Dick Costolo Joins The Patreon Board

Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has joined the Patreon Board of Directors, a move that aims to bring operational skills to the funding site. Patreon allows creators – podcasters, artists, gamers, etc. – to get paid for what they create. It currently hosts 17,000 projects.

“Dick is a master operator and tells it like it is. He’s already had an immeasurable impact on Patreon,” said Jack Conte, CEO. “He’s also hilarious.”

Conte, a former professional musician, founded the site with friend Sam Yam. The pair raised $15 million in June and, despite a recent hack they have managed to support a number of creators from all walks of life. The site offers creators a “patronage” model in which an audience pays a maker to do one or two things a month, something that was impossible with common crowdfunding methods. Costolo is improving processes at the organization, a skill he picked up over a long career including at Twitter.