RJ Williams

RJ Williams is a very active angel investor in the digital ecosystem, with dozens of investments in high-profile companies over the years. He is also the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Young Hollywood. Started in 2007 by Williams, Young Hollywood has become one of the most innovative digital media brands and the leading celebrity and lifestyle network for Gen Z and millennial audiences, heavily influencing pop culture by creating and establishing emerging trends both within the industry and around the world.

Williams is a natural to lead one of the fastest-growing entertainment brands, having grown up in the industry as a child actor. In 2003, he launched Arjay Entertainment Group, a television production company whose client roster included ABC, FOX, CBS, TV Guide and Showtime. Arjay Entertainment quickly developed a reputation for the most compelling celebrity programming, and ultimately helped create a new identity for an industry — Young Hollywood.

A natural evolution of Arjay Entertainment, the Young Hollywood brand is now an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment, available on digital, social, television and mobile in over 700 million homes and 24 languages. The brand is distributed on Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon, Samsung, Rakuten, TCL, and Fire TV, among many others, and its linear channel averages 75 million minutes watched per month.

Young Hollywood has grown into a diversified holding company operating at the intersection of entertainment, technology and AI. In addition to financing, producing and distributing over 500 hours of original programming annually, the company owns and operates several leading entertainment digital platforms and a 24/7 OTT premium network; licenses the Young Hollywood trademark globally for a range of consumer products and services; and owns a leading cultural consumer brand — all within one unified ecosystem.

Young Hollywood's newest venture is Codeword, an AI-powered, rights-managed marketplace for premium, hard-to-find video. Codeword lets buyers search inside footage, find exact moments and license only the seconds they need, while giving rights holders the tools to organize, control and monetize valuable media archives.

Williams also has extensive expertise in the social media and influencer space, working with some of the most recognizable talent in the world. He works closely with many of the most respected brands in marketing and advertising, advising them on innovative ways to reach consumers through one-of-a-kind brand integrations and social media campaigns. Clients have included Adidas, Subway, AT&T, H&M, Unilever, Electronic Arts, Samsung and Coca-Cola.

Williams attended the prestigious USC Film School and has been profiled in USA Today, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Variety, Business Insider, the Los Angeles Times, AdWeek, Fast Company, BBC World News and ABC News. He was selected for The Hollywood Reporter's Digital Power 50 List, which said, “Everything Young Hollywood CEO and founder R.J. Williams does is counter-intuitive — and effective.”