Thrillist
Type of site
Private
Founded2004 (2004)
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Founder(s)Ben Lerer
Adam Rich
Key peopleMeghan Kirsch (Chief Content Officer)
Helen Hollyman (Editor-in-Chief)
Employees300+
ParentVox Media
URLthrillist.com

Thrillist is an online media website covering food, drink, travel and entertainment. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in New York City, United States. In October 2016, Thrillist merged with internet brands The Dodo, NowThis News, and Seeker[1] to form the digital media holding company Group Nine Media,[2] which was acquired by Vox Media in 2022.[3]

History

Founder Ben Lerer (2016)

Thrillist was founded in 2004 by Ben Lerer, son of media executive Kenneth Lerer; and Adam Rich, his friend from college. They graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 and moved to New York City. Rich initially served as president, and Ben Robinson served as the Chief Creative Officer. Lerer and Rich sent the first Thrillist e-mail newsletter in 2005 to 600 friends. In early 2017, following layoffs of more than 25 employees, the Thrillist editorial, video, and distribution staffs announced plans to unionize with the Writers Guild of America East.[4] In response, Lerer refused to voluntarily recognize and held anti-union, captive audience meetings despite more than 85% of the editorial staff having signed union cards.[5] In July 2017, Thrillist hired entertainment industry veteran and former MTV and GoPro executive Ocean MacAdams to lead the digital brand.[6]

In late September 2018, after more than a year at the bargaining table and a staff walkout, the Thrillist Union and management reached a collective bargaining agreement.[7][8] The deal included a guaranteed 8.5% raise for all employees in its first year, as well as a salary floor of $50,000/year. "This represents a victory not just for the editorial employees of Thrillist, but for our entire industry," the Thrillist Union's bargaining committee said of the contract. "Through collective action we've made our workplace better and helped set a standard we hope other digital media shops can follow."[9]

In 2019, Thrillist hired Meghan Kirsch, formerly Vice Media's SVP of marketing and creative, as its chief content officer.[10] That same year, the media brand named Helen Hollyman, Founding Editor of Vice's Munchies, its new Editor-in-Chief.[11]

Former business ventures

In May 2010, Thrillist acquired online men's fashion retailer JackThreads.[12]

In March 2011, TMG hired Eric Ashman as Chief Financial Officer from The Huffington Post.[13] In 2012, Ashman was charged with committing accounting fraud by the SEC while working as CFO at The Street and was "barred from acting as a director or officer of a public company for three years."[14]

In February 2012, Lerer announced the creation of the Thrillist Media Group (TMG), which combined Thrillist, deal site Thrillist Rewards, and JackThreads.[15] In August 2012, the media group led a $13 million fundraising round, from OAK, the Pilot Group, and Lerer Ventures.[16]

In March 2013, TMG discontinued Thrillist Rewards, citing slow growth, and also launched The Crosby Press, a site designed to market JackThreads products by providing content aimed at a target audience of men in their late teens to early twenties.[17] By May 2015, The Crosby Press had been closed by TMG.[18] In October 2013, TMG launched the tech site Supercompressor, which focused on gear and gadgets for a young male audience.[19] Supercompressor was discontinued as a site in September 2015.[20]

In September 2015, TMG announced it had raised $54 million in total from European publisher Axel Springer, Oak Investment Partners and SBNY. As part of the transaction, Thrillist separated its businesses, with Thrillist Media group operating the media site, Thrillist, while the e-commerce company operated JackThreads.[21]

In October 2016, TMG merged with The Dodo, NowThis News and Seeker to form Group Nine Media. The newly formed holding company received a $100 million strategic investment from Discovery, Inc.[22]

In February 2017, JackThreads laid off most of its staff in preparation to "cease operations as an independent company." A number of customers subsequently experienced problems with returns, canceled orders, and items that never shipped.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Alpert, Lukas I. (October 13, 2016). "Discovery Invests in Digital-Media Outlets". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ Alpert, Lukas I. "Discovery invests in digital-media outlets". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Vox Media Completes Acquisition of Group Nine". February 22, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  4. ↑ Marans, Daniel (February 15, 2017). "Thrillist Staff Announces Plan To Unionize". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ Nolan, Hamilton. "The Dismal Thrillist Anti-Union Campaign". The Concourse. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ McAdams, Ocean (July 12, 2017). "Thrillist Taps GoPro, Current TV Veteran Ocean MacAdams as President (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Thrillist staff refuses to work as union contract negotiations sputter". Fast Company. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Thrillist Staff Ratify Contract With Writers Guild East". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Thrillist Union on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ Spangler, Todd (July 8, 2019). "Thrillist Hires Meghan Kirsch, Former Vice and A&E Exec, as Chief Content Officer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Spangler, Todd (October 16, 2019). "Thrillist Taps Helen Hollyman, Founding Editor of Vice's Munchies, for Top Editorial Post (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  12. ↑ McMahan, Ty (May 13, 2010). "Is Thrillist The Future of Media? – Speakeasy – WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  13. ↑ Ante, Spencer E. (March 31, 2011). "Chief Financial Officer of the Huffington Post to Leave". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  14. ↑ Savitz, Eric. "SEC Charges TheStreet, 3 Execs With Accounting Fraud". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  15. ↑ Del Ray, Jason (February 7, 2012). "Thrillist Hires New Head of Sales, Forms Thrillist Media Group". AdAge. Archived from the original on November 7, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  16. ↑ Kafka, Peter. "Dude, Here's Your Series A: Ben Lerer's Thrillist Raises $13 Million". AllThingssD. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  17. ↑ Del Rey, Jason (March 6, 2013). "Thrillist Media Launches 'The Crosby Press' to Finally Solve Content + Commerce Puzzle". Advertising Age. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Foster, Tom (May 29, 2015). "How Ben Lerer Succeeded Where So Many Others Failed". Inc. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  19. ↑ Shields, Mike. "Thrillist Is Launching a Tech Publication". Adweek. Adweek. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Supercompressor (@supercompressor)". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Axel Springer buys minority stake in Thrillist". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ Alpert, Lukas I. "Discovery invests in digital-media outlets". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Startup JackThreads Lays Off Most Staff and Puts Itself Up for Sale". Fortune. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
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