Nitro Circus Announces Digital Expansion

Nitro Circus, the world’s top action sports entertainment company, has ramped up its digital presence with a quartet of executive hires.

Lauren Reilly has been named VP, Digital Product Marketing, Nick Crooks has been appointed VP, Digital Business Development and Distribution, Remi Guyton has been designated VP, Digital Content & Programming and Charley Daniels has been tapped Director of Content Marketing. All four will report to Senior Vice President and Global Head of Digital Mike Cowan, effective immediately. The expanded Nitro Circus digital team will accelerate the company’s delivery of exciting original content to millions of fans globally and leverage that content to drive growth across its touring, sponsorship and licensing business. 

This strategic move strengthens Nitro Circus’ best in class position in the digital arena. Just three years after a significant investment by the Raine Group (Vice Media Group, Imagine Entertainment, Important Studios), Nitro Circus has established itself as one of the top brands in sports and entertainment online. Each month it reaches a quarter of a billion people across all of its social media platforms and currently has 14 million Facebook fans (it expects to hit 15 million by the end of 2016). This tremendous impact has not gone unnoticed: Nitro Circus was recently cited in a Facebook case study and praised by industry experts like Joel Comm.

Said Nitro Circus CEO and Creative Director Mike Porra, “As media consumption continues to shift, it’s crucial that we attract the best talent so that we continue to be at the forefront of this ever evolving landscape. Mike has assembled a tremendous team, drawing on top leaders from across the industry. We are thrilled to welcome Lauren, Remi, Nick and Charley to the Nitro family.”   

Said Mike Cowan, “Three years after first outlining our digital strategy, Nitro Circus is now one of the fastest growing digital media sports properties in the world. To be able to bring over such talented senior level digital hires is a testament not only to this growth and the strength of our reputation, but also to the optimism regarding our future. We feel we have only scratched the surface in terms of what we can be."

Lauren Reilly will oversee Nitro Circus’ websites, including www.nitrocircus.com and www.nitroworldgames.com. She will also lead digital marketing campaigns for the company’s sponsorship and licensing initiatives as well as spearhead other key projects. Prior to joining Nitro Circus, Reilly served as senior director of marketing at SteelHouse, where she was responsible for brand awareness and product development. Prior to that, she was senior director of marketing and business operations at Demand Media, where she built a team of over 10,000 freelancers at Demand Studios, one of the largest digital content studios in the world.

Remi Guyton will collaborate with Nitro Circus’ acclaimed media production team, led by Senior Vice President of Media Trip Taylor (producer of the hit Jackass film franchise). Guyton will develop, market, and program Nitro Circus’ huge slate of original digital content. She will also manage global social media and digital marketing campaigns promoting Nitro Circus’ tours, events and partnerships. Guyton previously served as executive producer and head of programming for Demand Media, the largest digital content studio in the world by volume. She was also the executive producer of three major YouTube channels as part of its large investment in premium content, overseeing over $10 million in content production for Livestrong Woman, eHow Pets, and eHow Home and Garden channels.  

Nick Crooks will leverage Nitro Circus' industry-leading social engagement efforts with global partnerships designed to increase both content distribution and revenue. Crooks has worked in the digital influencer space since its inception, having served in leadership roles at Maker Studios and most recently Fullscreen Media as Director of Global Business Operations where he was responsible for running their international business in Brazil, Russia, and Japan.

Charley Daniels will help create and implement Nitro Circus’ editorial strategy, curate original content across its numerous digital platforms, and manage the company’s websites on a day-to-day basis. Daniels has worked with Nitro Circus in multiple roles as an independent consultant. This summer he played an important role in the extraordinarily successful Nitro World Games digital campaign, which has received 100 million aggregate content views worldwide to date, including over one million views of the event’s global livestream in more than 15 countries. 

About Nitro Circus:

Named #22 on Forbes magazine’s 2015 list of, “America’s Most Promising Companies,” Nitro Circus continues to position itself as the world’s leading youth action sports & entertainment brand. From humble beginnings in 2003 – with Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey and soon to be action sports superstar Travis Pastrana producing DVDs from a Utah garage -- to a smash TV series which has aired in over 60 countries, Nitro Circus has exploded to global popularity. In 2012, Nitro Circus: The Movie, featuring cast members from the hit television series, was released in cinemas worldwide. In 2015, Nitro Circus announced a partnership with NBC Sports Ventures. The multi-year strategic alliance features TV specials, such as the recent Nitro World Games, and series programming airing nationally in the U.S. on NBC and NBCSN as well as streamed on the NBC Sports App.

The TV show was transformed by action sports industry guru, now current CEO, Michael Porra into a must-see live event in 2010, creating the Nitro Circus Live global touring phenomenon. Since its inaugural Australian trek six years ago, the show has travelled the globe, obliterating box office records and cultivating a legion of diehard fans. Nitro Circus has now rolled across five continents, blown away over three million fans and sold out shows in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, China, Japan, the Middle East and South Africa. After close to 100 shows globally in 2015 and with a packed 2016 touring schedule, Nitro Circus is undoubtedly the world’s most successful action sports touring brand. For more information visit www.nitrocircus.com.