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Brian Robbins, the founder and CEO of teen/tween video network AwesomenessTV, is leaving the company.
In a memo to his staff, Robbins says Brett Bouttier, Robbins’ lieutenant, will stay on and run AwesomenessTV.
Robbins’ announcement comes after months of industry speculation about his future, and it comes after AwesomenessTV’s complicated ownership structure appears to be settled: Comcast*, which bought Dreamworks Animation last year, will keep Dreamworks’ majority stake in AwesomenessTV; Verizon and Hearst will remain minority investors in the company.
Robbins spoke with Recode’s Kara Swisher at Code Media earlier this month. You can see that here; Robbins’ memo to his company is below.
* Comcast’s NBCUniversal is a minority investor in Vox Media, which owns this site.
Team ATV-
After an amazing ride, five fantastic years building an awesome company and brand alongside an incredible team of people, the time is right for me to pass the baton and seek new challenges.
It’s not a decision I made lightly. I love AwesomenessTV and all of you; I will really miss coming in here every day. I’m enormously proud of what we have been able to build together.
We’ve exceeded any expectations I could have set when Joe and I started this journey. What began as a YouTube channel has turned into a global brand and the essential next generation media company for Generation Z.
AwesomenessTV is built to last and there is so much talent here who will carry this company forward, especially Brett who has been a partner with me nearly the entire time. He will continue to lead the company and, along with me, will find a creative partner to help continue the expansion of this business.
I will always carry this company in my heart and I am forever grateful to each of you for the hard work, dedication and love that you have put into our business. You should be proud of what we have built together, I certainly am. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for AwesomenessTV’s success.
This company was built on a culture of creativity. I urge you all to keep forging ahead on that road. Change creates opportunities for creativity to blossom. Use this change to discover new talent, break boundaries and have no fear. I know that you all will continue to create awesomeness.
Once again, thank you all for five unbelievable years.
Brian
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
