YouTube sports collective Dude Perfect is losing its first CEO, Andrew Yaffe, after about two years in the role, a company rep confirmed.
Patrick Hurley, a principal at BP Capital Fund Advisors and an advisor to Dude Perfect, will serve as interim CEO. The company has hired a firm to begin the search for a permanent chief executive.
A joint statement from the company’s board and Yaffe said the change was a mutual decision.
“After two years of strong growth, Andrew and the Board have decided that now is the right time for new leadership at Dude Perfect. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, they developed different perspectives on the company’s next phase and the best path forward,” it said.
The statement said that the company had grown revenue significantly since Yaffe joined, driven by partnerships with State Farm, Disney, and others, and expanded through its live tour and other initiatives.
The joint statement came via prominent publicist Matthew Hiltzik, who’s represented a wide range of public figures and is known for handling crisis PR situations, though his work goes beyond that. In addition to working with Dude Perfect over the years, he represents fellow creator MrBeast.
Yaffe, a former NBA exec, said in a LinkedIn post that he and Dude Perfect “decided to go our separate ways.”
“I’m so proud of what we built together and how much progress we were able to make in less than 24 months, adding world-class talent to our team, defining a mission to Inspire Play and having clear business results and momentum to show for it,” he said.
Axios first reported the news of Yaffe’s departure.
Texas-based Dude Perfect, founded in 2009 by five college roommates, is one of the few creator-led companies to receive significant outside funding, raising over $100 million in early 2024 from Highmount Capital. The five Dudes — Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Coby Cotton, and Cory Cotton — are known for their wholesome, kid-friendly content featuring sports tricks. Based in Frisco, Texas, the company has grown into a sprawling enterprise with more than 62 million YouTube subscribers, merch sales, and a 22-city live tour. It’s also announced plans to open a theme park, but hasn’t shared any recent updates.
Earlier this year, Dude Perfect teamed up with Good Good, the YouTube golf collective, to tap each other’s audiences through cobranded merch and live events.
Good Good also shook up its leadership this week, with its CEO and president exiting on Wednesday amid backlash from a controversial ad with its former partner, Callaway, that critics said promoted violence against women. Good Good lost retail and merchandise partnerships as part of the fallout.
Hiltzik declined to comment on the status of Dude Perfect’s Good Good partnership.
Read the full article here
