A brand that allied itself with some of the biggest names in online video has shut down. Endemol Shine Beyond USA, the digital media unit launched in 2013 as Endemol Beyond, has closed its doors, and five of its employees have been let go.
From the get go, Beyond served as an attempt from Endemol,– the Netherlands-based production company known for its work on TV shows like Fear Factor and Big Brother — to increase its presence within the online video market. Will Keenan, a digital media vet, was brought on to run the studio upon its launch, and his team brought in a strong lineup of creative partners, including online video stars like Michelle Phan and Brittany Furlan as well as traditional media notables like Pitbull and Courtney Love.
Keenan left Endemol Beyond in 2015 and was replaced on an interim basis by Adrian Sexton, who eventually ceded the studio’s top spot to former Maker Studios exec Bonnie Pan. Pan is one of the employees who will depart Endemol as part of Beyond’s closure.
Subscribe to get the latest creator news
In recent years, Beyond shifted to focus more on the production of original programming, and it cooked up a batch of projects that included the YouTube Red holiday special The Keys of Christmas and the upcoming reality competition series Best Cover Ever. Though Beyond is shutting down, Endemol Shine will continue to produce digital media content.
“We constantly review our approach to ensure that we are at the forefront of market trends and producing the very best creative content for both our brand and platform partners,” said an Endemol spokesperson in a statement. “Moving forward, all digital programming initiatives in the U.S. will be run organically within the core infrastructure of Endemol Shine North America and its subsidiary production companies.”
News of Endemol’s decision to shutter Beyond was first reported by The Video Ink.
