Industry Moves: Patrick Keane Is Associated Content's New CEO
This story was written by Tameka Kee.
Former *CBS* Interactive and *Google* exec Patrick Keane has landed his first chief executive roleheading up online publishing service Associated Content. Luke Beatty, Associated Content's founder and president, had been at the helm since CEO Geoff Reiss left for Newsweek last year.
Keane, who left his post as EVP and CMO of CBS Interactive (NYSE: CBS) late last year, told the WSJ he was attracted to the new job because of the "math and science" behind Associated Content's business model: users submit text, audio and video content, the company optimizes it for search, outsources it to various publishers and shares the ad revenues with everyone involved.
It's a much less ambiguous operation to oversee than the tangled web of content Keane had to deal with at CBSI following its acquisition of CNET, a factor sources said drove him out of the job after two years. Meanwhile, Keane brings the three-year-old startup two things it needs: big media connections and ad sales experience (he headed up ad sales strategy at Google (NSDQ: GOOG) for roughly four years before joining CBSI).
By Tameka Kee