Max Cutler

Last updated
Max Cutler
Max Cutler.jpg
Max Cutler
Born
Max Cutler

Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation(s)founder and creator
Known forFounding 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.

Contents

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]

Early life

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]

Career

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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References

  1. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (26 March 2019). "Spotify acquires true crime studio Parcast to expand its original podcast content". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  2. ↑ "Max Cutler | 2020 40 under 40 in Media and Entertainment". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  3. ↑ T. H. R. Staff (2022-10-05). "The 40(ish) Most Powerful People in Podcasting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  4. 1 2 "Max Cutler, 30-under-30". Forbes. August 2, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Ford, Rebecca; Sandberg, Bryn (6 November 2019). "Next Gen 2019: Hollywood's 35 Rising Executives 35 and Under". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  6. 1 2 Chan, J. Clara (2023-02-21). "Spotify's Top Creator Partnerships Executive to Depart in May". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  7. 1 2 "The Story Behind Parcast". Podcast Business Journal. February 13, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Radio Kid Sells Company To Spotify". Radio Ink. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  9. ↑ Locker, Melissa (August 19, 2019). "Spotify Parcast just launched a new daily true-crime podcast for all you crime junkies". Fast Company. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. ↑ Coyne, Marley (June 4, 2018). "Parcast Founder Max Cutler On Creating Original Content". Forbes. online. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ Engel, Jonah (April 16, 2018). "Pulp Nonfiction: Podcasts Go Mass-Market". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  12. ↑ White, Peter (2021-10-01). "Blumhouse TV & Vespucci Team On Spotify Original Cult Podcast Series 'Revelations'". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  13. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (3 September 2019). "Spotify's Parcast Launches 'Horoscope Today' Podcast Series | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  14. ↑ Marks, Andrea (2021-06-08). "Ashley Flowers of 'Crime Junkie' Goes Global in New Podcast 'International Infamy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  15. ↑ Steele, Anne; Cheung, Philip (2022-08-27). "WSJ News Exclusive | Spotify's Head of 'Talk' Talks Crime, Creators and Exclusivity". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  16. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2022-05-12). "Spotify Reorgs Podcast Content Studios, Promoting Parcast's Max Cutler and The Ringer's Bill Simmons to New Roles". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  17. 1 2 Ferris, Luke (2023-06-24). "Former Spotify Executive Max Cutler on What's Next in Podcasting". Foundr. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  18. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2022-11-17). "Emma Chamberlain Inks Exclusive Spotify Podcast Deal". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  19. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (23 September 2020). "Brené Brown Signs Exclusive Podcast Deal With Spotify (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  20. ↑ "TikTok Star Addison Rae And Her Mom Launch 'Mama Knows Best' Podcast For Spotify/Parcast". All Access. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  21. ↑ "Max Cutler Launches New Media Company-- Pave Studios". Pave Studios. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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