Trick shot empire Dude Perfect hires NBA content exec as first CEO

A media company that began with five friends messing around on a college campus is evolving into a wide-ranging brand, and a new CEO has arrived to fuel that growth. Andrew Yaffe, who previously worked for the NBA, is taking the reins of the Texas-based trick shot artisans known as Dude Perfect.

Yaffe arrives at Dude Perfect after spending more than eight years at the world’s most prominent basketball league. Over his tenure, he held multiple roles, covering fields like original content, social media, and strategy. Most recently, he served as the NBA’s Head of Social, Digital, and Original Content.

That experience will serve Yaffe well as he heads to his new gig. The NBA has been long been lauded for its forward-thinking social media strategy and its efforts to connect with creators on platforms like YouTube.

Dude Perfect is approaching that middle point from the opposite direction. It is a YouTube-born brand that is now turning into a multi-pronged sports media empire. Operating out of an expansive “Trick Shot Town

” in the Dallas area, Dude Perfect has built its own streaming service, acquired a minority stake in English football club Burnley, and even launched an aquatic adventure called Cruise Perfect.

With nine figures of private equity capital in its pockets, Dude Perfect is primed for even more expansion, and Yaffe will guide the brand as it continues to grow. “Dude Perfect has built an amazing following and is leading the charge in delivering its audience great content, live events and expanding the business even further,” Yaffe said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud to lead the team into this exciting new chapter.”

As Dude Perfect continues to bring new products and initiatives under its umbrella, it is adding new videos to the channel that made it famous. The OG Dude Perfect YouTube hub now has more than 60 million subscribers, and it has amassed over 17 billion views to date.