Sean Atkins has a proven ability to build high-value businesses across diverse industries. Over the past 20 years, he has been a pioneer at the intersection of consumer, media, and tech, driving transformative initiatives at several of the world’s leading brands, including MTV, Discovery, HBO, Bertelsmann, Jellysmack, Yahoo!, and Disney. He now serves as CEO of Dhar Mann Studios, the mission-driven digital media company that reaches over 120M+ followers around the world with inspirational narrative content.

One of the fastest-growing independent digital media companies, Atkins oversees 150 employees at Dhar Mann Studios as well as the company’s 100,000 SF production space in Los Angeles. He also launched and leads DMS’ creator-services business, 5th Quarter Agency, which supports its creator clients to generate more than six figures per month of incremental revenue.

As an entrepreneur, Sean launched one of the first ad-tech firms, a television startup that achieved a nine-figure exit, and has raised $1 billion in financing. He has successfully built several $100M+ businesses across consumer internet, the creator economy, ad tech, ed tech, OTT/streaming, e-commerce, podcasting, and licensing. As President of Jellysmack, Sean led revenue, go-to-market strategies, customer engagement, brand sales, content teams, and new business initiatives to build the #1 globally recognized creator economy brand. At Jellysmack, he orchestrated product launches that expanded the product line from a single offering to a diverse portfolio, driving over $100 million in revenue growth. He served as CEO of the Digital Video Group for Bertelsmann’s €6.5 billion RTL Group, where he restructured his division by combining four businesses to optimize the European market and drive a 30% year-over-year increase in top-line revenue, becoming the #1 digital video company by traffic. While President of MTV, Sean reversed five years of audience decline, restructured the business to free up $100 million in operating costs, and created a new digital line of business that achieved a $40 million revenue run rate in less than 18 months.

Earlier, as Chief Digital Officer for Discovery Communications, he transformed the digital business by investing in the first Creator Economy companies and developing Discovery+. In prior roles at Discovery, Sean oversaw digital business development, Discovery Studios-West, and consumer products. His background also includes launching HBO Go at HBO, serving as Head of Development and Programming at Yahoo!, launching the first online businesses at Warner Bros. and Disney, and serving as CEO of a venture-backed startup that developed one of the earliest SaaS ad tech platforms. Sean has served as an Advisor or Board Member for several organizations, including Evolution Media Partners, Bain Consulting, LinkedIn, WaveTV, Scribd, and Frequency. He earned his MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and his BA in Film/TV Production & Marketing from California Lutheran University.