Q: How long does it take to find a new CEO after you raise $12 million? A: Not that long, it turns out. Go figure. Brooklyn-basedNew York-based Blip, which recently dropped the .tv and added a Networks, may not be a startup anymore. It’s more than six years old, its founders have already flown the nest, and it just hired a grownup CEO after a four-month search.
Kelly Day, EVP and general manager of digital media and commerce at Discovery Communications, will “take responsibility for the Company’s next phase of growth for its industry-leading advertising and distribution platforms,” according to a press release that comes about a month after Blip announced the fresh millions.
It struck us as odd that Blip chose someone with an ecommerce background to head up a video site; Blip’s representatives did not immediately respond to a question about whether that was odd.
But then again, former CEO and cofounder Mike Hudack is a high school drop-out whose resume includes Time Inc., the National Hockey League, and starting his own small Internet security and privacy company in Connecticut at the age of sixteen, according to CrunchBase. (Mr. Hudack took a medical leave from the company in November.)
“[Ms. Day’s] experience and expertise in building audiences and establishing deep distribution partnerships aligns perfectly with Blip’s strategic vision of providing producers the opportunity to distribute and monetize their content as broadly as possible,” Jeffrey Glass, board member and managing director at Bain Capital Ventures, one of Blip’s investors, said in a statement. Ms. Day added that she was “thrilled” and Blip is “uniquely positioned to take advantage of the tremendous growth in online video.”
Sounds like Blip is going into money-making mode. Blip hosts and distributes independent video content, helping content creators syndicate their videos to iTunes, YouTube, social media and set-top boxes. The company recently launched its own destination site, which it says now accounts for 12 percent of the company’s “overall monetizable views,” or videos that can run ads. What kind of shows can one advertise against on blip.tv? Try The Aimless Cook, desultory culinary adventures, or Dealership, a comedy show about four car salesman who “do everything but sell cars.” The company says it gets more than 300 million views a month.
