EXCLUSIVE: Riot games, the developer and publisher of League of Legends, knocked earlier MRC CFO DJ Jacobs as Head of Strategy and Business Operations for Entertainment.
“Riot’s commitment to delivering fun and memorable experiences to its players and fans has always impressed me,” said DJ Jacobs. “I’m very excited to be joining this team to bring our characters and stories to players in exciting new ways.”
Jacobs, who will lead group, content and product-level strategies for Riot’s new entertainment division, has more than 15 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry overseeing investments and acquisitions, new business initiatives, film and TV underwriting, strategic planning and financing.
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For Riot, he will work with key product leaders to lead commercialization, research and insights, and partnerships between film, television, music, consumer products, live experiences, animation and third-party game release.
“DJ’s extensive experience in both the creative and operational side of the media and entertainment business makes him an ideal leader to help us grow this new division,” said Shauna Spenley, global president of entertainment, Riot Games. “His track record of building teams and securing strategic partnerships will prove essential as we expand our popular intellectual property to include players around the world in new, innovative ways.”
Before joining Riot Games, Jacobs spent nine years at MRC, where he was CFO and Chief Strategy Office. He led efforts to raise debt and equity that raised over $ 2 billion, served on Greenlight’s film and television committees, and developed key strategic partnerships with agents, artists and distributors. He began his career at The William Morris Agency and in the production of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy before moving to Credit Suisse’s wealth management division. He has an engineering degree from Harvard University.