After Van Natta Hire, MySpace Nabs More Top Digital Talent

MySpace hires MTV Networks' Jason Hirschhorn to lead its product development, and social networking vet Michael Jones to oversee operations.

Less than a week after hiring Facebook vet Owen Van Natta to lead MySpace as CEO, News Corp. named two more digital heavyweights to help craft a new growth strategy for the foundering social network.

Jason Hirschhorn, the former chief digital officer at MTV Networks, was appointed chief product officer at MySpace; and Michael Jones, previously with AOL as an SVP focused on social media, will serve as chief operating officer.

Both men will be based in L.A. and will report to Van Natta, who was brought on by News Corp. digital chief Jonathan Miller to replace the site’s previous CEO, MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe. Miller himself is a new arrival. It’s been just four weeks since the former AOL chief exec was named CEO of News Corp’s digital media group.

Hirschhorn and Jones both come with hefty digital credentials. As a founder of Userplane, which AOL bought in 2006, Michael Jones was among the early developers of applications for use with social platforms.

Hirschhorn oversaw MTVN’s digital products and overall strategy, after which he served with Sling Media’s entertainment group, creating consumer applications for the TV streaming device. Much of Hirschhorn’s recent career has focused on developing video-centric experiences for PC users — offering a possible clue about where News Corp. wants to take MySpace under Miller’s leadership.

“From a product perspective, there’s no better choice than Jason, who is highly regarded as an incredibly talented innovator, media executive and leader,” said Miller.

MySpace is the largest social network in the United States with 70.3 million unique visitors, according to comScore. According to News Corp., the site has 130 million visitors worldwide.

But it’s not growing as fast as Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. Unique U.S. visitors to MySpace grew by 3 percent in February 2009 compared to the same month a year ago, according to comScore. In contrast, Facebook’s audience grew 77 percent in the comparable period.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource