Gene Pao is EVP of Strategy and Digital at Shout! Factory. In 2015, he launched Shout’s digital streaming business and Shout! Factory TV, which is available as SVOD, AVOD, and FAST services. Shout! Factory has been a pioneer in digital streaming launching its first AVOD and FAST services on adRise (now Tubi) and Pluto TV.  Since then, Shout! Factory TV has expanded to AVOD on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and branded channels on a wide range of platforms; SVOD on Roku and Amazon Prime Video; and to FAST with eight channels (Shout! Factory TV, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 channel, Johnny Carson TV, The Carol Burnett Show channel, TokuSHOUTsu, the ALF channel, Scream Factory TV, and Shout! Cult, with more to come). 

Gene’s 20-year career in digital media started in 1997 at Digitas, a digital marketing agency.  In 1999 he joined Firstlook.com, an idealab! Company, who pioneered the use of digital video for promoting music, movies, and video game titles.  After the first dotcom crash in 2001, Gene found himself at Disney/ESPN where he developed digital and interactive video businesses such as VOD and interactive television.  After Disney, Gene went to Fox Interactive Media overseeing marketing and business development for the Fox Television Station Group.  From 2008 to 2011, he was VP, Digital Media and International Development for Fuel TV, the action sports cable network owned by Fox, where he merged television broadcasting principles with digital and social media to produce live webcasts of action sports events such as surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding.  From 2011 to 2013, Gene held a number of digital media roles including Action Sports Consultant in YouTube’s Sports Partnership Group; VP Marketing for Golf Channel, part of NBC Sports; and General Manager of Biggest Loser Digital, a joint initiative between NBC Universal and Shine America.

Gene holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a master’s degree from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University.