Nathan Brown has been named general manager, Ellen Digital Ventures (EDV), a joint venture between Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros.
Brown will report to WB Unscripted Television, the EDV board and work alongside The Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producers Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, and Derek Westervelt. He will be responsible for leading the strategic vision and management of DeGeneres’ digital business with full financial responsibility. He will oversee all owned and operated sites–including the award-winning platform, ellentube–as well as EDV’s industry-leading original digital content studio, DeGeneres’ robust social media reach, and successful digital games business. Additionally, Brown will further delve into podcasting and experiential opportunities and work with the e-commerce team to expand DeGeneres’ presence.
Brown said, “I have admired EDV for years as they have methodically built one of the most successful digital media brands in the industry. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience to further grow their already impressive presence, innovative content, and immensely talented team in the digital space.”
Mike Darnell, president of Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, said, “We spent some time looking for the right mix of digital leadership, creativity, people management, and an understanding of his hugely important platform and the Ellen brand. From the first meeting, Nathan hit all of those marks and blew us away with his sheer passion and excitement. We look forward to this next successful chapter for EDV.”
Brown is an accomplished digital media executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience dedicated to the development, convergence, and disruption of emerging platforms, content, technology, advertising, and media.
Brown was co-founder and CEO of AR/VR content, research, and technology start-up Tomorrow Never Knows, where he executive produced projects premiering at major film festivals worldwide, including the Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Biennale, and Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, Brown served as chief business officer of pioneering mobile entertainment and experiential studio Tactic, heading strategy, partnerships, revenue, and M&A.
Prior to TNK and Tactic, Brown was the president of Seeker (Discovery Digital Networks), where he oversaw strategy, revenue, operations, and all P&L responsibilities. He helped lead the Discovery Digital Networks merger with Thrillist Media Group, The Dodo, and Now This Media. Along with a $100M Discovery investment, these companies formed Group Nine Media, one of the world’s largest digital-first media companies. Additionally, he was the head of the multiple Webby-awarded Discovery VR platform and studio, scaling it to become the world’s largest producer and distributor of cinematic virtual reality.
As the previous GM and SVP of Video at The Huffington Post, Brown oversaw all areas of global video, TV, and film, including development, production, programming, distribution, and monetization. Brown joined The Huffington Post from Complex Media, where he was the founding general manager of video and TV, creating Complex News and launching multiple break-out cultural hits helping scale Complex into becoming one of the world’s most successful digital video publishers, ultimately exiting to Verizon/Hearst.
Brown often speaks at global conferences such as SXSW, MIPCOM, CES, Digital Hollywood, Media Summit, OMMA, Techweek, LDV Summit, and Playlist Live.
