New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Patreon, the membership platform for artists and creators, is proud to announce today the appointment of Goli Sheikholeslami, CEO of
Chicago Public Media, as an independent board member at Patreon.
Sheikholeslami is a highly regarded executive who has successfully built and led operations at several prominent media companies for more than two decades, including
Chicago Public Media, the home of Chicago's NPR news station WBEZ Chicago; The Washington Post; Conde Nast; and Time Warner. Her experiences span a rare combination of traditional news media and digital innovation at both emerging and established organizations. Under her leadership at
Chicago Public Media, for example, WBEZ
Chicago has experienced record-setting audience and membership growth of 35 percent in just three years, and is expanding its capacity to create and distribute high quality, in-depth journalism, innovative podcasts and original programming for all of its platforms.
As Patreon scales, Sheikholeslami's vast operational experience and expertise will be instrumental in establishing strong and effective governance for the company. Additionally, Sheikholeslami's impressive track record of building membership businesses will play a key role in shaping Patreon's vision to expand internationally and serve more creators.
"Goli will be an awesome guiding light for Patreon, with decades of executive operations experience in the media world," said Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon. "At WBEZ, Goli has grown their membership significantly during her tenure at the company. Every time I speak with her, I learn about new ways that arts and media organizations can find and keep paying contributors. I'm psyched to continue learning from her experience running media companies and building successful membership programs."
"I'm delighted to join the Board of Directors at Patreon. Patreon's model of connecting content creators with new fans is a dynamic way of building a community of digital consumers for the next generation," said Sheikholeslami.
Patreon selecting an independent board member is significant to the community as this decision pushes the venture capital industry to diversify its ranks. This announcement follows the launch of the Founders for Change, a new initiative that aims to create diversity among VC firms, backed by more than 500 venture-backed entrepreneurs, including Conte.
ABOUT PATREON
Patreon is a membership platform that connects creators with their biggest fans and enables those fans to become paying members, or patrons, of their favorite creators. Co-founded in 2013 by YouTube star Jack Conte of the band Pomplamoose, we believe that every creator in today's digital economy should get paid.
Patreon is the best place for creators to establish ongoing and predictable monthly revenue and expand their career as a creator. Patreon also helps fans connect in a new way with the creators they love most. Last year, Patreon announced they work with over 50,000 creators and sent over 150 million to artists and creators who have Patreon pages, whether they are creating podcasts, music, fiction, game streams, online videos, photography, visual art, and more. For information about the company, visit: https://www.patreon.com/
