Celebrity-driven online learning platform MasterClass hired Vanna Krantz, most recently chief financial officer of Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, as CFO.
At Disney, Krantz built and led the finance organization supporting the launch of Disney Plus, which rocketed to over 86 million subscribers in a little over a year, and sports streamer ESPN Plus. Prior to her role at Disney Streaming Services, she served as CFO and a board member for BAMTech Media (the MLB-founded services company that Disney acquired control of in 2017) and before that held three different divisional CFO roles at Thomson Reuters.
Krantz reports to David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. She is officially MasterClass’ first CFO. Previously, the company’s VP of finance was Alex Ip, who left last October and is now CFO of Newfront Insurance.
Launched in 2015, MasterClass sells $180 annual memberships that provide access to more than 100 classes across subjects including arts and entertainment, business, design and style, sports and gaming, and writing. MasterClass’ roster of instructors includes RuPaul, Shonda Rhimes, Alicia Keys, Ken Burns David Mamet and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
“Vanna has scaled some of the largest streaming platforms quickly and strategically,” Rogier said in announcing her hire. “She’s a world-class leader who will help push us into our next stage of growth, providing even greater access to learning from the world’s best.”
Krantz commented, “I am thrilled to join the MasterClass team, which has made such an impact on its members’ lives and within the streaming world. I look forward to working across the organization to drive long-term growth and scale the team and platform.”
Krantz currently serves as a board member and the audit chair for Skillz, a mobile gaming company. Earlier in her career, Krantz worked in finance roles at Wall Street firms Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, as well as PwC.
San Francisco-based MasterClass has raised more than $240 million in funding to date, including a $100 million round announced in May 2020.