Time Magazine Hires Majordomo Media’s Dave O’Connor to Head Studios Group

Todd Spangler
·2 min read
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Dave O’Connor is exiting production company Majordomo Media to take over the reins of Time Studios as president.

O’Connor will report to Time CEO Jessica Sibley, who announced his hiring in a memo to staff Monday. O’Connor takes over the Time Studios role from Ian Orefice, who left the company this year to lead Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI-backed content studio EverWonder.

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At Majordomo Media, he was a co-founder and co-CEO alongside David Chang, founder of the famed Momofuku restaurant group. The company has produced series including “Chef Vs. Wild” and “Secret Chef” for Hulu; “Ugly Delicious” for Netflix; and podcasts “The Dave Chang Show” and “Recipe Club” with Spotify’s The Ringer.

“With a proven track record of crafting business models to sustain profits and fuel growth, Dave also brings a deep creative background to Time Studios, with over two decades of experience as a showrunner, executive producer and director,” Sibley wrote in the memo, noting that he has created and overseen nonfiction film and TV projects platforms including ABC, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube.

Prior to Majordomo, founded in 2018, O’Connor was president of entertainment at the San Francisco-based design firm Godfrey Dadich Partners, where he established a New York office for the firm, built a video content practice, contributed to the redesign of National Geographic Magazine. Before that, he was a VP and executive producer at RadicalMedia, where he oversaw a slate of productions including “Mars” for National Geographic Channel; branded content series “GT Academy” for Paramount, Sony PlayStation and Nissan; and films like “Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru” for Netflix and “You Don’t Know Bo” for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. He has also held positions at Embassy Row and ESPN, where he oversaw the World Series of Poker and other original series.

Time is owned by Salesforce founder/CEO Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne Benioff, who acquired it from Meredith in 2019 for $190 million.

Read the full memo from Sibley:

Team,

Today, I am thrilled to announce that Dave O’Connor has joined TIME Studios as President. He will be based in the New York office, reporting directly to me.

As President, Dave will further TIME Studios’ mission of creating premium storytelling that moves the world, while providing the vision and strategic direction to propel TIME Studios forward in this dynamic entertainment landscape.

With a proven track record of crafting business models to sustain profits and fuel growth, Dave also brings a deep creative background to TIME Studios, with over two decades of experience as a showrunner, executive producer and director. He has created and overseen non-fiction film and television projects for a range of platforms — and existing TIME Studios partners — including ABC, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and more, as well as brands such as American Express, Apple, Walmart, ABInBev and others.

Dave joins us from Majordomo Media, where he was a co-founder and co-CEO and produced hit series such as Chef Vs. Wild for Hulu, a growing podcast network and an original FAST channel. He also served as President of Entertainment at the San Francisco-based design firm Godfrey Dadich Partners, where he established a New York office for the firm, built a video content practice, contributed to the redesign of National Geographic Magazine, and produced projects for IBM, Nike, the Obama Foundation and others. Previously, Dave was a Vice President and Executive Producer at RadicalMedia, where he oversaw a robust slate of productions, managed production operations and creative development, and developed and produced series including MARS for National Geographic Channel, the branded content hit GT Academy for Paramount, Sony PlayStation, and Nissan, and films like Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru for Netflix, and You Don’t Know Bo for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. Dave has also held positions at Embassy Row, where he helped launch the immensely popular Men in Blazers franchise, and ESPN, where he oversaw the World Series of Poker and other successful original series.

“I look forward to leading and building on the success of TIME Studios into its next chapter,” Dave said. “I have been so impressed with how TIME Studios has made a big splash in the premium non-fiction film and television business, creating an ambitious slate of high-profile projects and partnering with some of the best filmmakers in the world to bring them to life.”

Since launching in early 2020, TIME Studios has demonstrated tremendous growth, generating more than $100M in revenue. It has become a destination for the world’s most impactful storytellers. I am confident that TIME Studios will continue to expand and thrive under Dave’s leadership.

Please join me in welcoming Dave to TIME.

Best,
Jess

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