Freedom Interactive CEO Michael Mathieu is leaving to be CEO of YuMe Networks. YuMe is trying to position itself as the “DoubleClick of Video.” The company is privately held and has $16 million backing from Khosla Ventures, Accel Partners, BV Capital and DAG Ventures. Jayant Kadambi, who had been CEO, will switch over to the President’s role and will remain on YuMe’s Board of Directors.

Freedom publishes The Orange County Register and owns a number of smaller newspapers, specialty publications and 21 TV stations. It has 225 websites in all. Mathieu was recruited from Classmates.com and built up Freedom’s interactive division to a team of 80.

Mathieu says he hadn’t been looking for a new position and the YuMe opportunity “just came up.” Mathieu said he’s proud that Freedom Interactive’s growth has been “in the 50 percent range” while other newspaper companies have begun to slow.

Freedom’s CFO Doug Bennett has taken over Mathieu’s post. As an aside, Bennett was once  the CFO for National Lampoon.