Bryan Thoensen has exited TikTok to join Spotify as senior director, head of content partnerships and community for the streamer’s talk creator podcast team.
In his new role at Spotify, Thoensen will lead the Talk Creator Content and Partnerships team where he will oversee content strategy and acquisition, business development, partner management and creator community development. He’s also tasked with driving Spotify’s exclusive podcast strategy through strategic initiatives and partnerships.
Most recently, Thoensen was head of content partnerships at short-form video app TikTok, where he led TikTok’s relationships with top global public figures and worked with media brands such as the NFL, NBA, Condé Nast and NBC. At TikTok, he was also dedicated to building and supporting diverse creator communities.
Based in L,A,, Thoensen reports to Max Cutler, Spotify’s VP of talk creator content, who previously was head of new content initiatives and managing director at its Parcast studio.
“Bryan’s knowledge of the creator landscape will be critical as we build out our platform strategy with the goal of becoming a true platform beyond distribution, and reinforce our mission of building trust with creators,” Cutler wrote in an internal memo announcing Thoensen’s hiring.
Prior to joining TikTok in July 2019, Thoensen held senior positions in content and partnerships at WME, Hulu and Fullscreen.
Earlier this month, Spotify announced two new managing directors for its Gimlet and Parcast podcast studios: NPR veteran Nicole Beemsterboer will lead Gimlet and Liliana Kim, formerly general manager of APM Studios, will head up Parcast. Those appointments came as Spotify canceled 11 original podcasts from Gimlet and Parcast, resulting in at least 38 staffers losing their jobs, according to the unions that rep Gimlet and Parcast employees.