Will Keenan
Former Endemol Shine North America Digital President and Maker Studios exec Will Keenan has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer for COY Creator, a new white-label, talent-first business accelerator, as announced by Matt Silk, CEO of COY Creator.
COY Creator is officially launching its new platform this month with Keenan’s arrival and after an extensive beta development phase. The iniciative is a talent-first, business-in-a-box designed for elite creators as the only full-service technology solution in the creator economy. Its platform allows talent to host their exclusive content experience on their own URL with no brand competition, 100% data ownership and complete control of their fan engagement. Elite talent can now leverage COY’s solutions for brand sponsorships, creator collaborations, e-commerce and financial services.
Keenan, who has helped launch many top global online stars and channels, as well as shepherded the successful digital efforts of myriad traditional media celebrities over the last decade, will lead Coy Creator’s overall business, strategic partnerships, and talent relations initiatives. Keenan and Silk have already recruited actress Caylee Cowan, top Bollywood celebrity/singer Shweta Pandit and digital star/prankster Ed Bassmaster. The exec is currently in final negotiations with breakout actor/comedian King Bach (who has more than 100 million social followers) and for COY Creator to power Ultrafree, the community brand started by Emmy-winner Drea DeMatteo (“The Sopranos”) and her musician/artist partner Robby Staebler ("UVWAYS").
Matt Silk, Ceo of Coy Creator praised on the new addition: “I can’t wait to work side-by-side with Will as we help launch the businesses of some of the top creators and talent in the world. I don’t think we could write a job requirements-list as good as his background is for our company. Our mission is to help creators set themselves up for long-term success and now we have the right person to help us accomplish just that," expressed.
Keenan mentioned the platform's innovation:“COY Creator is the perfect place at the perfect time for me to make a return to the entertainment industry. For a while now, I’ve been perplexed at why no person, company or startup had established itself to be creator-first, to provide the obvious features and services that talent has been telling me for years they want the most. What Matt and his team have developed at COY Creator is exactly what is missing from this space or as our colleague Drea DeMatteo recently said, ‘COY Creator’s business model is the future of Hollywood," commented. Then, he added: “COY Creator is focused exclusively on ‘b2b2c’ (business-to-business-to- creator) rather than the company focusing on building out its own brand. We are truly going to give star talent the power to engage their fans like never before possible.”
Prior to taking a sabbatical from the industry to start a non-profit in New Jersey and raise his first child, Keenan launched Endemol Beyond, the digital division of Endemol Shine’s North American division. Keenan quickly led Endemol Beyond to become the world’s fastest-growing online premium channel network, bolstered by an elite talent and creator roster that included global music star Pitbull, online lifestyle guru Michelle Phan, music & comedic celebrity Andy Milonakis, viral sensation Brittany Furlan, rock icon Courtney Love and more. Before joining Endemol, Keenan served as Vice President at Maker Studios, where he signed, launched, and developed top digital channels, bringing numerous traditional celebrities to the YouTube platform, including the likes of Margaret Cho, James Gunn and Adrien Grenier.
He began his career starring in and producing a number of indie films including "Tromeo & Juliet", "Terror Firmer" and "Good Machine’s Love God. He then hopped across the pond to produce Bollywood films during the late 2000’s and segued into the digital space as an executive in 2011. Additionally, a documentary focused on Keenan's life & career ("Do You Know Who I Think I Am?") has been in production over the past year and will be released by Red Cup Films with director Brian Wild and producer Scott Boyle.