René Rechtman

René Rechtman
Born1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)[1]
NationalityDanish and British
EducationUniversity of Copenhagen
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, businessman, investor; Co-founder and CEO of Moonbug Entertainment
Board member ofJP/Politikens Hus
Guardian Media Group
Children3

René Rechtman is a Danish entrepreneur, businessman, and investor. He is the founder and CEO of Moonbug Entertainment[2][3] and former president of international operations at Maker Studios (now part of the Walt Disney Company).[4]

Education

Rechtman has a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Copenhagen.[5]

Career

In 2000, Rechtman joined Tradedoubler, an internet advertising firm, and established the firm in Denmark. In 2004 he was called to return to the London offices and was named director of advertising. In 2005, Tradedoubler went public and was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.[6] In 2008, Rechtman became director and co-owner of GoViral, a Danish startup distribution platform for video advertising. He sold the company in 2011 to American AOL for approximately $100 million.[6] He remained on as CEO of AOL BeOn, the global branded content division of AOL Networks, and also served as senior vice president of AOL International.[7] He served as the president of international operations and was an investor at Maker Studios (which would become Disney Digital Network) in 2014.[7] That same year, the company was acquired by Disney for $500 million[8] and he became head of "non-linear media".[4] In 2016, he co-founded RFRSH Entertainment, a Danish esports entertainment platform, with Nikolaj Nyholm and Jakob Lund Kristensen.[9]

In 2018, Rechtman left Disney and founded Moonbug Entertainment, a children’s entertainment company, with John Robson.[10][11] The company's most famous series is Cocomelon, with one and a half billion plays on Youtube in one month.[3][11] He sold the company in November 2021 for $3 billion to two former Disney executives, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and their Blackstone-backed media company,[12][13][2] which was later named Candle Media in January 2022.[14] He serves on the board of JP/Politikens Hus and Guardian Media Group.[11] In 2011 and 2012, Rechtman was named in Wired Europe's Top 100 most influential list.[15][16]

Personal life

Rechtman was born from a Jewish family in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] He lives in London with his wife and three children.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "קוקו על המלון". newmedia.calcalist.co.il. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (December 3, 2021), "Inside the $3 Billion Deal for Kids' Content Player Moonbug, Owner of CoComelon", Variety
  3. ^ a b Mullin, Benjamin; Rizzo, Lillian; Gottfried, Miriam (October 18, 2021), "'CoComelon' Owner Moonbug Weighs Sale, IPO", The Wall Street Journal
  4. ^ a b O’Reilly, Lara (April 30, 2015), "Maker Studios Exec: 'TV will be dead in 10 years'", Business Insider
  5. ^ a b Ryehauge, Anders (July–August 2021), "Renè Rechtman om at skabe verdens mest streamede serie", Dossier (in Danish)
  6. ^ a b McKeigue, James (12 March 2012), "Rene Rechtman: The Highs and Excitements of Start-Ups", MoneyWeek
  7. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (January 16, 2014), "Maker Studios Hires Ex-AOL Exec Rene Rechtman to Lead International Operations", Variety
  8. ^ Barnes, Brooks (March 24, 2014), "Disney Buys Maker Studios, Video Supplier for YouTube", The New York Times
  9. ^ "RFRSH Raises €7.2M in Funding", FINSMES, June 29, 2017
  10. ^ "Danske René Rechtman skaber milliardforretning på tre år". CVX Ventures (in Danish). October 29, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Kildebogaard, Jesper (October 28, 2021), "Medie: René Rechtman er ved at sælge børne-tv-selskab for 19 mia. kr.", Finans (in Danish)
  12. ^ Weprin, Alex (November 4, 2021), "'Cocomelon' Owner Sold to Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs Venture in $3B Deal", The Hollywood Reporter
  13. ^ Tordrup Jensen, Martin (November 5, 2021), "Dansk iværksætter fejrede milliardsalg med en hindbærsnitte", TV2 (in Danish)
  14. ^ Lang, Brent (January 4, 2022), "Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs Media Venture Will Be Named Candle, Company Confirms Westbrook Deal", Variety
  15. ^ "2nd Annual Wired 100: Positions 49-30", Wired, November 5, 2011
  16. ^ "The 2012 Wired 100", Wired, February 7, 2012