Yahoo Lifestyle Rhett & Link’s Mythical Hires Melinda Petrow as Head of Audience Development
Mythical, the digital entertainment studio founded by YouTube stars Rhett & Link, hired digital marketing pro Melinda Petrow as senior VP of audience development.
Petrow most recently was head of content marketing at Amazon’s Wondery podcast studio and prior to that led marketing and PR at Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco podcast company. Over year 15-plus career, she also held several senior marketing positions across NBCUniversal’s digital entertainment divisions, including at Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes.
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The company said Petrow will work to expand the reach of all of Mythical’s entertainment brands, with a focus on YouTube, social and shortform content, and the Mythical Society subscription fan club. In the newly created role, Petrow will report to Mythical chief creative officer Stevie Wynne Levine and president Brian Flanagan.
Mythical was founded by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal (better known to fans as Rhett & Link), childhood friends from North Carolina who first met in “first-grade detention after writing profanities on their desks and later performed comedic sketches in grade school,” per the company.
Mythical’s YouTube channels have 33 million subscribers and 12 billion lifetime views, and its combined following across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snap and Twitter tops 26 million. Mythical employs more than 100 full-time staff in Burbank, Calif., and the company is entirely independent and self-financed.
Rhett & Link host the company’s flagship daily talk show, “Good Mythical Morning,” now in its 12th year. Guests on the show have included Post Malone, Jack Black, Ted Danson, Keke Palmer, Madison Beer, Ben Schwartz, and Terry Crews.
Pertrow lauded Rhett & Link as “true industry pioneers” and said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Mythical on their quest to take the brand and its fandom to the next level, while solidifying their position as the leading television studio for the internet generation.
Levine, regarding Petrow’s hire, said, “Melinda’s arrival marks yet another trailblazing bet Mythical is making in the continued growth of not only the longest-running creator-owned brand in the game but the broader creator economy.” Flanagan added: “Rhett & Link have built Mythical into a category-leading enterprise and potent consumer brand by combining the best attributes of Hollywood studio and internet-first creator business models. Melinda’s incredible talents as a digital-native marketer and growth strategist, and her track record of driving results for talent-led entertainment brands we’ve long admired, reflect our commitment to blending the best of both worlds.”
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