EXCLUSIVE: Anime streamer Crunchyroll is reshaping its management team, as COO Brady McCollum exits after 15 years.
McCollum will depart the company at the end of the month having joined in 2008, and has been working with Crunchroll President Rahul Purini over the past month to ensure what an insider called “a thoughtful transition path that continues the company’s fan-forward ambitions and growth.”
As part of the changes, Chief Marketing Officer Gita Rebbapragada will replace McCollum as COO, while Barb Bidan becomes Chief People Experience Officer, while new hire Charles Valentine will lead the Information Technology and Security teams as SVP and will report to Bidan.
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Crunchyroll’s SVP of Global Commerce, Mitchel Berger, will take on the company’s manga publishing business in EMEA, while continuing to lead Theatrical, Content Distribution, Consumer Products and Home Entertainment/Collectibles. Terry Li has been promoted to EVP, Emerging Business and will continue to lead Global Business Development and the company’s Games and eCommerce businesses.
For McCollum, the exit marks the end of an era. He was one of the company’s first employees and held senior roles during its time as a subsidiary of AT&T’s Otter Media, through to the company’s partnership with Funimation and subsequent sale to Funimation parent Sony Pictures Entertainment for nearly $1.2B in 2021. He led the brand’s international expansion and its commerce rollout.
McCollum was EVP until August last year, when he was promoted to COO, about four months after Funimation exec Purini moved out of the role to become CEO after Colin Decker stepped down. That was during a period in which Crunchyroll and Funimation were integrating their businesses following the acquisition.
“I would be hard-pressed to say this decision isn’t personally bittersweet,” he said in a statement. “A key part of that is this immensely talented team, the strength and momentum of the business today, and the major opportunity ahead. However, it is also important for me to build versus grow, and I’m looking to create some new milestones and meaningful moments.”
“Crunchyroll would not be what it is today without Brady’s contributions,” said Purini. “He has been an extremely valued member of the team during that time, and I deeply appreciate his partnership and will miss his perspective and insights. I have full confidence in our talented executives and know we can leverage existing synergies on teams to accelerate the transition.”
Crunchyroll currently has 12 million paying subs worldwide across more than 200 countries. Its anime library comprises 24,000 hours, 46,000 episodes of series and films and more than 1,300 unique titles, plus more than 3,200 anime music and concert videos.
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