Jason Kilar to take lead at WarnerMedia

April 1 (UPI) -- Former founding Hulu head Jason Kilar will become the new chief executive officer of WarnerMedia on May 1, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Kilar served as Hulu's chief executive from 2007 to 2013. Before that, he rose through the ranks of Amazon from 1997 to 2006, becoming senior vice president of worldwide application software before joining Hulu.

He will report to AT&T President John Stankey, the statement said. WarnerMedia's assets include CNN, Turner Broadcasting, HBO, Cinemax and the Warner Bros. movie studios.

"Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future," Stankey said. "His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia's storied success."

Kilar joins WarnerMedia as it prepares to launch its streaming service HBO Max in May, which will compete with Comcast's new streaming service Peacock.

"Adding Jason to the talented WarnerMedia family as we launch HBO Max in May gives us the right management team to strategically position our leading portfolio of brands, world-class talent and a rich library of intellectual property for future growth," Stankey said.

Along with his leadership stints at Hulu and Amazon, he served on the board of DreamWorks Animation from 2013 to 2016 and Univision from 2016 to 2020.

"I'm so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia," Kilar said. "Stories well told have always mattered, and they matter even more in this challenging time for the world. It will be a privilege to invent, create, and serve with so many talented people."