Los Gatos, CA, Aug. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global streaming media company Plex has made several key executive hires to drive forward their mission to create a global community for streaming content that people can depend on to easily discover, experience, and share all of the entertainment that matters to them. Former Pluto TV head of ad sales, Harold Morgenstern, has been appointed as the new Chief Revenue Officer, and Lindsay Jespersen, formerly of NBCUniversal and Disney, as Chief Financial Officer. In addition, the company recently hired Christa Foley, formerly of Zappos.com, as VP of People.
As the largest independent ad-supported video on demand and streaming media platform, Plex offers almost 200 live TV channels and 40,000+ on-demand movies and TV episodes. With more than 25 million registered users globally, Plex is one of the most widely available ad-supported video on demand and live TV offerings in the industry with users in 193 countries. Since launching AVOD in 2019, and free live TV in 2020, the company has secured more than 300 entertainment content partnerships from the world’s biggest publishing studios and networks, including Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, AMC, A+E, Crackle, and BBC.
Plex Appoints its First CRO with a Focus on AVOD Growth
As its first Chief Revenue Officer, Morgenstern will oversee all revenue generation across Plex’s global AVOD platform and suite of personal media software and services. During his tenure at Pluto TV he built its ad sales organization from scratch and was part of the leadership team that led to the acquisition by Viacom after growing advertising sales into the hundreds of millions of dollars. With 20+ years of experience in media and advertising, he has a deep understanding of how to apply ad sales, analytics, data, and innovation to maximize campaign performance for his clients.
“Plex has always built solid technology with a focus on engineering for all platforms, including our ad platform,” said Keith Valory, CEO at Plex. “Now we not only have the right technology backbone, but also a well-rounded ad team with Harold at the helm. Under his leadership we will focus on being the best possible partner to brands, and will continue to drive innovation and develop transparent solutions for advanced CTV advertising across the Plex platform.”
“Plex’s AVOD business is in all-out growth mode, and what appealed to me most about joining the team is their entrepreneurial spirit, interest in client success, and a continued drive to outperform each and every day on behalf of all their advertising, content, and distribution partners,” said Morgenstern. “Plex is looking to separate themselves from the pack of other AVOD platforms who leverage their clients and agencies to purchase their digital offerings in order to secure access to diminishing traditional linear TV inventory.”
Media Industry Veteran Assumes CFO Role
As CFO for Plex, Lindsay Jespersen will lead Plex's finance, accounting, legal, and strategic planning functions through its next phase of growth. Jespersen previously served as Vice President Finance for Comcast NBCUniversal's Global Distribution & International segment, supporting the segment Chairman and overseeing FP&A and strategic planning for the film and television distribution business.
Prior, she served as Vice President of Finance & Strategy at The Walt Disney Company where she led a global team responsible for the financial operations of ABC News. During her tenure, she led improvement initiatives focused on accelerating revenue growth and driving expansion strategies across the portfolio's broadcast shows, a nonfiction production studio, audio/radio, digital platforms and all supporting teams. With nearly 20 years of experience in strategic and operational finance roles at major media companies, she has held other leadership roles at Bloomberg Television, ViacomCBS, and GE.
New VP of People will Foster a Diverse and Healthy Culture
Christa Foley also joined Plex in May as Vice President, People where she will continue to cultivate the tight-knit Plex culture across its globally distributed remote workforce. Prior to joining Plex, Foley spent 16 years at Zappos.com where she led Brand Vision & Culture and spent several years as the Head of Talent Acquisition where she built out the recruiting team and philosophy.
At Zappos she helped grow the team from 80 to more than 5,000 across multiple locations and was a key player in creating Zappos’ core values in their early days, including working with Zappos Insights where her job was to share the company’s culture with the world. She also developed Zappos’ core value interview assessment that focused on hiring for core values fit and alignment in addition to technical skills and experience - a key part of safeguarding the company’s culture as it grew. Her expertise in culture and organizational development will help Plex build a resilient, diverse and healthy foundation as it rapidly scales the team and the business.
Plex raised a $50 million growth equity round in April. For more information about Plex visit https://www.plex.tv/.
About Plex
For fans of movies and shows who are overwhelmed by the chaos of the fragmented streaming universe, Plex provides a more personalized and intuitive experience with a suite of free, easy-to-use, powerful, and beautiful apps. A global streaming platform that offers thousands of free movies and TV shows on-demand as well as hundreds of free-to-stream live TV channels, Plex has partnered with some of the biggest names in entertainment. Backed by Intercap and Kleiner Perkins, Plex is the only streaming service that lets users integrate their own personal media collections with a continuously growing library of free third-party entertainment spanning virtually all genres, interests, and languages. For more visit https://plex.tv, follow @plex on Twitter, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
