Talent management firm Night has made significant changes to its in-house production arm, Night Studios, by parting ways with its leadership amid strategic shifts. Alex Piper, who headed Night Studios, and Jared Jacobs, the vice president of development, have been let go. Night Studios, launched in 2022 with ambitions to produce high-quality content for platforms like Netflix and Amazon, fell short of expectations, prompting this decision.
Piper, formerly YouTube‘s head of unscripted originals, joined Night Studios in 2022. He confirmed his departure on LinkedIn, attributing the studio’s closure to their failure to deliver on their goals.
Reed Duchscher, Night’s CEO, explained the company’s evolving strategy, noting a pivot away from focusing solely on premium content distribution. Instead, Night aims to diversify revenue streams and extend brands across multiple platforms beyond traditional giants like YouTube and TikTok. Duchscher will now oversee the remaining projects at Night Studios.
Night represents a roster of prominent creators, including Jessica “Aphmau” Bravura, Kai Cenat, and Ryan Trahan. Previously managing YouTube’s top creator, MrBeast, Night continues to collaborate with Jimmy Donaldson on ventures like the Feastables chocolate brand, despite Donaldson forming his own management team recently.
Reflecting on the challenges faced by Night Studios, Duchscher emphasized the storytelling prowess of creators and their ability to engage audiences. While premium projects had mixed success, Night remains committed to exploring new opportunities within the creator space and leveraging existing projects.
Duchscher thanked Piper and Jacobs for their contributions, expressing optimism about Night’s future despite setbacks. He acknowledged that innovation involves risks and failures but remains steadfast in pushing boundaries within the industry.
