Gunpowder & Sky Taps Former Endemol Exec To Oversee Just-Opened International HQ

Gunpowder & Sky has tapped former Endemol Shine Beyond U.K. exec Randel Bryan to serve as the managing director of its brand new international division. Bryan’s hire arrives at the same time that the one-year-old digital studio has opened its international headquarters in London.

In his new role, Bryan will seek to bolster Gunpowder’s footprint abroad, reporting to co-founder and president Floris Bauer — another former Endemol exec who co-founded Gunpowder & Sky with former MTV head Van Toffler. The multi-platform content studio, which also boasts marketing and distribution arms, is based in Los Angeles.

“We see tremendous opportunity in international markets with more OTT services emerging, and a clear demand for more youth-focused content,” Bauer said in a statement. “As our first international hub, the U.K. market was a logical step, being well known for having an extraordinary creative talent pool and producing content that travels globally.”

In his former role, Bryan oversaw development of Endemol Shine Beyond U.K.’s first YouTube Red Series, DanTDM Creates A Big Scene, and also launched several noted digital channels, including: Rule’m Sports with YouTuber Olajide William Olatunji (aka KSI); ICON UK with Michelle Phan; Legends Of Gaming; and AwesomenessTV UK. All told, these channels have amassed 2.5 million subscribers. During his tenure at Endemol, Bryan also managed Beyond’s branded entertainment division.

Projects from Gunpowder include Spotify’s most-viewed series, Drawn & Recorded; Herbalife documentary Betting On Zero; sci-fi platform DUST; and Jeff Baena’s forthcoming The Little Hours, a feature comedy starring Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and Dave Franco.