TYT Network, the online politics and entertainment news network, has hired Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Matt Atchity as head of programming.
Atchity, who starts at TYT Network’s L.A. headquarters Monday, reports to founder and CEO Cenk Uygur.
In the newly created role, Atchity will oversee growth and audience development for TYT Network’s portfolio of shows and 12 owned-and-operated channels. Atchity will work with Uygur, shows hosts and producers of each channel to create editorial and content strategies to drive audience and business growth. Additionally, he will be tasked with developing content partners for TYT Network’s channels.
“I wanted to bring him in because of what he did at Rotten Tomatoes,” Uygur said in an interview. “The whole point of Rotten Tomatoes is honesty and authenticity and serving the audience – instead of the powerful. We’re all about truth to power, and our brand is honesty.”
TYT Network, whose flagship show is the political news and commentary show “The Young Turks,” has 75 employees. “The Young Turks is really well known in news and politics, but I want every channel in every vertical to be the leader in their category – sports, entertainment, movie reviews, gaming, tech,” said Uygur.
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Atchity, who spent 10 years at Rotten Tomatoes, has led the site’s editorial evolution, heading up the effort to add original video and social content. He also expanded Rotten Tomatoes to include reviews of TV series and also hosted “Rotten Tomatoes Radio” on Sirius XM, the Rotten Tomatoes Podcast.
In 2010, Atchity teamed up with Uygur and Ben Mankiewicz to create and co-host TYT Network’s movie review channel, What the Flick?!, and he will continue to appear in that channel in his new role.
NBCUniversal-owned Fandango acquired Rotten Tomatoes last year from Warner Bros. A Fandango rep said it has not yet identified a permanent replacement for Atchity as EIC of the website.
Prior to joining Rotten Tomatoes in 2007, Atchity worked at Yahoo as a producer and editor for movie and entertainment content, and before that was a producer for for ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, Warner Bros. Online and AOL.
Atchity is the latest editorial hire for TYT Network. The company recently completed a $2 million crowdfunding campaign to hire nine investigative journalists “to keep the Trump administration and establishment politicians accountable.” New hires and contributors tapped by TYT Network have included Dylan Ratigan, Ryan Grim, Nomiki Konst, Shaun King, Michael Tracey, Jonathan Larsen, David Sirota and Naomi LaChance.
