After a decade at YouTube, Malik Ducard is moving on: He’s been hired by Pinterest as the image-sharing and social media company’s first chief content officer.
For the last two years, Ducard has been VP of content partnerships at YouTube, in charge of business development for the platform’s partnerships on film, TV, social impact, family and learning. At Pinterest, Ducard will lead the content and creator team, tasked with developing its content strategy and vision to tap into the creator economy. Ducard will join Pinterest’s executive team and report directly to co-founder and CEO Ben Silbermann.
“As we continue our work to drive meaningful engagement between creators and their communities, we’re thrilled to have Malik’s leadership, deep expertise and incredible relationships,” Silbermann said in a statement. “Not only was I impressed by Malik’s background, but I felt his values of ensuring content is safe, inspiring and reflective of the world around us, were directly aligned with our mission.”
Ducard’s work at YouTube included spearheading the creation of the video giant’s highest-profile content development funds, including the $100 million kids and family content fund, the $100 million YouTube Black Voices Fund, and the $20 million learning fund. He also helped lead YouTube’s response to COVID-19, racial-justice concerns and kids’ privacy.
A YouTube rep said they did not have information on who will replace Ducard. His exit from YouTube appears amicable: Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s chief business officer, in a statement, said: “In his more than 10 years at YouTube, Malik Ducard has been at the forefront of many of our most challenging and complex initiatives, including learning, TV/film, health and racial justice, and we are all the better for having had the chance to work alongside him. We wish him every success as he steps into this new role at Pinterest.”
Ducard, in a statement provided by Pinterest, said: “I am incredibly excited and honored to be joining the Pinterest team. The amazing work that the team has done in building an inspiring experience for nearly half a billion users and creators around the world was so compelling to me.”
He continued, “I have cherished my time at YouTube, my team at YouTube, and all of our great partnerships. The ethos of positivity and possibility is alive and well at both organizations — and I consider myself amongst the fortunate who will have had an opportunity to operate, tackle challenges, drive change and build in both places.”
Before joining YouTube in 2011, Ducard worked at Paramount Pictures overseeing distribution of content to digital platforms. Prior to that, he led Lionsgate’s home entertainment acquisitions group as well as MGM’s home entertainment acquisitions and business development division. Ducard holds a bachelor of arts degree in film and African American studies from Columbia University and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Separately, PayPal was reported to be in advanced talks to buy Pinterest, a deal Bloomberg and other outlets reported would be worth $45 billion. On Monday, PayPal said in a statement, “In response to market rumors regarding a potential acquisition of Pinterest by PayPal, PayPal stated that it is not pursuing an acquisition of Pinterest at this time.”
