Bucketsquad, the media and ecommerce company started by top YouTube sports creator Jesser (Jesse Riedel) has hired its first-ever president in Zach Miller. Miller comes to Bucketsquad from Spotify where he led strategy and business development for the content business across podcasts, music, and emerging media formats.
In the role, Miller will support Bucketsquad’s expansion into new revenue channels, including content subscription and retail for Bucketsquad’s apparel brand. Additional focuses include new content formats and series, and international syndication.
“Zach is a key piece of the puzzle for us. When I first started creating content, I never could have imagined that we’d have one of the most popular sports YouTube channels with 16 million subscribers. Creating the content is the thing I love the most and bringing Zach onboard to run and grow Bucketsquad will allow me to double down on making videos. I couldn’t be happier that Zach is part of our team and I’m excited to see what we can do together with Bucketsquad,” said Riedel in a statement.
The news comes on the heels of Jesser and team’s recent Streamy’s win for Sports Creator of the Year for the second consecutive year. Bucketsquad has also doubled its revenue annually over several years and will reach a subscribership of 17 million by the end of 2023, according to the company.
“This is a dream role for me. It’s really incredible what Jesse and the Bucketsquad team have built to date, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help them take it to the next level,” said Miller in a statement. “Jesse is the most dynamic sports creator in the market today, and the team’s success with GenZ speaks volumes about their knowledge of the market and relationship with their audience. I’m excited to bring my experience with startups and big media across ecommerce, video, audio, subscription and licensing to help Bucketsquad diversify and grow into a next generation leader in sports media.”
Miller brings extensive experience in tech and media to his new role. His work has covered the film world and high-growth startups to consulting for and working within Fortune 500 media and tech companies. Most recently at Spotify, Miller helped scale video podcasting and develop the company’s creator platform strategy.
“It’s hard to argue with where the world is headed when creators like MrBeast have businesses valued at above $1 billion. Consumers are not only spending more time with their favorite creators than legacy media brands, their passion for and loyalty to those creators is on another level. Jesse and the team are deeply committed to delighting their fans with new and exciting offerings,” said Miller.
In addition to expanding the executive team, Bucketsquad has also elevated Marko Preocanin to senior executive producer, responsible for all creative direction alongside Riedel. Miller said that Preocanin is the creative glue that brings the company’s videos to life.
“His presence makes a huge difference in how the process runs from initial idea to finished video, and his creative work is the secret sauce. We’re excited to see him growing within the business and taking on even more responsibility, playing a wider role within Bucketsquad in creative direction overall,” added Miller.
In 2022 the company launched Bucketsquad Apparel, a direct-to-consumer sportswear line in partnership with Garrett James, founder of popular sports/streetwear line Ryoko Rain.