• by Colin Kirkland , October 30, 2023

Bucketsquad, a media and ecommerce company started by famed YouTube sports creator Jesse Riedel (better known as Jesser), has hired its first president, Zach Miller -- a media and tech executive who held previous positions at NBCUniversal and Spotify, where he oversaw content strategy across podcasts, music and other emerging media channels.

Miller will support Bucketsquad's expansion into new revenue channels such as content subscription and retail for Bucketsquad's apparel brand, which launched in 2022 and drove over $1 million in sales its first year. Miller will also be focused on developing new content formats and international syndication.

Riedel became a leading creator alongside members of the 2Hype basketball collective and then developed his own solo presence online through viral sports-based videos. 

He has since launched a series of high-profile collaborations with the NBA, landed a spot in the All-Star Celebrity Game, launched a Bucketsquad sneaker line and more, attracting millions of subscribers to his main YouTube channel, which is projected to reach 17 million subscribers by the end of 2023.

Riedel's Bucketsquad team won a Streamy Sports Creator of the Year for the past two years and says it has doubled its revenue annually over several years.

“Creating the content is the thing I love the most and bringing Zach onboard to run and grow Bucketsquad will allow me to double down on making videos,” Riedel said in a recent statement.

“I'm excited to bring my experience with startups and big media across ecommerce, video, audio, subscription and licensing to help Bucketsquad diversify and grow into a next generation leader in sports media,” added Miller, who recently helped Spotify scale video podcasting and develop the company’s creator platform strategy.

Miller mentioned that he thinks consumer interest is shifting away from legacy media brands to creators, citing the businesses of YouTuber MrBeast being valued at $1 billion, and believes Riedel and his team are on a similar trajectory.