Introduction
Rusk Media is a full-stack GenZ-first digital entertainment company with a premium content studio delivering social & OTT video IPs and a social UGC-gaming platform that was founded in 2019. As of July 2022, the company had a valuation of $35 million and had raised $9.5 million in its last funding round. With an ARR of $9 million, Rusk Media has established itself as a fast-growing, profitable organization. Rusk Media focuses on creating clutter-breaking IPs, games, and an entertainment economy across tech-layered content IPs and social gaming platforms. They distribute branded content across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms, utilizing an advertiser-first strategy and producing brand-integrated content that resonates with their target audience of Gen-Z. The company aims to hold the gaming stack and is building an immersive metaverse from the elements of its IPs and games.
Problem Statement
Rusk Media, an early-stage startup in the digital media space, had reached a point where they recognized the need for a dedicated Head of Engineering to lead and scale their engineering team. While the product head had been spearheading the engineering team, the company recognized that their focus should also be tech-oriented, and they needed a qualified person to take on this crucial role.
In their mandate for a Head of Engineering, Rusk Media sought a young, hands-on full-stack engineer with a proven track record of holistically collaborating with product teams. The ideal candidate was expected to be someone who had witnessed scale in their past experiences and was ready to take on the challenge of helping Rusk Media grow and expand.
Given that Rusk Media is an early-stage Series A startup, the company emphasized the importance of finding an individual who was not only technically skilled but also innovative, passionate, and able to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. The Head of Engineering role was crucial to the company’s future success, and Rusk Media was committed to finding a competent individual who could take on the challenge and help shape the future of the company.
Solution and Execution
As a Bespoke Executive Search Firm focussed singularly on Tech Advisory, Purple Quarter was tasked with finding the right leader for Rusk Media. The company was presented with multiple candidates, and after a thorough selection and profiling process, they narrowed it down to Divyanshu Das. An alumnus of BITS Pilani, Divyanshu had extensive experience working as a senior engineering leader at multiple 0-1x startups such as WedMeGood and had a track record of making products from scratch as a hands-on leader, which worked well.
Moreover, Divyanshu had the right kind of experience working with video content, having previously worked as the CTO at BetterButter, a food video recipe platform. This experience was crucial for Rusk Media, given that they are a branded short video content platform.
Divyanshu was accurately profiled based on the Behavioural Metrics Model (BMM) as a Brahma Leader or a Creator profile fit, as he was well-suited to take on the challenge of scaling Rusk Media’s engineering team from 0-1x growth. With Divyanshu’s experience and leadership skills, Rusk Media is well-positioned to continue its growth trajectory and achieve its goals and vision.
Looking Forward
Purple Quarter’s end-to-end, streamlined search process successfully found the right candidate for Rusk Media’s Head of Engineering role. Divyanshu’s expertise is expected to scale the growth of Rusk Media’s video content and gaming tech. The company is launching new targeted and visually appealing content and has expanded its offering space. Season 2 of Playground, which is India’s first gaming entertainment show, is now under its belt. Rusk Media is expected to bolster its tech team as it continues to grow its presence in the OTT space.
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