R. J. Williams

R. J. Williams
Born Robert Jackson Williams
(1978-07-19) July 19, 1978
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education Crossroads High School
Alma mater University of Southern California
Occupation Entrepreneur
Years active 1981–present
Known for Founder of Young Hollywood
Website www.arjayentertainment.com

RJ Williams (born July 19, 1978) is a media magnate and entrepreneur engaged in the ownership and development of global brands. He is the owner of the international media company Young Hollywood. His portfolio includes interests in several prominent and respected brands in entertainment, media and lifestyle.

Business career

Young Hollywood

RJ Williams is the Founder and CEO of Young Hollywood. Young Hollywood creates and distributes celebrity and lifestyle programming globally; owns several leading entertainment websites, licenses the Young Hollywood trademark internationally for a range of consumer products and services; and works closely with brands in the advertising world to help find innovative ways to touch consumers [1]

Williams started Young Hollywood in 2007. [2] Young Hollywood had become one of the largest producers of original celebrity online programming in Hollywood; forming partnerships with companies such as Yahoo, Hulu, Google, TV Guide,[3] Blinkx,[4] and Metacafe.[5]

In 2010, they built a brand new million dollar hi-definition broadcast studio at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.[6][7] and grew to 24 employees. ABC News online called Young Hollywood "one of Hollywood's hottest websites"[8]

September 13, 2010 marked the day YouTube confirmed their first ever live streaming project that had been in stealth mode for quite some time. They selected Young Hollywood to be their partner and kick things off with segments featuring pro skater Tony Hawk, comedian Dane Cook and "Jackass" star Steve-O.[9]

January 16, 2012 Williams was behind the launch of a new network in partnership with Google (YHN), giving Young Hollywood a platform that reaches a global audience of over 800 million people.[10] YouTube spent 100 million dollars on launching this venture [11] In June 2012, Williams was the subject of a cover story on BBC World News about the 100 Million dollar initiative and Young Hollywood's key role in it.[12] The Young Hollywood Network has become a “barker channel” for other new YouTube channels — like a Leno for the YouTube set introducing audiences to other YouTube stars.[13]

In 2014, R.J. Williams announced plans to launch a streaming network with long form content.[14] Young Hollywood TV is a celebrity-focused digital network built for Millennials. The network produces more than 500 original hours of exclusive programming annually. Williams also announced plans to expand into several new content verticals including reality and scripted programming and to heavily invest in their own IP, as well as work with outside talent and creators, to continue to expand content offerings.[15]

2015 saw a slate of new deals for Young Hollywood, including partnerships with Apple, Google, Roku, Amazon and Microsoft.[16]

Media career

Williams works closely advising several brands including Coca-Cola, Samsung, AT&T, Unilever, Subway, Rayban, Intuit and Electronic Arts on content production, product integration, experiential marketing and maximizing their social reach.[17][18]

He is known for paving the way by being one of the first to utilize new technologies such as what he did with programmatic advertising and creating PMP’S [19]

RJ has been profiled in media such as Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Ad Week, Ad Age, BBC World News, USA Today [20] and was named to The Hollywood Reporter Power 50 list joining the top execs from such places as Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, YouTube and Netflix. It was said that "Everything Young Hollywood Founder and CEO RJ Williams does is counterintuitive and effective" [21] Fast Company recently included Williams on their list of "today's most innovative business thought leaders" joining Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, and Tumblr CEO David Karp.[22][23]

RJ Williams is represented by the Creative Artists Agency.[24]

Early life

Acting and hosting

Williams was a child actor on movies and television shows, one of his credits being the child character Rowdy for two seasons of General Hospital, for which he became a winner of the Young Artist Award for best Actor in a Daytime Series for his role in General Hospital at the 12th annual Youth In Film Awards.[25]

Additionally, he was the voice of the title cartoon bear Kissyfur, which started in 1986. He also guest starred in a few episodes of Full House and an episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation (The Child in 1988). In the early 1990s, Williams provided the voice of Kit Cloudkicker in the animated show TaleSpin, and for Cavin in the final season of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. He also played the boy whose friend was a robot on the 1990s syndicated children's TV show Wake, Rattle and Roll, a daily syndicated interview show that ran for 130 episodes. Once Wake, Rattle and Roll stopped producing episodes, Williams decided to take a hiatus from show business to attend both Crossroads High School, and the film school at University of Southern California (USC).

In 2004, Williams worked alongside NSYNC's Lance Bass and together they co-hosted a one-hour, primetime American Music Awards Pre-Show with Dick Clark Productions and ABC [26]

Williams continued his work in front of the camera by hosting hundreds of celebrity interviews for Young Hollywood with such notables as Cameron Diaz, Taylor Lautner, Jessie Eisenberg, Zac Efron, Justin Timberlake, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Megan Fox, Sigourney Weaver, Nicolas Cage, and Selena Gomez.[27][28]

Producing

After graduation from USC, Williams formed a production company, Arjay Productions which focused on celebrity and lifestyle programming. Between 2003-2006, his company went on to produce multiple specials and series that were distributed by Showtime Networks. RJ was the creator, host and executive producer of these shows.[29]

The company formed several distribution alliances and provided content for ABC, Showtime, TV Guide Channel, America Online and various Fox Cable channels and became known for creating Young Hollywood related content.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "Young Hollywood Worldwide". yhworldwide.com. 2007-04-01.
  2. ↑ "RJ Williams on Young Hollywood's Gamechanger". forbes.com.
  3. ↑ "TV Guide, Young Hollywood Sites Collaborate On Content". Mediapost.
  4. ↑ "blinx partners with Young Hollywood to Bring users Beyond The Red Carpet". El economista. 2008-06-02.
  5. ↑ "metacafe's 12 new video content providers". AD Operations. 2008-08-07.
  6. ↑ Engelbrektson, Lisa (2010-04-16). "Young Hollywood builds studio". Variety.
  7. ↑ Vincent, Roger (2010-06-16). "Hotel Bets on Studio To Attract Hollywood Crowd". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ↑ "Hollywood's Hottest Website". abcnews.com. 2008-06-05. Retrieved March 2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  9. ↑ "YouTube testing live streaming". CNN. 2010-09-13.
  10. ↑ "R.J. Williams on Young Hollywood's gamechanger". Forbes. 2012-01-16.
  11. ↑ "Young Hollywood Network Launch January 16th, 2012=Fox". 2012-01-14.
  12. ↑ "YouTube's assault on old media=BBC". 2012-06-19.
  13. ↑ "How to Build "Entertainment Tonight" for YouTube: Young Hollywood Learns on the Job". All Things D. 2012-10-06.
  14. ↑ "Young Hollywood to Launch Streaming Network With Long-Form Content". variety.com. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Young Hollywood plans 500+ hours of original programming". rapidtvnews.com. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "Where To Watch Young Hollywood".
  17. ↑ Humphrey, Michael (2012-01-16). "YouTube Channels: RJ Williams On Young Hollywood's Gamechanger". Forbes Magazine.
  18. ↑ Russell, Mallory (2013-02-07). "How Young Hollywood Ditched Display and Builds Campaigns For Brands". Adage Magazine.
  19. ↑ "Young Hollywood focuses on video quality as it ramps up PMP Deals". Ad Exchanger. 2016-06-03.
  20. ↑ "Young Hollywood Worldwide". yhworldwide.com. 2007-04-01.
  21. ↑ "RJ Williams Digital Power Profile". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-06-07.
  22. ↑ "Young Hollywood CEO RJ Williams on being different". Fast Company. 2012-11-26.
  23. ↑ "Lesons for 2013: Business Wisdom". Fast Company. 2012-11-26.
  24. ↑ "CAA Signs Young Hollywood". Deadline. 2014-01-23.
  25. ↑ "12th annual Young Artist Awards winners". youngartistawards.org. 1990-03-29.
  26. ↑ "FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, October 30, 2003". EONLINE.
  27. ↑ "Young Hollywood Debuts New YouTube Network Studded with Stars". tubefilter. 2012-01-16.
  28. ↑ "Young Hollywood Network on YouTube". tubefilter. 2012-01-16.
  29. ↑ "Credits". imdb.
  30. ↑ "YouTube's Lineup Gets A Boost From Two New Entertainment Channels". paidcontent.
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