LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Katalyst, founded by partners Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, announced that it has appointed Anthony Batt, one of the most recognized and respected digital media entrepreneurs in the area of social media, as the company’s president. Katalyst is Hollywood’s most innovative studio, creating programming for television, film and the social web. As the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of BUZZmedia, Batt is well-known as a pioneer in marrying authentic music and pop culture programming and innovative technology with a loyal and engaged audience. He will lead the Katalyst team in creating superior content, recruiting top talent, and dazzling existing brand clients.
“Anthony (@djabatt) is a dynamic entrepreneur whose passion is identifying a specific brand’s audience and creating content that will deliver remarkable experiences and results,” said Katalyst co-founder Ashton Kutcher. “He has the expertise to broaden our efficiencies and provide intensely skilled execution. We are thrilled to have him on our team.”
“Katalyst is steeped in storytelling through films, television and social media. They know how to engage an audience. That talent sets us apart and provides us with the ability to harness the power brands have with their consumers, and create experiences that are more engaging, specific and direct,” says Batt. “Today’s consumers aren’t interested in traditional advertising and media. They want to discover something authentic and bold about the brands they associate with – so brands have to create stories that will feed and engage their audience.”
Together, Batt and the Katalyst leadership team will seek out creative, non-traditional ventures to support a brand’s need to connect with consumers through what Katalyst calls “Custom Creative Social Programming.” Unlike traditional advertising and marketing whose message is broad, Katalyst’s agile team of experts turns out quick, smart, creative stories that are extremely informative, on-point and will feed a brand’s specific audience.
Katalyst clients include Gatorade, Levi’s, Nikon, Intel and many more. One of the company’s most notable creative campaigns was its cause-related work with the United Nations to generate awareness and engagement with their mission to control the spread of malaria. Katalyst developed a strategic creative campaign leveraging influential voices in social media to distribute content across major platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The Katalyst campaign message was able to reach 265,000,000 consumers in 24 hours, and helped raise over $200 million for the cause.
“The internet is one of the most effective platforms for people who want to consume and share,” said Batt. “The custom programming we’ll create on behalf of our brands will allow us not to deviate, but to move with our audience and engage with them in a more meaningful way.”
About Katalyst Digital
Launched in 2000 by Jason Goldberg and Ashton Kutcher, Katalyst is an innovative studio, creating programming for television, film and the social web. Katalyst links brands with custom creative social programming, distribution and technology platforms to reach audiences like never before. The company produces a wide range of content for distributors and brands, with comedy, reality and lifestyle programs currently spanning cable, film and digital platforms.
Katalyst’s digital division (Katalyst Digital) includes media properties such as Kellogg Cares Feeding America Program (facebook.com/kelloggcares), Pepsi Refresh Everything Program http://www.refresheverything.com, MtDew DEWmocracy (facebook.com/mountaindew), along with Presidential Pledge (www.myspace.com/presidentialpledge), 24 Hours at Sundance (www.24hoursatsundance.com), and the Web reality series Katalyst DigitalHQ (www.funspace.com/Katalyst Digitalhq).
In 2010, Katalyst was named one of the year's Top 50 Most Inspiring Innovators by Ad Age and one of Fast Company Magazine’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies.