TMB, the leading community-driven entertainment company with a global audience of over 200 million consumers, announced today the appointment of Chris Rantamaki as SVP of Original Programming. Rantamaki will oversee the development team focused on creating new and original content across TMB’s portfolio of brands including FailArmy, Reader’s Digest, People are Awesome, The Pet Collective, Taste of Home and Family Handyman. In his newly created role Rantamaki will report to TMB Chief Business Officer Cameron Saless. Reporting into Rantamaki will be Vice President of Digital Studio, Dee Robertson and Vice President Programming & Development for CTV, Darren Wadyko. The appointment marks yet another significant investment in original programming for the media company.
Rantamaki brings a wealth of experience to TMB, having held similar roles at Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Eko and OZY Studios. Over his career he has overseen thousands of hours of shows including unscripted hits Ink Master, Deadliest Catch, Naked & Afraid, and Bar Rescue.
“I am thrilled to welcome Chris to TMB. We have been investing heavily in new and original programming — in the last year alone we tripled our production budget as part of our commitment to producing high quality content — and Chris’ experience and acumen in producing top-quality content will help us take our efforts to the next level,” said Saless.
TMB has produced more than 1,000 episodes of broadcast, cable, and streaming programming for top networks including FOX, MTV Networks, Facebook, Sinclair’s TBD Network, and Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network, among others, including the hit series Neighborhood Wars which is in its second season on A&E. The company is also about to debut five new original series for its streaming channels this fall and recently launched Your Pranks, Our Show starring Zach Holmes on its FailArmy FAST channel. Your Pranks, Our Show was executive produced by Colin Goheen and Jonathan Skogmo.
“There is not another company in the space that gets billions of monthly organic views and has the ability to launch shows into the zeitgeist with synergy across streaming, social, web, and even print,” said Rantamaki. “The possibilities for us to create exciting new original content for our own properties and for partners are endless.”
Rantamaki’s appointment marks TMB’s 119th hire for 2022 as the company continues to expand across CTV, social, and video.
About TMB
TMB (Trusted Media Brands) is the world’s leading community-driven entertainment company engaging more than 200 million consumers worldwide across streaming TV, social media, web and print. Our portfolio of brands including FailArmy, Family Handyman, People Are Awesome, Reader’s Digest, Taste of Home, The Healthy, and The Pet Collective, is powered by content that’s inspired and created by our fans. Together our community sparks curiosity, fuels laughter, and inspires people to live big, full, fantastic lives. Learn more about our brands, our data-driven marketing solutions, our award-winning licensing services, and much more at www.tmbi.com.
