Ex-Top Gear hosts Clarkson, May & Hammond sink millions into online DriveTribe venture
Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, erstwhile presenters of the BBC’s popular Top Gear motoring show, are to come together for a new venture after they single handedly backed DriveTribe – an online destination for motoring enthusiasts.
Whilst the team are busy filming a new car themed television show for Amazon Prime they’ve found the time (and the cash) to pursue further interests as they seek to capitalise on their enduring appeal by sinking millions into a new digital home.
Comparing the ambitious project to Twitch for video games or TripAdvisor for travel backers of the hush-hush venture ay it will ascribe specific ‘tribes’ of content creators to each presenter in a format that is hoped will grow to encompass all niches of the automotive sector.
DriveTribe CEO Ernesto Schmitt has revealed that the firm currently employs 20 people, predominantly software engineers, with a view to expanding to 60 (including up to 30 editorial staff) by the end of the year.
In addition the team will push to bring ‘stars, bloggers, writers, and videographers’ on board with their own content with headlines, images and layout tailored to individual users.