Max Cutler | |
---|---|
Born | Max Cutler Los Angeles, California, US |
Occupation(s) | founder and creator |
Known for | Founding Parcast |
Relatives | Ron Cutler (father) |
Max Cutler is an American entrepreneur, creator, author and businessman best known for founding the podcast studio Parcast in 2016.
Spotify acquired Parcast in 2019. [1] Max Cutler has been featured on Fortune 40 Under 40, [2] The 40(ish) Most Powerful People in Podcasting, [3] Forbes 30 Under 30, [4] and The Hollywood Reporter's 35 Rising Executives Under 35 lists. [5] In 2023, Cutler stepped down from Spotify. [6]
Cutler was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. [7] He attended Viewpoint School, a nondenominational school in Calabasas, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona in 2013. [4]
Cutler's father, Ron Cutler, is a veteran radio broadcaster who went by the name Ron Diamond. Ron started Cutler Productions, a radio syndication [8] company in the 1980s. Max has cited his father as having a huge influence on his career and life. [7]
In June 2016, Max Cutler and his father founded the podcasting Studio Parcast [9] without outside investment. While he has cited podcast Serial by Sarah Koenig as an inspiration, his vision was to consistently produce high-quality content across various genres. [10] [11] In the latter half of 2021, Parcast ventured into limited-run investigative series, including podcasts Imposters and Revelations (with Blumhouse Productions). [12] At its peak, Parcast achieved over 1 billion downloads, employed a team of over 120 staff and produced more than 140 shows weekly in eight different languages. Cutler is known for creating and producing podcasts like Conspiracy Theories, Supernatural, Horoscope Today [13] and International Infamy. [14]
On April 1, 2019, Spotify acquired Parcast for $56 million. [5] [6] Cutler would become Spotify’s VP, head of creator content and partnerships, responsible for deals and partnerships. [15] [16]
Under Cutler's guidance, Spotify attracted notable podcast creators including Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie), Ash and Alaina (Morbid), Alex Cooper ( Call Her Daddy ), [17] Emma Chamberlain (Anything Goes), [18] Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) and the Fantasy Footballers. Cutler also greenlit a number of nontraditional podcasters such as Kim Kardashian, Brené Brown, [19] and Addison Rae. [20] In addition, Cutler was tasked with leading Kids Content and Audiobook Originals as well as developing content for Spotify’s push into live audio.
Cutler is also the author of Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them, based on the podcast Cults. Cutler left Spotify in 2023 to launch a new venture. [17] In April 2024 Pave Studios launched, describing itself as a production company "at the intersection of audio, video, books, and entertainment." [21]
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