Brady Hayden
CuriosityStreamAbout Brady Hayden
Brady Hayden, age 52 as of March 31, 2025, is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of CuriosityStream (CURI), appointed May 31, 2024 after serving as Corporate Controller (June 2023–May 2024). He is a CPA with a B.S. from Lipscomb University and an MBA from the Simon Graduate School at the University of Rochester; prior roles include VP Finance/CAO at Cyren (NASDAQ: CYRN), Senior Manager of Technical Accounting at Spok (NASDAQ: SPOK), Manager of External Reporting at U.S. Postal Service, and earlier finance roles at SBM Financial Group, FleetBoston Financial, and Deloitte; he has served on the board of the U.S. Postal Service Federal Credit Union since 2020. Compensation performance metrics emphasize adjusted free cash flow (AFCF), with 2024 performance RSUs vesting upon achievement of $3.0M and $5.3M AFCF thresholds and 2024–2025 grants tied to $4.5M and $9.0M AFCF targets; annual cash bonus is tied to Company performance against budgets and business goals .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CuriosityStream | Corporate Controller | Jun 2023–May 2024 | Not disclosed |
| Cyren, Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYRN) | VP Finance & Chief Accounting Officer | May 2022–Feb 2023 | Not disclosed |
| Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK) | Senior Manager, Technical Accounting | Dec 2020–Apr 2022 | Not disclosed |
| U.S. Postal Service | Manager, External Reporting | Dec 2014–Dec 2020 | Not disclosed |
| SBM Financial Group | Various finance, BD, operations roles | ~10 years (prior to USPS) | Not disclosed |
| FleetBoston Financial | Senior Risk Manager | Prior to SBM | Not disclosed |
| Deloitte | Manager, Financial Services practice | Prior to FleetBoston | Not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Postal Service Federal Credit Union | Board of Directors | Since 2020 | Not disclosed |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $203,750 | CFO appointment effective May 31, 2024; ongoing annual base salary $240,000 |
| Target Bonus (%) | 50% of base salary | Prorated for 2024 per appointment timing |
| Actual Bonus Paid ($) | $92,744 (non‑equity incentive plan comp) | Based on Company performance |
| All Other Compensation ($) | $8,150 | Includes Company 401(k) contributions |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted Free Cash Flow (AFCF) – May 8, 2024 RSU grant (50,000 RSUs) | 50% / 50% tranches | $3,000,000 AFCF; $5,300,000 AFCF | Achieved both conditions | 25,000 RSUs vested at $3.0M; 25,000 RSUs vested at $5.3M | Aug 12, 2024; Nov 5, 2024 |
| AFCF – Oct 9, 2024 RSU grant (152,500 RSUs) | 1/3 and 2/3 tranches | $4,500,000 AFCF during 10/1/24–9/30/25; $9,000,000 AFCF during same period | Not disclosed (performance period ongoing at FY2024 end) | 50,833 RSUs vest at $4.5M; 101,667 RSUs vest at $9.0M; unvested portions cancelled if thresholds unmet | Upon Board determination during performance period |
Additional RSUs: 25,000 time-based RSUs granted Jan 1, 2024; vested in full Dec 31, 2024 .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Beneficial Ownership | 131,307 shares (0.2% of outstanding as of Apr 8, 2025) |
| Breakdown | 55,474 shares via P. Brady Hayden Revocable Trust; 25,000 via Plan Z, LLC; 50,833 performance RSUs counted as outstanding within 60 days (no voting/dividends until vesting) |
| Vested vs Unvested | Vested: 25,000 time-based RSUs (12/31/24) and 50,000 performance RSUs (Aug/Nov 2024); Unvested: 50,833 and 101,667 performance RSUs tied to 2024–2025 AFCF thresholds |
| Options | None outstanding; company executed an option cancellation and exchange in 2023; NEOs currently hold no options |
| Hedging/Pledging | Hedging prohibited; short sales and derivatives prohibited; pledging/margin accounts require advance approval by General Counsel |
| Ownership Guidelines | Not disclosed in proxy |
Employment Terms
| Provision | Terms |
|---|---|
| Appointment & Tenure | Appointed CFO effective May 31, 2024 |
| Base Salary | $240,000 annually |
| Annual Incentive | Target 50% of base salary; tied to Company performance vs budgets/business goals; prorated in 2024 |
| Severance | Under Severance Pay Plan: if involuntary termination without cause, one month of base pay per year of service (min 3 months; max 12 months); as of May 30, 2025, Hayden has 1 year 10 months of service |
| Change-of-Control | Omnibus Incentive Plan provides double-trigger acceleration for “alternative awards” upon qualifying termination within 24 months of change in control; replacement of performance goals with service-based vesting where applicable; cancellation payments at change-in-control price for certain awards |
| Clawback | Awards subject to forfeiture/recoupment under Company policies and applicable law/exchange rules |
| Non-compete/Non-solicit | Not disclosed for Hayden individually; Plan allows forfeiture for breach of restrictive covenants |
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: 2024 and 2024–2025 equity grants are entirely performance-based on AFCF with specific thresholds; 2024 tranches fully vested only after AFCF milestones were met, strengthening alignment with cash generation and reducing reliance on time-based equity .
- Upcoming vesting windows and potential selling pressure: The 2024–2025 performance RSUs (50,833 and 101,667) will vest only if AFCF of $4.5M and $9.0M is achieved during Oct 1, 2024–Sep 30, 2025; failure cancels unvested units, creating binary outcomes and potential post‑vesting liquidity events if thresholds are met .
- Retention and severance economics: Severance plan offers relatively modest cash protection (min 3 months, cap 12 months of base pay), suggesting lower guaranteed retention economics; combined with purely performance-tied equity for current cycle, retention hinges on Company hitting AFCF goals rather than contractual cash cushions .
- Governance safeguards: Hedging is prohibited and pledging requires pre‑approval, reducing misalignment risks; awards are subject to clawback, and double‑trigger equity vesting protections apply only in change‑of‑control with qualifying terminations, limiting single‑trigger windfalls .
- Ownership: Hayden’s beneficial ownership is small at 0.2% of outstanding shares; while skin‑in‑the‑game is limited in percentage terms, 2024 equity vesting and remaining performance RSUs tie near‑term rewards to AFCF execution .