Daniel Tibbets, former chief content officer for Machinima, has been named President and General Manager for Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey network, it was announced Tuesday.
Tibbets will be based in Los Angeles and oversee day to day operations for the 24-hour English language network, launched by Rodriguez in 2013 and home to shows including action-drama “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” interview program “El Rey Network Presents: The Director’s Chair,” and freestyle wrestling series “Lucha Underground.” In his new role, Tibbets will spearhead the overall growth of the El Rey brand with a focus on digital expansion, content strategy and development, program planning and scheduling, production, acquisitions, talent relations, ad sales, business affairs and business development.
“Daniel is an innovator. He isn’t bound by convention and most importantly, he has a deep passion for what we are doing at El Rey Network,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “At his core, Daniel is a creative and I look forward to partnering with him and the rest of our extraordinary team to continue El Rey’s momentum and demonstrate the power and impact of our cutting-edge brand.”
Tibbets added, “El Rey Network’s unique brand proposition is palpable. There’s an authenticity and energy to the content that sets it apart – the genius of El Rey is Robert’s distinctive point of view. Viewers understand what El Rey stands for and advertisers want to engage with our audience and that makes this a truly exciting opportunity. I look forward to working with Robert and his talented team at this transformative time in media as El Rey is perfectly positioned to take advantage of consumers’ desire to engage with their favorite content in any form and platform they choose.”
In his previous post at Machinima, Tibbets was responsible for content strategy and development, program planning and scheduling, production, acquisitions, and business affairs. Prior to Machinima, he served as SVP of Digital Media for Bunim/Murray Productions, and Studio Chief at GoTV Networks, in addition to posts at Twentieth Television and Papazian-Hirsch/Rysher Entertainment.
