To develop television films, documentaries.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the former Washington Post reporter who co-authored a book with Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz, will be heading up a new media studio that will have close ties with the international coffee giant.
Chandrasekaran is leaving the Post in order to lead the new production studio, which will be based in Seattle. He told the Seattle Times his decision to move west was “due to the advantages of being close to Starbucks, in order to solidify that partnership, and to Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, key hubs for venture funding and media production, respectively.”
According to Variety, the coffeehouse chain will not be investing directly in Chandrasekaran’s company, but will back select projects that tackle social issues.
“My initial focus will be to develop television and film projects tied to ‘For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism and Sacrifice,’ the book I wrote last year with Howard Schultz,” Chandrasekaran posted on his Facebook page. “I’m heartbroken to leave the Washington Post, but this is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“For Love of Country” focuses on how veterans’ lives have changed before and after their years of service.
Chandrasekaran was a former bureau chief in Baghdad for the Post, before becoming a senior correspondent and associate editor for the Washington, D.C.-based news outlet. He has been part of the Post’s staff for more than two decades.
Chandrasekaran’s surprising move underscores the continuing inundation of Seattle-based companies in the world of media. Incidentally, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013.
“I’m essentially moving from the orbit of one Seattle-based businessman to another,” he joked to the local Times.
1 Comment
How can you write an article about Chandrasekaran and media without mentioning Body of Lies in either its book or movie form… #doyourresearch