TheSoul Publishing continues its global expansion with new VP appointment
The powerhouse digital studio, who recently announced surpassing 1 billion subscribers across social media, announces key hire as part of ambitious plans for continued global growth
London, UK (28 April 2021) – Global digital publisher, TheSoul Publishing, has appointed Patrik Wilkens as Vice President of Operations. As an executive leader in the digital and entertainment industry, Wilkens brings over 14 years of experience in managing teams, growing products, and building organizations. With the scale of TheSoul Publishing continuing to accelerate, Wilkens’ leadership and extensive experience scaling companies will be particularly beneficial as the studio looks to continue its exponential global growth.
Previously, Wilkens served as Vice President of Mobile at Spilgames. The company was acquired by Azerion, where he continued in the role. In charge of 2 development studios, Wilkens set up a centralized operational structure that streamlined key departments including business intelligence, marketing, and technology services serving Azerion's gaming studios. In his career he has been responsible for launching more than 60 successful products culminating in over 250 million installations.
At TheSoul Publishing, Wilkens will collaborate with the COO in setting and driving long and short-term operational strategy. His focus currently is on growing additional revenue streams via brand deals, increasing our owned and operated content portfolio via websites and applications, as well as an expansion into China. Wilkens is also contributing to TheSoul Publishing's push for operational excellence by spearheading the adoption of new tools and processes.
In regards to the announcement, Wilkens shared: “As I transition from the gaming industry to digital content creation, I am thrilled to bring my operational expertise to TheSoul Publishing. While there are similarities between the interactive media areas of gaming and social media -- including a highly-engaged fan base and entertaining content -- the global scale and viewership of TheSoul Publishing is simply remarkable.”
Wilkens also added: “The global pandemic has seen interest soar in the positive and light-hearted content that TheSoul Publishing creates. There is no sign of this trend abating and it is exciting to join a fast-growing company that is generating incredible momentum and success across social media.”
He will report directly into the Chief Operating Officer, Arthur Mamedov, who shared the following in regards to the announcement: “As TheSoul Publishing’s growth has been skyrocketing in the past couple of years, so has been the scope, the complexity of our operations and our demand for talent. Bringing Patrik into our team boosts our expertise and can’t be overvalued. He knows how to grow a company while keeping its character intact, is highly professional in his field and has a brilliant track record. We’re excited about what lies ahead.”
In capitalizing on crave worthy consumer trends including cutting-edge 3D technology, stop motion, fun live-action, quirky music videos, inspirational craft projects, and vibrant
animation, TheSoul Publishing is soaring on social media. Its universally positive and entertaining channels, including 5-Minute Crafts, 123 GO!, and Slick Slime Sam, are distributed across social media and streaming platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, TikTok, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Chinese platforms including Xigua, Douyin and Bilibili.
This latest high-profile appointment follows TheSoul Publishing surpassing one billion subscribers across all of its social media platforms. Tubular Labs announced earlier this year in February that TheSoul Publishing topped their charts of the most unique global viewers in 2020. Tubular also reports TheSoul Publishing has garnered the most online media views, a position the studio has maintained since October 2020, outpacing legacy creators including ViacomCBS, Sony Pictures, Comcast and The Walt Disney Company.
About TheSoul Publishing
TheSoul Publishing is an independent digital studio that produces entertaining, positive and original content for a global audience. One of the world's most prolific and popular online media companies, TheSoul Publishing reaches over 1 billion social followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snap. Their globally based creative team continuously and consistently delivers engaging and irresistibly shareable content for all ages — in 19 different languages — distributed via a social media-driven cross-platform network.
From handy life-hacks to clever craft projects, from head-turning beauty tips to brain-twisting puzzles, TheSoul Publishing's portfolio of media brands emphasise the positive, the practical, and the purely entertaining. Their most-viewed channel, 5-Minute Crafts, is the No. 1 DIY digital brand in the world and ranks among the Top-10 of all YouTube channels.
TheSoul Publishing's universe of well-known channels, including Bright Side, 123 GO!, Avocado Couple, La La Life, Slick Slime Sam and Teen-Z, satisfy their viewers' curiosity on a vast array of topics through a combination of live-action video, vibrant digital animation, and family-friendly stop-motion.
Current initiatives include expansion across additional social media and streaming platforms — such as TikTok, Instagram, Snap, Roku, Amazon Prime and Chinese platforms including Xigua, Douyin and Bilibili — as well as continued growth of their extraordinary global production team, to provide their fans more of the content they crave and love.
TheSoul Publishing has garnered numerous accolades including the 'Digital Studio of the Year' at the 2021 Digiday Video & TV Awards, a 2021 Webby Award nomination for 5-Minute Crafts, a 2020 Streamy Award nomination (Best Brand Engagement), a pair of 2021 Shorty Award nominations (Best YouTube presence, Best Community Engagement), a 2021 Drum Award nomination (Video Team of the Year), multiple Cynopsis Digital Model D Award wins (Best Digital Consumer Brand - TheSoul Publishing, Best YouTube Channel - 5-Minute Crafts) and nominations (Best Branded Content Marketing), and a Media Excellence Award win (Excellence in Original Content).