Candle Media Hires UTA Digital Architect Brent Weinstein And Disney Vet Salil Mehta

Candle Media, the venture-backed entertainment startup founded by ex-Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, is building an impressive executive team.

The company has onboarded longtime UTA partner Brent Weinstein and former FoxNext Games president Salil Mehta in the roles of chief development officer and chief financial officer, respectively.

Beginning Feb. 1, Weinstein will oversee new business development with an emphasis on social media, creator economy, ecommerce, and Web3 opportunities, Candle says. Mehta, who joined on Jan. 3, will charge financial operations. Both will report to Mayer and Staggs, who serve as Candle’s co-CEOs.

“They will be instrumental in facilitating growth across our portfolio of companies,” Stags and Mayer said in a statement, “and helping us identify new investment and business development opportunities.”

Weinstein, a 20-year UTA vet, most recently served as the talent agency’s partner and chief innovation officer, leading its entry into digital talent. He also worked closely with Brian Robbins

on the creation, development, and sale of AwesomenessTV, and launched Keywords Press, an influencer-focused book publishing imprint with Simon & Schuster.

Mehta, for his part, has held senior roles at Disney (overseeing its ad-supported digital businesses), ESPN, Comcast/NBCUniversal, and 21st Century Fox. He first met Mayer and Staggs when he joined Disney’s strategic planning group in 1994.

Blackstone-backed Candle says it will operate “at the the intersection of content, community, and commerce.” It has previously acquired Hello Sunshine ($900 million), Moonbug Entertainment ($3 billion), and Faraway Road Productions ($50 million), and taken a minority stake in Westbrook Inc. ($60 million).