Two well-known startups in Toronto announced major additions to their team. BetaKit pulled together this roundup to give you the latest on these company developments.
Hubba brings on Danielle Brown as CMO
Toronto-based Hubba has appointed Danielle Brown as its first chief marketing officer.
Brown was vice president of marketing at Points, where she helped with marketing vision and building their analytics expertise. Brown has served as vice president of customer conversion at SiriusXM and various marketing positions at Universal Music and HMV.
“Danielle brings extraordinary business expertise and a combination of creative marketing leadership and analytical insight to Hubba that will be a tremendous asset to our team,” said Hubba CEO Ben Zifkin. “This is a strategic appointment and signals the next phase in our evolution as a global business.”
Brown will oversee an integrated marketing and communication strategy, with a heavy data focus, to grow the Hubba brand.
The hiring comes on the heels of Hubba’s undisclosed Series B, though that round was reportedly closed at $45 million.
Wattpad Studios hires Eric Lehrman and Abby Ho
Toronto-based Wattpad has hired Eric Lehrman as head of content development and production, and Abby Ho as head of stars. They will join the team as part of Wattpad Studios, the company’s multi-channel network.
Lehrman has served as USA Network’s vice president of original scripted series programming. Before that, he launched and headed the scripted division at All3Media America. “It’s not every day that you are given the chance to oversee a library of over 375 million original stories! I’m honoured to help amplify our creators’ voices and our users’ passion for storytelling by bringing Wattpad stories to life across TV, film, and digital,” said Lehrman. In his new role, Lehrman will push Wattpad further into filmed content, both on and off the platform. He will also oversee Wattpad’s television first-look deals with Turner and UCP.
Ho will lead the Wattpad Stars program, which offers paid and promotional opportunities to help writers grow their audience. Ho was head of the Creator Network at CBC and produced content with digital influencers. She also managed the national broadcaster’s partnership with Fullscreen. “Wattpad Stars are incredible digital creators. I look forward to working closely with this diverse and talented group of storytellers to build their careers on and off the Wattpad platform,” said Ho. As head of Stars, she will develop new brand and content opportunities for writers and expand the program to include even more storytellers from around the world.
Wattpad Studios launched last year with the goal of partnering with the entertainment industry to co-produce Wattpad stories for print, film, television, and digital platforms.
Last month, Wattpad partnered with publishing company Hachette Book Group to launch Hachette Audiobooks: Powered by Wattpad.