Jeffrey Katzenberg’s short-form video startup Quibi has added to its all-star executive lineup with the hire of Diane Nelson, the former president of DC Entertainment at Warner Bros.
Nelson joins Katzenberg; Meg Whitman, the former HP CEO who is now chief executive of Quibi; and Janice Min, the former co-president and chief creative officer of The Hollywood Reporter who now is Quibi’s head of news content. The news was first reported by THR.
Nelson’s hire reinforces Quibi’s interest in premium content, and suggests that the company will also be targeting fanboys, given Nelson’s background overseeing the DC universe at Warner Bros. This included movies like Justice League and Wonder Woman, along with the DC publishing and TV units. The latter produced shows like Arrow and Supergirl.
Nelson also has a close relationship with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and played an important role in the relationship between the British author and the studio.
Quibi has been in stealth mode for the past year, but has been making more headlines as it ramps up to debut at the end of 2019. Last week, Katzenberg announced that the company had signed deals with Catherine Hardwicke and Stephen Curry to create shows that will stream on Quibi in 10-minute increments.
The company, which will focus exclusively on short bites of video, is richly backed—it has a $1 billion war chest, thanks to investments by the major studios and Alibaba—and is pouring money into content. Earlier this week, Digiday reported that the company plans to spend nearly $500 million on programming prior to its launch. After launch, that figure will go up based on subscriber growth, in one scenario hitting $2.6 billion in year five.
With Nelson onboard, expect more announcements about deals with talent like Guillermo del Toro and Sam Raimi, both of whom are creating, respectively, zombie and horror series for the platform.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
