US prodco nabs Jukin exec for digital push

US-based Meetinghouse Productions has hired Bryan Odom from user-generated content specialist Jukin Media.

Odom (pictured) will take on a newly-created post as VP, digital strategy and production at Meetinghouse, which has bases in New York and LA and produces shows such World’s Dumbest.

At Jukin, Odom was VP of production, overseeing content for linear, digital and OTT distribution that comprised an overall 100 episodes and 400 pieces of UGC per month for digital platforms.

He has also worked at Lionsgate-owned Pligrim Studios and Nash Entertainment, working on programming for History Channel, Spike and truTV.

“Like Meetinghouse, Bryan has great experience in both regular TV and digital content, and particularly in the intersection between both,” said Meetinghouse president Jason Cilo. “For us, both markets share the same creative heart and spark, but they obviously need to be approached differently.”

Odom said Meetinghouse has “a very clever way of telling stories with user-generated content in sometimes unexpected genres, both comedy and other”, adding: “I hope to bring my linear and nonlinear experience to the table to put together a digital strategy that works across multiple platforms.”

Meetinghouse’s digital work includes a short-form comedy portal, Chuckler.com, and viral video clip series Almost Genius, which Corus in Canada picked up for a 20x30mins linear TV run in 2014.

World’s Dumbest began life on truTV in 2008 and ran for 16 seasons. It now has 1.4 million social media followers, and Meetinghouse co-distributes the franchises programming with Turner International.