When ScreenRant uploaded its very first post in November 2003, Facebook was still a dorm‑room experiment, and Tony Stark had yet to fly onto movie screens. Two decades later, the site that once debatedLOSTtheories in a humble comments section has become the entertainment cornerstone ofValnet Inc., the content investment company that operates over25 authoritative brands. The team at ScreenRant works to bring more than 100 million monthly readers the latest news, intriguing theories, and deeper looks into your favorite stories, because these are our favorite stories too.
Now that ScreenRant is 21 years into this, we thought it was a good time to give you a look inside. Sadly, we can’t spotlight everyone at ScreenRant, but here, and in articles to follow, we want to give you a look behind the curtain. ScreenRant’s secret sauce was, and is, passion. Early writers and readers debatedLOTRandStar Warslore in a comments section so lively that filmmakers occasionally jumped in. By 2011, traffic demands pulled founding contributors into full‑time roles, including futureBranding Director Rob Keyes. The timing was perfect: 2008’sIron Manlit the superhero fuse, and ScreenRant rode the wave.
From Message‑Board Debates to Red‑Carpet Access
ScreenRant has been the greatest benefactor of Valnet’s brightest minds from day one.
— Hassan Youssef, Valnet Founder and CEO
2003‑2010, Forums & First Screenings
In the early days, ScreenRant’s “event coverage” meant one writer filing a TIFF review from a friend’s couch or snapping photos at Comic‑Con with a point‑and‑shoot camera. Even so, studio publicists noticed the passion. In 2008 the site landed a red‑carpet invite toThe Dark KnightIMAX re‑release. By 2010, ScreenRant contributors were attending film festival panels and Sundance midnight screenings with press badges in hand.
2011‑2014, Community Momentum
Traffic boomed, and so did our footprint: Disney granted ScreenRant one‑on‑one interviews at D23; reader Q&As withLOTRcast drew more pageviews than ever before. The brand had become “too big to ignore.”
2015‑Today, Valnet Era, Global Scale
When Valnet acquired ScreenRant in February 2015, the site gained the capital, analytics, and dev muscle to scale coverage worldwide. ScreenRant now sends crews to:
Growing Up the Valnet Way
“Passion comes first, but passion backed by best‑in‑class analytics unlocks global scale.”
— Mars Monnier, General Manager of ScreenRant, Collider, CBR, MovieWeb
Having joined the Valnet family, ScreenRant had the resources it needed to grow at an incredible pace. Mars Monnier, who now overseesScreenRant, Collider, CBR, and MovieWeb,credits Valnet’s in‑house Sentinel dashboard, built by our passionate team of developers, for giving editors real‑time visibility on what our audience is seeking.
2015
Gaming and Comics verticals launch
Shared tech + revenue teams free editors to focus on content
2017
Cross‑brand video resources & PR support
2020
Monthly readership tops 150M
Supply‑path overhaul lifts premium ad inventory to 90%
2024
ScreenRant Database launches (250k+ titles to rate)
Valnet data engineers + SR editors co‑develop product
2025
Hans Zimmer premium screening event in LA
Portfolio synergies and event activations power growth
In 2015, Valnet empowered ScreenRant to launch aGaming division, followed byComicsin 2016, which itself birthed an Anime and Manga section. New beats keep blooming: Wrestling (2023), Music (2024), with more on the roadmap.
Delivering the Story
From red carpets to community conversations, these are the teams shaping Screen Rant’s voice across every platform, with the help of parent company, Valnet.
Transforming ScreenRant, Visually and Under the Hood
Since 2015, ScreenRant’s visual identity and infrastructure have evolved alongside its mission, in large part powered by Valnet’s in-house IT and development teams, who continue to deliver on design and performance.
Behind every facelift is Valnet’s dev team, a unit that ships weekly sprints. Their mandate is simple, reader experience first,echoing Valnet’s network‑wide commitment highlighted in Collider’s premiumscreeningsandcover storiesarticle visuals.
Coming Soon
What’s Next
As Hassan Youssef continues to scout acquisitions that deepen fan engagement and establish his user-first vision, ScreenRant’s leadership team is setting the stage for the next era by introducing digital cover stories and in-person industry events that blur the line between editorial and experience. From a passion blog older than Blu‑ray to the flagship of a data‑powered media network, ScreenRant’s story shows what happens when fan obsession meets Valnet’s professionalism. Before the MCU, before streaming, there was ScreenRant—and with Valnet behind it, the best chapters are still to come.
As Valnet’s flagship brand we have always been super bullish with our investment dollars despite the short term exposure & visibility fluctuations. A strong ScreenRant means a strong Valnet - it’s been our model from the early days.
