For Immediate Release:
Creative Artists Agency, William Morris Endeavor, Tech Visionaries Kevin Rose and Michael Arrington, will Help Source and Discover Experts to Lead Live, Interactive Classes.
Caterina Fake, Founder of Flickr and Chairwoman of Etsy, joins Board as Independent Director.
SEATTLE (March 11, 2013) – creativeLIVE (www.creativeLIVE.com), the world’s leading live broadcast platform for creative education, announced today the addition of funding from influencers Creative Artists Agency (CAA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), CrunchFund and Google Ventures, among others. creativeLIVE connects ambitious learners to the most talented experts in the world through interactive workshops, broadcast live through its online channels. The new investors join Greylock Partners to bring creativeLIVE’s total funding to $8 million.
In addition to the influential cast of investors, Caterina Fake has joined the creativeLIVE Board as an independent director. Caterina, the founder of Flickr and, more recently, Chairwoman of Etsy and Founder of Findery, will bring her expertise to creativeLIVE’s product vision and consumer experience.
“Creativity is the new literacy and a driving force in today’s economy for success across all industries. More than ever before it is critical for people to learn tangible, actionable skills to further their personal lives and careers,” said Mika Salmi, CEO of creativeLIVE. “This funding will help us fulfill our mission to unleash the creative potential of millions of students around the world by connecting them with the world’s most inspiring experts.”
Already featuring a roster of teachers including best-selling authors, Pulitzer Prize winners, Emmy nominees and leading creative entrepreneurs, the funding and collaboration with CAA and WME, along with Kevin Rose of Google Ventures and Michael Arrington of CrunchFund, will accelerate creativeLIVE’s talent pipeline. The world’s top talent agencies and technology influencers are using the creativeLIVE platform to bring new and established talent to a broader audience. The current channels include photography, film, design, business and software training; future channels are in development.
creativeLIVE’s momentum is on course to be the most expansive, highest quality platform for teaching creative skills in the world. More than 100 instructors engage with hundreds of thousands of students each month. The company is growing rapidly with its freemium model, with revenue soaring 400% year over year and a 500% increase in course offerings over the same period in 2012.
For more information and to review class offerings, please visit: www.creativelive.com
About creativeLIVE
creativeLIVE is setting a new standard for education by connecting a live, dynamic community of individuals with influential experts. Using a scalable freemium model, creativeLIVE is transforming the $100 billion continuing education market by offering frictionless access to the best teachers in the world through a social video platform. The company was founded in April 2010 by world-renowned photographer, director and artist Chase Jarvis and entrepreneur Craig Swanson and has been profitable since day one. The company is led by CEO Mika Salmi, backed by Greylock Partners and has locations in Seattle and San Francisco.
Media contact:
Dave Pedersen
SutherlandGold Group
dpedersen@sutherlandgold.com
415.848.7169
