Media executive Sean Atkins is out as president of creator startup Jellysmack, the company confirmed to Business Insider. His last day at the company is set for next Friday, a company spokesperson told Business Insider in an emailed statement.
The company's chief business officer Stefanie Schwartz will take on additional responsibilities as head of Jellysmack Entertainment going forward, they said.
"With a background in M&A, digital strategy, and prior experience as a general manager at Viacom, Stefanie brings a wealth of expertise to the table," the Jellysmack spokesperson said. "Under Stefanie's leadership, we are confident that Jellysmack will continue to thrive and evolve."
Atkins first began working with Jellysmack as an advisor in 2019. The company announced that he would join the company full-time as president in September 2021. Before arriving at the creator upstart, Atkins was an executive at media brands like RTL Group, MTV, and HBO.
"During his tenure, Sean has been a pivotal figure in Jellysmack's journey, contributing to our emergence as a leader in the creator economy," the Jellysmack spokesperson said.
Atkins did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Atkins' departure comes just a few months after Jellysmack conducted a round of layoffs impacting 30 staffers. The cuts were meant to address "a contraction of monetization across platforms" at the firm due to "volatility in the digital ad market and a decrease in long-form distribution," according to a December memo from CEO Michael Philippe viewed by BI.
Founded in 2016, Jellysmack has offered various services for creators, including digital brand-building for celebrities, monetization contracts across apps like Facebook and Snapchat, YouTube catalog buying, and VC-style equity deals tied to creator content. It's partnered with some of the most popular creators on the internet, including MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) and PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg).
