René Rechtman is a Danish entrepreneur, businessman, and investor. He is the founder and CEO of

Moonbug Entertainment Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. is a British children's media company and multi-channel network headquartered in London, with an office in Los Angeles. Founded in 2018 and owned by Candle Media, Moonbug creates and distributes children’s video a ...

and former president of international operations at Maker Studios (now part of the

Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Education

Rechtman has a master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

Career

In 2000, Rechtman joined Tradedoubler, an internet advertising firm, and established the firm in Denmark. In 2004 he was called to return to the London offices and was named director of advertising. In 2005, Tradedoubler went public and was listed on the

Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

. In 2008, Rechtman became director and co-owner of GoViral, a Danish startup distribution platform for video advertising. He sold the company in 2011 to American

AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...

for approximately $100 million. He remained on as CEO of AOL BeOn, the global branded content division of AOL Networks, and also served as senior vice president of AOL International. He served as the president of international operations and was an investor at

Maker Studios Maker(s) or The Maker(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Maker'' (film), a 1997 American drama film * Maker Studios, now part of Disney Digital Network, an American multi-channel TV network *''Makers'', a 2014 British documentary seri ...

(which would become

Disney Digital Network Disney Digital Network was an American multi-channel network located in Culver City, California. It was originally the successor to Maker Studios, co-founded by Lisa Donovan, Danny Zappin, Scott Katz, Kassem Gharaibeh, Shay Carl, Rawn Eric ...

) in 2014. That same year, the company was acquired by Disney for $500 million and he became head of "non-linear media". In 2016, he co-founded RFRSH Entertainment, a Danish esports entertainment platform, with Nikolaj Nyholm and Jakob Lund Kristensen. In 2018, Rechtman left Disney and founded

, a children’s entertainment company, with John Robson. The company's most famous series is

Cocomelon Cocomelon (, stylized as CoComelon) is a children's YouTube channel operated by Candle Media-owned Moonbug Entertainment. The channel specializes in 3D animation videos of traditional nursery rhymes and original children's songs. As of June 2 ...

, with one and a half billion plays on Youtube in one month. He sold the company in November 2021 for $3 billion to two former Disney executives,

Kevin Mayer Kevin Mayer (, or , born 10 February 1992) is a French Sport of athletics, athlete specialising in decathlon and indoor heptathlon. He is two-time world champion (in 2017 and 2022), two-time Olympic silver medalist (2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 ...

and Tom Staggs, and their Blackstone-backed media company, which was later named

Candle Media Candle Media is an American Media company based in Los Angeles. The company is financial supported by the investment firm Blackstone Inc. and was co-founded by former Disney executives Kevin A. Mayer and Thomas O. Staggs. Candle Media owns the c ...

in January 2022. He serves on the board of

JP/Politikens Hus JP/Politikens Hus A/S (''House of JP/Politiken'') is a Danish media company. History and profile JP/Politikens Hus was established on 1 January 2003 as a merger between Politikens Hus and Jyllands-Posten A/S, publishing companies of the major ...

and

Guardian Media Group Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'', and formerly ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the fin ...

. In 2011 and 2012, Rechtman was named in '' Wired Europe''s Top 100 most influential list.

Personal life

Rechtman was born from a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in Copenhagen, Denmark. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rechtman, Rene 1970s births 21st-century Danish businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople British mass media owners Businesspeople from Copenhagen Danish mass media owners Internet company founders Businesspeople in mass media Moonbug Entertainment University of Copenhagen alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people