Former CBS 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens is getting into the creator economy.
The veteran journalist is joining the media startup Newpress as its EP.
Owens joins as Newpress is raising $12 million in a funding round led by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, joined by Jesse Angelo, CEO of Checker Media; David Leavy, former COO of CNN Worldwide; and Brent Montgomery, CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment. Patrick Steel, former CEO of Politico, will also be investing and joining the board. Mark Rober, the popular YouTube creator, is also an investor in the company.
Newpress was founded by Johnny and Iz Harris, who are both established YouTube filmmakers (the company includes Johnny Harris’ current YouTube channel). The company is planning to launch a handful of new shows over the next few months, with a longer-term goal of having 12-16 channels led by creators who are subject matter experts.
Owens will work with all of the creators to develop new shows and bolster their production. It is his first role since exiting 60 Minutes last year.
“In getting to know Johnny and Iz over the past year, I’ve seen the sophistication they bring to their storytelling and couldn’t be more excited to be joining them on March 1,” said Owens. “We have the unique opportunity to bring the highest standards of traditional journalism to a genuinely new model. They have built trust with a huge audience that legacy institutions are increasingly struggling to reach. Through our partnership, we’re hoping to make some of the most ambitious and insightful storytelling that meets audiences where they are.”
“Newpress is built on the belief that people — navigating an increasingly complex world — want to learn about the world from humans they trust,” said Johnny and Iz Harris, co-founders of Newpress. “We’ve seen the huge impact of this journalism with our audiences already, and now with Emerson Collective’s investment and Bill’s leadership, we can build a new type of organization based around innovative, trusted and context-driven storytelling at scale.”
“Johnny and Iz are exceptional entrepreneurs with the ambition to build the leading creator-led journalism company,” added Peter Lattman, managing director of media at Emerson Collective. “Johnny is a gifted storyteller who makes complex subjects compelling and accessible. In Bill Owens, they’re adding a world-class journalist who brings the rigor and production excellence that defined his tenure at 60 Minutes.”