Where are they now: Entertaindom

Mark Henricks — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:26:00 -0700

Founding: Entertaindom was founded in 1999 as an internal venture of Time Warner to distribute Time Warner and other original content. The executive team was led by President Jim Moloshok, Executive Vice President Jim Banister and Vice President Jeff Weiner, all veterans of Warner Bros. Online.

History: In the late 1990s, Time Warner, heeding pressure from Wall Street, was searching for a solid digital strategy. Entertaindom, which was being developed as Warner Bros. Online’s online presence, suggested a possible solution. Execs envisioned an advertising-supported hub luring visitors with the full array of Time Warner entertainment-related content, from People magazine articles to Looney Tunes cartoons, as well as original programming.

The site would serve as a template for other hubs handling news, sports and so on. Plans included an eventual spinoff and public offering. Entertaindom launched a year late in November 1999 and, despite some fairly well-received shows like the animated Internet-only “God and The Devil,” and respectable traffic levels, the site was viewed as "uncool" in the entertainment industry.

What Happened: AOL purchased Time Warner in January 2000. After that, the answer to “What is Time Warner’s digital strategy?” became "AOL." Entertaindom became an orphan. “Suddenly,” recalls ex-President Moloshok, “the hub strategy disappeared.”

Time Warner folded its digital division and had Entertaindom’s execs start reporting to the former Time Warner CFO. The founders exercised contract buyout options and moved on. The problem wasn’t the business model, according to Moloshok, who says ad revenues were higher than visitor acquisition costs, and Entertaindom operated in the black. “It was very successful,” he says. “It just became unnecessary to Time Warner in the world of AOL Time Warner.”

Where Are They Now? After stints at Yahoo! and HBO, Moloshok is executive chairman of youth entertainment site GoFish. Jim Banister is CEO of Spectrum Media, in Park City, Utah. Jeff Weiner is executive vice president of Yahoo!’s network division.

Were you an employee, customer, or client of this service? Then share your memories below! What did you like about the company? What didn't work? What other factors contributed to its success or failure?

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