ynon Kreiz. “Maker is a global media company and having Rene at the helm of our international business, in addition to our prominent investment partners in key markets, strengthens our ability to further establish Maker’s local footprint around the world,” Kreiz said in a statement.
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Rechtman joined AOL in January 2011 when the company acquired Goviral, a branded content distribution provider, of which he was CEO. At AOL, Rechtman headed AOL BeOn, the global branded content division of AOL Networks. He also held the position of senior VP of AOL International. Prior to Goviral, Rechtman spent eight years with TradeDoubler, a European marketing solutions provider.
