Kanye West Enlists Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee as His Head of Media and Partnerships (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Chris Willman Music WriterKanye West has added a high-profile media figure to his executive ranks, naming Jason Lee, the founder-CEO of Hollywood Unlocked, to his team under the title of head of media and partnerships.Lee shared his take on joining forces with West with Variety prior to the official announcement going out Friday.

He says that his appointment was an outgrowth of the camaraderie he established with the superstar musician doing a video interview for Hollywood Unlocked that went up last month. “I think after the interview on Hollywood Unlocked, it was clear that we had an aligned vision for leveling the playing field in media,” Lee says. “Ye voiced a vision for a company he was building, and that media was an arm of that, and he felt I could be an asset.” Speaking to the partnerships level of their teaming, Lee says, “Ye is a genius — in tech with Stem Player, in product and fashion with Yeezy, Gap and Balenciaga, with Donda Academy and Donda Sports, and in all things culture.

My goal is to amplify those stories and inspire the next generation with all that amazing work.”At the media level, meanwhile, Lee has already been actively working with West behind the scenes prior to Friday’s announcement.

He consulted with Ye on the launch of the “Donda 2” album via the proprietary Stem Player device, and he was responsible for bringing in the well-established PR firm DKC as West’s new publicity reps in February.They both believed the Hollywood Unlocked interview represented a breakthrough for West’s views being understood in the culture. “The intention I had for him in that interview wasn’t to gaslight him for a headline,” Lee says, “but to allow him space to speak his mind freely.