R. J. Williams | |
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| Born | Robert Jackson Williams (1978-07-19)July 19, 1978 (age 47) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | Crossroads High School |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Founder ofYoung Hollywood |
| Website | www www |
R. J. Williams (born July 19, 1978) is an American media andInternet entrepreneur, producer, and former child actor. He is the founder of the media companyYoung Hollywood.
Williams was born inLos Angeles, California,United States in 1978. He was educated at theCrossroads School for Arts and Sciences inSanta Monica, and attended film school at theUniversity of Southern California.
Williams began his career as a child actor, gaining recognition for his role as Rowdy on the beloved soap operaGeneral Hospital. His performance earned him the Young Artist Award for best Actor in a Daytime Series at the 12th annual Youth In Film Awards.[1] Additionally he showcased his talents by portraying a youngThomas Magnum in the Emmy award-winning episode ofMagnum, P.I., "Home from the Sea".
Throughout his career, Williams made guest appearances on several popular shows includingFull House andStar Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Ian Andrew Troi, son of Counselor Deanna Troi in the Season 2 episode (The Child) He also had notable notable roles inPunky Brewster. and starred as C.B. in the 1984 Christmas movieThe Night They Saved Christmas alongsideJaclyn Smith andArt Carney,
In the early 1990s, Williams expanded his talents to voice acting, lending his voice to a variety of animated characters. He voicedKit Cloudkicker in the animated showTaleSpin, and Cavin in the final season ofDisney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Additionally, he was the voice of the title cartoon bearKissyfur, which premiered in 1986.
He also was the star of the 1990s syndicated children's TV showWake, Rattle and Roll, a daily syndicated interview show that ran for 130 episodes. OnceWake, Rattle and Roll stopped producing episodes, Williams decided to take a hiatus from show business to attend bothCrossroads High School and the film school at theUniversity of Southern California (USC).
In 2004, Williams returned to the spotlight, shifting to hosting. He teamed up withLance Bass ofNSYNC to co-host a one-hour primetime pre-show for theAmerican Music Awards withDick Clark Productions andABC.[2] He has since made numerous hosting appearances on various shows produced by his own production company for networks likeShowtime andFox.
Williams is the founder ofYoung Hollywood,[3] a global digital video platform specializing in celebrity and lifestyle programming. The company creates and distributes celebrity and lifestyle programming globally; owns several leading entertainment brands, and licenses the Young Hollywood trademark internationally for a range of consumer products and services.[4]
Young Hollywood has formed strategic partnerships with major digital platforms includingYahoo,Hulu,Google, andYouTube. Notably, YouTube selected Young Hollywood as a partner for its first-ever live streaming initiative, which launched with appearances by skateboarderTony Hawk, comedianDane Cook, andJackass starSteve-O.[5]
Young Hollywood collaborated with Google to launch the Young Hollywood Network (YHN).[6] As part of YouTube's $100 million content initiative, Young Hollywood played a key role in developing premium digital programming.[7]
In June 2012, Williams was featured in aBBC World News cover story highlighting this initiative and Young Hollywood's impact.[8] The Young Hollywood Network has become a "barker channel" for other new YouTube channels—like a Leno for the YouTube set[clarification needed] introducing audiences to other YouTube stars.[9]
In recent years, Young Hollywood has partnered with tech giants such asApple,Samsung,Roku,Amazon, andMicrosoft.[10] Williams also announced the launch of Young Hollywood TV, a streaming network tailored to millennial audiences, focused on celebrity-driven content.[11] The network produces more than 500 original hours of exclusive programming annually. Plans were also announced to expand into several new content verticals including reality and scripted programming and to heavily invest in their own IP, as well as work with outside talent and creators, to continue to expand content offerings.[12]
In 2010, Williams partnered with theFour Seasons Hotel to establish full time broadcast studios at its properties across the globe with the first one launching inBeverly Hills, California.[13][14]
Williams works closely advising several brands includingCoca-Cola,Samsung,AT&T,Unilever,Subway,Rayban,Intuit andElectronic Arts on content production, product integration, experiential marketing and maximizing their social reach.[15][16] He is known for paving the way by being one of the first to utilize new technologies such as what he did with programmatic advertising and creating PMP’S[17]
Williams has been profiled in media such asWall Street Journal,Forbes,Ad Week,Ad Age,BBC World News,USA Today[18] and was named toThe Hollywood Reporter Power 50 list joining the top execs from such places as Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, YouTube and Netflix. It was said that "Everything Young Hollywood Founder and CEO RJ Williams does is counterintuitive and effective"[19]Fast Company recently included Williams on their list of "today's most innovative business thought leaders" joining Starbucks CEOHoward Schultz, Foursquare CEODennis Crowley, Zynga CEOMark Pincus, Legendary CEOThomas Tull, and Tumblr CEODavid Karp.[20][21]
Williams is represented by theCreative Artists Agency.[22]
After graduation from USC, Williams formed a production company, Arjay Productions which focused on celebrity and lifestyle programming. Between 2003 and 2006, his company went on to produce multiple specials and series that were distributed byShowtime Networks. Williams was the creator, host and executive producer of these shows.[23][unreliable source?]