Former Spotify, Maker Studios exec Courtney Holt joins Moonbug as its first Head of Music

Moonbug has hired an entertainment industry veteran to fill a newly created role. Courtney Holt, whose career has included stops at Spotify, Disney, Maker Studios, MySpace and MTV, has joined the children’s media company as its inaugural Head of Music and Audio Initiatives.

Some of Moonbug’s top properties, such as CoComelon, incorporate original and adapted music as part of videos and offline efforts. “I look forward to collaborating with our talented team to explore new opportunities, forge strategic partnerships and push the boundaries of what is possible,” Holt said in a statement. “As a parent, I am inspired by the work Moonbug has been doing to produce great and inspirational content for kids. I am excited to embark on this exciting journey with Moonbug.”

Holt will be based in Los Angeles, where he will head Moonbug’s growing audio and music team. He will oversee the company’s music label with an eye toward international expansion and partnerships with “established and emerging artists.” Holt’s Head of Music role will build on the experience he gained while working for “Big Three” labels like Warner Music and Universal Music Group.

In 2006, Holt left the recording industry to join MTV, where he spent two years in a role focused on digital strategy. His career path then took him to MySpace and eventually Maker Studios. He was the longtime Chief Operating Officer and a steady presence at the prominent multi-channel network. Holt stayed on at Maker after Disney acquired the network in 2014, and he briefly served as Maker’s CEO before leaving Disney when the Mouse House absorbed the pioneering MCN into its own digital network.

Holt then wound up back in the music industry at Spotify, where he led a reorganization of the platform’s original content operation before moving on in 2022. The “Spotlight Section” developed during Holt’s Spotify tenure has housed original programming from well-known partners.

At Moonbug, Holt is reunited with another ex-Maker exec, René Rechtman. The Moonbug C0-Founder and CEO previously served as Maker’s President of International. In a statement, Rechtman described Holt as a decision maker who will use his “proven track record” to strengthen Moonbug’s position in the music industry.