Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based Director operating in the Media and Entertainment space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Giovanni Gardelli
Senior Director, Ad Targeting Products of Verizon Media
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Mozan Totani
Director, Head of Data Center Development and Delivery of Verizon Media
Mozan Totani is the Regional Manager, Amazon Web Services Infrastructure Operations.
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About Amazon Web Services, Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Niranjan Nagar
Sr. Director, Product Partnerships of Verizon Media
Niranjan is the Sr. Director of Product Management at Verizon Media focused on product partnerships. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and a business leader with over 20 years of experience in digital entertainment and software services. He has extensive experience in software engineering, strategic planning, partnership and digital marketing working for leading software companies like Facebook, Electronic Arts, Listen.com/RealNetworks. Prior to Samsung, he was at Facebook focused on the growth of the games business, developing marketing strategy for mobile and console game publishers, and driving the integration of the Facebook platform on Playstation and the Xbox game consoles. He also co-founded SingShot, a karaoke based social networking service and a founding team member and VP of Engineering at Listen.com that created the Rhapsody music service. Niranjan has a MS in Computer Science from Drexel University and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Karnatak University in India. He is also a graduate of the SEP at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
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About Meta, Samsung NEXT, Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Alison Bellach Sonderegger
Director of Engineering of Verizon Media
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Christopher Vincelli
Director, Global Partnerships of Verizon Media
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About Millennial Media, Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
James Hughes
Director, Publisher Sales of Verizon Media
James Hughes is the director of publisher sales at Verizon Media.
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Mujibur Wahab
Director of Engineering of Verizon Media
Mujib is a Director of Engineering at Oath, a subsidiary of Verizon. He leads the global teams responsible for providing service authentication, authorization, key management, access management, traffic protection, and UGC moderation solutions and infrastructure. Mujib also oversees the development of Athenz (www.athenz.io), an open source platform for X.509 certificate-based service authentication and fine-grained access control in dynamic infrastructures.
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Anthony Winters
Director of Verizon Media
Anthony Winters is currently the Director of the Detroit office of Oath: (a division of Verizon) overseeing both Detroit and New York Automotive Business. Prior to Oath, Anthony ran the Detroit Yahoo Sales office for the last 3 years and served as an Account Director on the FCA business. Before embarking on his sales career, Anthony held senior account management roles at BBDO, FCB, Bozell and CME covering Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Harley Davidson and the Red Wings accounts. Anthony also worked in government relations at the American Association of Advertising Agencies in Washington DC. Anthony is a long time member of the Detroit Advertising community and currently serves as the Vice President of the Adcraft Club of Detroit, Vice Chair of the D Show Creative Awards and on the board of the Detroit Advertising Association. Anthony is also a member of 313 digital.
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Steve Reich
Account Director, Publisher Sales of Verizon Media
Over 16 years of experience building businesses and managing strategic partners in the technology and media industries with a consistent track record of exceeding revenue goals at startups and large global companies Subject Matter Expertise: Digital Advertising Solutions, Mobile Monetization, Programmatic, Business Intelligence, E-commerce, Social Media, Content Licensing & Acquisition, OTT, and more
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Faith Murphy
Sr. Director, SMB Partnerships of Verizon Media
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Faith Murphy
Sr. Director, SMB Partnerships of Verizon Media
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About Verizon Media: Verizon Media offers services in content, advertising, and technology with its brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and more.
Kade Speiser
Director of Content of TeamDom
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About TeamDom: TeamDom is a media conglomerate that builds brands, stories, celebrities, and businesses around teen entertainment and media.
Austin Johnsen
Senior Director, Corporate Development of Patreon
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About Patreon: Patreon is an online platform connecting musicians and other artists with their fan base.
Daniel Long
Director of Business Intelligence of NFL
Daniel and his team manage data collection and analytics strategy across the NFL’s digital, social, and television landscape. Over the past 3 years, Daniel has led initiatives to streamline data collection, warehouse data, and provide data visualizations to empower the business to focus on more data driven decisions. His team is leading the charge for optimization testing and personalization. Daniel has degree’s in Statistics and Sociology. Prior to the NFL, Daniel worked at marketing agencies in New York focusing on data collection and analysis.
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About NFL: NFL is a professional sports league in the U.S. that acts as a trade association for franchise owners to promote the sport and much more.
Bob Bellas
Director of IT of Grasp Technologies
Bob Bellas has been serving as chief infrastructure officer of Grasp Technologies since March 1996.
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About Grasp Technologies: Grasp Technologies provides data management, visualization, and payment solutions in the travel and entertainment industry.
Josh Hoye
Creative Director and Product Design of Relevnt, Inc.
In the past, Josh has created solutions for clients like: Volcom, Live Like Sion, Delta Fountains, Mondo Medina, Folio Weekly, Great HealthWorks Inc., Image Comics, Sandy Beach Productions, Downtown Vision Inc., Monster UK, EYE Productions (CBS) and way too many more. His surf art has been exhibited at numerous fine art galleries in Hawaii, Australia, and Florida. Josh is full of passion for the outdoors, surfing and the ocean, which feeds an ever growing wanderlust to experience this beautiful world we live in. Josh is a graduate from Ringling College of Art and Design, and has a BFA in Illustration and Graphic Design.
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About Relevnt, Inc.: Relevnt is a live audio chat network centered real-time, authentic connection.
Ashlyn Gentry
Managing Director, NewCo of Human Ventures
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About Human Ventures: Human Ventures is a business creation platform, comprised of a venture fund, studio and enterprise agency.
Doug Kingsley
Managing Director, Co-Founder of North Bridge Venture Partners & Growth Equity
Doug Kingsley became Managing Director of North Bridge Growth Equity following more than fifteen years at Advent International, most recently as Co-Head of US Investments. Doug co-founded North Bridge Growth Equity in 2007 with Mike Pehl and the Venture Partners founders, Ed Anderson and Rich D’Amore. He has served on more than twenty boards of private and public technology companies. Previously, he was Managing Director, Co-Head of US Investments, at Advent International, where he helped grow the business from $300 million to $10 billion under management. He also had operating roles at Teradyne, the world’s largest manufacturer of automatic test equipment. “Entrepreneurs often don’t need our money,” he says. “They are running companies that are growing, profitable, and owned by exceptional founders. They take our funds to accelerate their growth, finance an acquisition or diversify their net worth. What they want is a partner who can add value and help expand their business.” That added value comes from building teams, developing strategies and organizational structures, and adding world class accounting and other systems. Doug has a reputation for a highly collaborative approach. His introduction to venture capital came as a consultant to Alcan Aluminum during the late eighties. A native New Englander, Doug has worked and studied in Venezuela, Spain and France. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA from Dartmouth College, and a BE from Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering.
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About North Bridge Venture Partners & Growth Equity: North Bridge provides seed-to-growth stage funding for businesses in several sectors such as software, communications and infrastructure.
Daniel Rappaport
Board of Directors of Connecticut Innovations
Mr. Rappaport served as Chairman of the Board/CEO of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) from 1993 through March 2001. Mr. Rappaport also served as a member of the Board of NYMEX from May 2006 through August 2008 where he participated in the process that led to an IPO that valued NYMEX at approximately twelve billion dollars. As a NYMEX board member, Mr. Rappaport was also involved in the negotiations that resulted in the acquisition of NYMEX by the CME Group. Mr. Rappaport served as an independent director on the board of GreenX and was Chairman of the Regulatory Oversight Committee. Mr. Rappaport was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to serve as a member of the National Petroleum Council (NPC) and he was also appointed to serve as a member of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Global Markets Advisory Committee. He served as a board member of the Futures Industry Institute, a trustee on the Board of Trustees of New York Law School, and as an appointment of the Governor of the State of Connecticut on the board of directors of Connecticut Innovations. Mr. Rappaport is a graduate of New York Law School and is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. He also holds an MBA from Baruch College and is a graduate of Syracuse University.
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About : Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Patrick O’Neill
Managing Director, Venture Capital Investments of Connecticut Innovations
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About Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Matthew D. Storeygard
Managing Director, Venture Capital Investments of Connecticut Innovations
Matt Storeygard joined Connecticut Innovations as Managing Director, Venture Capital Investments in 2019
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About Connecticut Innovations, Hubbub: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Kevin Crowley
Senior Managing Director, Investments of Connecticut Innovations
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About : Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Peter V. Longo
Senior Managing Director of Connecticut Innovations
Peter Senior Managing Director of Connecticut Innovations, oversees the organization’s investment and loan portfolios, and is responsible for the overall investment strategy.
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About Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Pauline M. Murphy
Senior Managing Director of Connecticut Innovations
Pauline Murphy joined Connecticut Innovations as Senior Managing Director in 2002.Pauline is responsible for initiating and closing deals and managing the investment associates and investment team support staff at CI. Pauline has extensive experience in both manufacturing and service organizations. She was controller of an early-stage software development company and launched her career at Ernst & Young, LLP. Her career milestones with CI include leading investments in deets, Environmental Energy Services, etouches, FMP Products, New Ortho Polymers, Premise Corporation, XLerant and Zadspace. Three of the former CI portfolio companies that Pauline was involved with have been acquired: CGI Pharmaceuticals, Nufern and Premise Corporation. A fourth company, CiDRA Corporation, has successfully sold its oil and gas metering business segment. Pauline graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut and is a registered certified public accountant in the state of Connecticut.
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About Cadenza Innovation, CiDRA, Connecticut Innovations, Ernst & Young: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Daniel Wagner
Sr. Managing Director, Investments of Connecticut Innovations
Daniel Wagner joined Connecticut Innovation as Managing Director, Investments in 2018
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About Connecticut Innovations, Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Douglas J. Roth
Managing Director of Connecticut Innovations
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About Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Matt Bloom
Director of Investments of Connecticut Innovations
Matt Bloom is the director of investments at Connecticut Innovations.
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About Connecticut Innovations: Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Kimberly Peretto
Director of Information Technology of Connecticut Innovations
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About : Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to to companies in high-tech industries
Kosha Gada
Corporate Executive Director, Strategy of NBCUniversal
Kosha Gada has built a career at the nexus of media & entertainment, digital business models and the cultural shift that has been ignited by innovation in these sectors. She is currently the Corporate Executive Director of Strategy at the world’s largest media corporation, where she spearheads big growth ideas and stress-tests the viability of new business models amidst one of the fastest changing environments today. Prior to Comcast-NBCU, Kosha was a Principal with A.T. Kearney where she counseled CXOs on performance enhancing strategies and improving relevance to a new generation of connected consumers. She is also a frequent commentator on CNBC and BNN, a contributor to Forbes and an active personality on Twitter (@koshagada). Kosha holds a B.S. in Computer Science from The Ohio State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. When she’s not spending time with her husband and two young children, you may find her painting, cooking, voraciously consuming the news or attempting to write a debut novel.
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About NBCUniversal, Recastled: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Misha Mukherjee
West Coast Director, Digital Investment of NBCUniversal
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About NBCUniversal, OMD: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Jim Starzynski
Director and Principal Audio Engineer of NBCUniversal
Jim Starzynski is Director and Principal Audio Engineer for NBCUniversal Advanced Engineering, overseeing audio technologies and practices for all NBCUniversal television properties. This includes the company’s two broadcast networks, 2 national multicast networks, 28 owned stations and 13 cable channels. Jim is responsible for establishing NBC’s audio strategy for Digital Television. Jim is chairperson of Advanced Television Systems Committee’s technical subgroup S34-2 on Next Generation Audio and chairs S6-3, the group that developed ATSC-A/85, the Emmy Award winning Recommended Practice on Loudness for Digital Television. He is chairman of the Sports Video Group’s DTV Audio Group, is the Vice-Chairman of the AES Broadcast and Online Delivery Technical Committee and chairs the AES Audio Guidelines for Over-the-Top Television and Video Streaming (AGOTTVS) Group. Jim is Vice-Chairman of the Audio Board of the Consumer Technology Association. He is Technical Committee Co-Chairman for the North American Broadcasters Association, is a SMPTE Fellow and a member of AES. Jim gave expert testimony to the 2009 U.S. Congress on the Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation Act (C.A.L.M. Act). He holds four NATAS Emmy Awards for technical achievement for multiple Olympic broadcasts and received the 2006 NATAS George Wensel Innovative Technical Achievement Award. Jim is the 2011 recipient of the ATSC’s highest technical honor, the Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award.
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About NBCUniversal: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Susana Zepeda
Sr. Director of Talent Development & Studio Relations of NBCUniversal
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About NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Phillip Cheung
Director of Product Management of NBCUniversal
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About NBCUniversal: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Kyle Britt
Director, Brand Strategy & Management, Bankrate of Red Ventures
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About Red Ventures: A portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that help people make life’s most important decisions.
Joshua Leibner
Director, Paid Media of Red Ventures
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About Boost Ventures, Red Ventures: A portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that help people make life’s most important decisions.
Sean Murphy
Director of Red Ventures
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About : A portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that help people make life’s most important decisions.
Melody Petulla
Director of SEO, B2B of Red Ventures
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About Red Ventures: A portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that help people make life’s most important decisions.
Melody Petulla
Director of SEO, B2B of Red Ventures
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About Red Ventures: A portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that help people make life’s most important decisions.
Randall Mays
Board Of Director of Live Nation Entertainment
Randall Mays aka Randall Thomas Mays is a Texas based innovator and investor. He currently serves as a managing partner of Mays Family Enterprise, an investment firm, and as the CEO of Running M Capital, a private investment firm working primarily with entrepreneurs and technology developers. He has previously held positions at Goldman Sachs and Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartCommunications), where he spent more than 15 years in varied positions. While serving as President of Clear Channel, Mays was responsible for a team of 40,000+ workers, the company’s international operations and strategy, and business development. His work ensured that Clear Channel became the best performing stock on the NYSE for the 1990s; he led the company’s growth to include over one thousand radio stations, the largest outdoor advertising outfits globally, and the biggest concert company.
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About Running M Capital: Live Nation Entertainment is the live entertainment and eCommerce company.
Ben DeJarnette
Local Director of WhereBy.Us
Entrepreneurial Journalism Community Manager at LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers.
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About LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers, WhereBy.Us: A platform that enables creators to build a media business for their community.
Adam Lekach
Marketing Director, Verve Label Group of Universal Music Group
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About Universal Music Group: Universal Music Group offers music recording, publishing, and merchandising services worldwide.
Kristen Dennesen
Director, Cyber Threat Intelligence of Sony Pictures Entertainment
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About Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.
Nadya Ichinomiya
Exec Director – Head of Agile Center of Excellence, CFO Corporate Functions of Sony Pictures Entertainment
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About Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.
Timothy Park
Director Data Management of Sony Pictures Entertainment
A versatile, organized collaborator and manager with proven skills in analyzing big data, identifying trends and translating into actionable insights, developing teams, KPIs, dashboards and catalyzing an analytics culture, and formulating strategies and clearly presenting recommendations to C-suite.
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About Prenostik, Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.
Aditya Tahilramani
Vice President of Information Technology & IT Director of Sony Pictures Entertainment
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About Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.
Jason Lambert
Executive Director, Content Licensing & Metadata of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Jason Lambert is Executive Director of Content Licensing and Metadata Services at Sony Pictures Entertainment. In his role, he is responsible for business development, content acquisition, and operations for the studio’s film clip, still image, and stock footage licensing business. In addition, he leads the in-house metadata services team charged with creating Sony Pictures’ time-based metadata repository. This repository of metadata and digital assets is utilized by stakeholders throughout the studio to identify licensable, memorable, and/or marketable moments from within SPE’s full length feature catalog. The repository also supports compliance activities related to film clip use and helps power enhanced consumer experiences for SPE’s home entertainment and digital streaming services.
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About Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.
Ulysses Davalos
Director, Advertising Monetization of Pluto TV
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About Pluto TV, Pluto TV: Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service in America.
Andrew Ryu
Executive Director, Interactive Games of MGM Studios
License/source/market interactive entertainment and games with movie and television show titles. Innovative leader in mobile, web, console, PC, TV, OTT, streaming video, and voice assistant. Attain customer needs, business growth, and strategic partnerships. Studio head of product, design, and technology. Launch beautiful, useful, and delightful products. Campaign marketing, social media, and data analytics. Make build, buy, and partner decisions. Directly source, hire, and train talent. Large corporation and small startup experience.
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About MGM Studios: MGM Studios is a media company that produces and distributes feature films and television shows.
Rebekah Mueller
Senior Director of Product Management of Audible
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About Audible, Chief, The Walt Disney Company: Audible is an internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming.
Stella Mowen
Director of Content Acquisition and Development, Entertainment Audible Originals of Audible
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About Audible: Audible is an internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming.
Jenn Lee
Sr Director, Head of Technical Innovation of Audible
Head of Technical Innovation at Audible.
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About Audible: Audible is an internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming.
Deepak Kandaswamy
Senior Director, Corporate Development & Strategy of A+E Networks
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About A+E Networks: A+E Networks is truly a global media company with joint ventures and channels all over the world.
Jen Taylor
Sr. Director Digital Marketing of A+E Networks
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About A+E Networks: A+E Networks is truly a global media company with joint ventures and channels all over the world.
Billy D. Aldea-Martinez
Regional Director of Piano
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About Piano: Piano helps organizations understand and influence customer behavior through one complete platform.
Hans Aksel Pedersen
Managing Director LEGOLAND Parks of Merlin Entertainments
Hans Aksel started his career as an officer in the Army but decided that business was more to his liking, leaving to take a Masters degree in Marketing. Now, an energetic International Marketer, he has more than 25 years of extensive experience in both FMCG and the entertainment industry across general management, global brand building, consumer & trade marketing, new product development and people management. Hans Aksel has been with LEGOLAND for 15 years, starting with the original LEGOLAND Park in Billund in Denmark in 2000, and moving from there to become Marketing Director in LEGOLAND Windsor, where he was in 2005 when Merlin acquired the then four LEGOLAND Parks. In 2008, now a senior manager within Merlin, he moved into an operational role as Divisional Director managing LEGOLAND Deutschland; and in 2014 took a new role as Divisional Director LEGOLAND Parks USA, overseeing the continued resort development of both Parks and Hotels in LEGOLAND California and LEGOLAND Florida; expanding this role across all six of the current parks as Managing Director of the Operating Group in 2015.
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About Merlin Entertainments: Merlin Entertainments is the largest European entertainments company operating in Europe.
Daniel Hayes
Lead Director & Co-Founder of Freethink Media
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About Freethink Media: Freethink Media is a creative media company for the people and ideas that are changing their world.
Vasyl Malchyk
Senior Vice President Legal Director of SoftServe
Vasyl is responsible for all legal and contractual risks at SoftServe. An expert in contract negotiation, regulatory and legal risk compliance, and litigation, he joined SoftServe in 2002 and holds a Law degree from Lviv National Ivan Franko University and Computer Science Degree from Lviv National Polytechnic University.
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About SoftServe: SoftServe is a digital authority that advises and provides at the cutting-edge of technology.
Josh Mandel
Managing Director of ADHD at All Def Digital of All Def Digital
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About All Def Digital: ALL DEF DIGITAL is a premium, multi-platform digital media company and entertainment hub
Sabeena Lalwani
Senior Director of Xandr
Sabeena Lalwani is the director of ITGRC and audit assurance at [AppNexus](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/appnexus#/entity), a cloud-based software platform that supports and optimizes programmatic online advertising. Prior to that, he was the director of system operations and ITGRC, as well as the director of IT GRC and information security at the same company. Lalwani obtained a certificate in information systems from The University of Hong Kong and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Hofstra University.
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About Xandr: Xandr is an advertising company.
Matthew Moocarme
Director, Senior Data Scientist of Viacom
Matthew Moocarme is a Director and Senior Data Scientist who works with Viacom’s Advertising Science team. Matthew determines and predicts the all aspects of the success of Viacom’s branded ad campaigns from data aggregation, to data integrity, to predictive modeling and forecasting. Matthew lives in New York City and outside of work enjoys combining deep learning with musicology. He is a classically trained physicist, holding a Ph.D in Physics from The Graduate Center of CUNY.
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About Viacom, Viacom: Viacom is an American media conglomerate specializing in cable, satellite television networks, and cinema.
Deborah Norville
Member of Board of Directors of Viacom
Norville was elected to our Board as of March 21, 2013. She is the anchor of Inside Edition, the nation’s top-rated syndicated newsmagazine.
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About : Viacom is an American media conglomerate specializing in cable, satellite television networks, and cinema.
Scott English
Senior Managing Director, Head of US Investments of Hearst Ventures
Scott English runs Hearst Ventures, the venture capital arm of Hearst Corporation. He acts as a director or observer on the boards of a number of the groups portfolio companies including Pandora, BuzzFeed, Synaptic Digital and Wide Orbit. English joined Hearst in 1995 and ran business development and strategy for Hearst’s HomeArts.com network of magazine websites. He moved into his current role in 1999 after helping orchestrate the merger of HomeArts.com and Women.com (iVillage). Prior to Hearst, English worked in the magazine division at Conde Nast. English graduated with a BA from Trinity College and earned his MBA from Columbia Business School.
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About Hearst Ventures: Hearst Ventures, a corporate venture fund, invests in early-stage information, software and technologycompanies
David Famolari
Managing Director of Hearst Ventures
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About Day2 Ventures, GoodCompany Group, Hearst Ventures: Hearst Ventures, a corporate venture fund, invests in early-stage information, software and technologycompanies
Darcy Frisch
Managing Director & Vice President of Hearst Ventures
Darcy Frisch is vice president at Hearst Ventures, where she identifies, executes and oversees Hearst’s investments in early stage digital media and information businesses. Since joining Hearst Ventures in 2000, Ms. Frisch has been involved with many investments including drugstore.com, XM Satellite Radio, Circles and MobiTV. She currently is a board director at Nexage and board observer at RAMP. She previously served on the boards of Sphere (sold to AOL in 2008) and Voxpop.tv (sold to IAC in 2011). Prior to Hearst, Darcy was with the investment group E2Enet. She also held positions as a tax analyst at KPMG and as the legislative assistant for tax for U.S. Senator David Boren of Oklahoma. She received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and earned her MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business.
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About Hearst Ventures: Hearst Ventures, a corporate venture fund, invests in early-stage information, software and technologycompanies
Ken Bronfin
Senior Managing Director of Hearst Ventures
As President of the Hearst Interactive Group since 2002, Ken Bronfin has overall responsibility for the rapidly growing set of digital businesses and investments within Hearst Interactive Media. In addition, Bronfin has corporate responsibility for a variety of internally-focused objectives focused on development, innovation and technology. He sits on the Boards of several of Hearst Ventures portfolio companies. Bronfin joined the Hearst Corporation in 1996 as Deputy Group Head of Hearst Interactive Media. Prior to joining Hearst, Bronfin worked for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) for 10 years, during which he held a series of increasingly responsible roles, including his role as a founder of the Interactive Media Group. Other assignments included General Manager of NBC’s Digital Television Group and Vice President of NBC Cable and Business Development. Bronfin holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA in management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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About Hearst Ventures, Stylus Media: Hearst Ventures, a corporate venture fund, invests in early-stage information, software and technologycompanies
Ryan Hunt
Director of Marketing of Superplastic
Ryan Hunt serves as director of marketing at Superplastic.
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About Superplastic: Superplastic is a character-based product and entertainment company that creates limited edition art toys, apparel, games, and animation.
Huck Gee
Director of Art and Production of Superplastic
Huck Gee is an award-winning artist, designer, and toymaker. His artwork is exhibited in galleries and auction houses worldwide. Several of his designs are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Huck has been a driving force in the international art toy movement since 2002 and is widely praised for the epic toy worlds that he creates, including Skullhead, Gold Life & The Dapper Little Scoundrels, which are major themes of his artwork. Handcrafted limited edition art toys created by Huck sell out instantly to a global clientele. Huck regularly travels and speaks on international signing tours. His art & designs have been published in an ungodly number of books and magazines including I Am Plastic, Dot Dot Dash, ToyGiants, & This Is Not A Toy. Huck has collaborated with artists and brands including Hello Kitty, Marc Jacobs, Swatch, Nike, Kidrobot, Microsoft, & Peugeot. His acclaimed video game BattleTails was released in 2015. In 2018 Huck Gee launched Superplastic with Paul Budnitz. Huck is the Director of Art and Production. When not creating art or planning world domination, Huck Gee spends his time racing Subarus and building Legos with his kids. Not necessarily at the same time
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About Superplastic: Superplastic is a character-based product and entertainment company that creates limited edition art toys, apparel, games, and animation.
Kevin Baik
PUBG Universe Art Director of PUBG Corporation
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About PUBG Corporation: PUBG operates as an online game developer and publisher.
David Bishop Media
Board of Directors of Parrot Analytics
David Bishop is a visionary entertainment and digital media industry leader, adept at building customer-centric organizations to high levels of employee engagement and profits. David has a proud history of success anticipating market demands and launching new products to maximize revenue. He claims a substantial talent for devising solutions to complicated challenges. David Bishop is passionate about identifying and creating new distribution technologies and highly successful business models. He is articulate, analytical, and intuitive.
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About : Parrot Analytics is a data science company that measures and predicts global demand for content, across all platforms, around the world.
Chris Parker
Game Director of Obsidian Entertainment
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About : Obsidian Entertainment is an American role-playing video game.
Mike Judge
Co-creator, Executive Producer, Writer and Director HBO “Silicon Valley” of HBO
Mike Judge was born in 1962 in Ecuador, but raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attended University of California at San Diego where he earned a degree in physics. He worked as an engineer and played bass professionally before MTV picked up his 1992 animated short, FROG BASEBALL. MTV decided to spin off BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD into a show of its own in the 1990’s, with Judge doing the voices of both characters as well as others. His next project was KING OF THE HILL for FOX TV. Judge expanded into writing and directing his own live-action films, OFFICE SPACE, IDIOCRACY and EXTRACT. He’s done voices for SOUTH PARK, FAMILY GUY, AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE, and acted in Robert Rodriguez’s SPY KIDS movies. In 2012, Mike resurrected BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD with twelve new shows for MTV. Currently, Judge is a co-creator, executive producer, writer and director for the Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated comedy series, SILICON VALLEY, which debuted its fifth season in April.
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About HBO: HBO is a television company that offers two 24-hour premium TV services, HBO and Cinemax.
Sunil Soman
Sr. Director, Measurement Innovation of Turner Broadcasting
Sunil Soman serves as senior director of measurement innovation at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
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About Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Vikram Marathe
Director of Turner Broadcasting
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About AT&T, Turner Broadcasting: Turner is a media company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content.
Lee Turvey
Global Sales Director of Frame.io
Lee Turvey is the global sales director of Frame.io.
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About Frame.io: Frame.io is a cloud-based video collaboration platform that allows users to upload source media and assets into private workspaces.
Brett Rush
Director of Customer Experience of Frame.io
Brett Rush is the Director of Customer Experience at Frame.io.
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About Frame.io: Frame.io is a cloud-based video collaboration platform that allows users to upload source media and assets into private workspaces.
Michael Elhadad
R&D Director and Co-Founder of Dalet
Michael Elhadad works as R and D Director and Co-Founder at Dalet.
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About Dalet: Dalete is a leading media technology and service provider with over three decades of innovation.
Dylan Boyd
Director, New Programs Development of R/GA Ventures
Dylan Boyd is currently the Director, New Program Development of R/GA Ventures where he works with global brands to develop in house, partner and accelerator programs. He is also Managing Director of the Dodgers Accelerator in Los Angeles.
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About Global Sports Venture Studio, Leap Venture Studio, R/GA Connected Commerce Accelerator, R/GA IoT Venture Studio UK, R/GA Marketing Tech Venture Studio, R/GA Ventures, Verizon Media Tech Venture Studio with R/GA: Investment arm of R/GA. We’re helping industry leaders capitalize on disruptive technologies through access to the startup ecosystem.
Gil Zimmerman
VR Director of DreamWorks Animation
Gil Zimmerman is a VR Director for DreamWorks Animation and a professional musician actively performing in the Los Angeles area. Gil has directed various television episodes for DreamWorks TV and Netflix, and is best known as the Cinematographer behind the How to Train Your Dragon film franchise for DreamWorks Animation. Gil has a reputation as an innovative Cinematographer, having pioneered the use of Motion Capture in the staging of complex scenes as well as for the creation of realistic camera staging and motion in animated films and has been awarded three Lumiere Awards for Best Stereography in an Animated Film. After graduating from the University of Southern California, where he studied both Film and Music, Gil began his career as a studio musician with hopes of composing for film. It was through the use of computers in film scoring that Mr. Zimmerman discovered a natural talent for Graphic Design and, in particular, Animation. After two years studying Graphic Design at UCLA, Gil was offered the position of Supervising Technical Director at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he oversaw CG production on the animated films Tarzan and Treasure Planet. Gil designed and shot many of the largest moments in both films and gained the reputation as an exceptional Cinematographer. His work on Tarzan was awarded an Oscar for Technical Merit for the Deep Canvas process used to paint all CG elements. Gil joined DreamWorks Animation in 2001 and has been the Cinematographer for the animated features Shark Tale, Puss in Boots and the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Additionally, he worked as Visual Consultant on Home and as a previz artist on Over the Hedge, Turbo and Trolls. As a professional musician (trombone), Mr. Zimmerman has performed and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, Fleetwood Mac, Zubin Mehta and Frank Zappa; and orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
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About DreamWorks Animation: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. engages in the development, production, and exploitation of animated films and associated characters
Jon Jackson
Creative Director of NowSourcing
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About NowSourcing: We make ideas simple, visual, and influential.
Jon Jackson
Creative Director of NowSourcing
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About NowSourcing: We make ideas simple, visual, and influential.
Ian Kennedy
Director of Media-Technology Partnerships of SmartNews
Director, Media-Technology Partnerships
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About SmartNews: SmartNews is a news app that helps users find quality news beyond the filter bubble.
Amanda Toney
Managing Director of Stage 32
As Managing Director for Stage 32, Amanda oversees operations and business development for the global business. She has curated over 1,200 hours of online education created exclusively for Stage 32, and works with hundreds of entertainment industry executives from around the world to serve as educators and mentors. She has spearheaded partnerships with such prestigious organizations as the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film, American Film Market, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, PGA, WGA and DGA, as well as brands such as AT&T, Peerspace, Pond5, Mandy, Bondit Media Capital and her personal favorite partnership, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is the official vodka of Stage 32. As a producer, Amanda has worked on the psychological thriller What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont; Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin and Bella Thorne, Metaphorms, a Hungarian film, which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and Dolphin Girl, an entire Stage 32 production in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Film Commission. She recently sold an unscripted show to a major US network . Amanda has spoken all over the world at the Cannes Film Festival (France), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.
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About Stage 32: Stage 32 is the world’s largest online platform connecting and educating the global entertainment industry.
Michael Vilardo
Co-Founder, President, COO, and Board Director of Emile Learning
Michael Vilardo is the Co-Founder, President, COO, & Board Director at Emile Learning.
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About Emile Learning: Building the Netflix of HS education, where students can earn HS and College credit for engaging with our premium videos.
Corey Ford
Managing Director of Matter
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About Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Matter: Matter is an early-stage media startup accelerator based in San Francisco and New York City.
Elizabeth Kopp
Director of Operations of Matter
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About Matter: Matter is an early-stage media startup accelerator based in San Francisco and New York City.
Noluthando Gosa
Interim Director & Deputy Chairperson of SABC
Noluthando Gosa is Chief Executive Officer of Akhona Properties. She also holds various non-executive director positions in leading companies in the property industry. Gosa holds an MBA obtained at the University of Brunswick in Canada.
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About Akhona Properties, Aon, Broll Property Group, Investec Asset Management, SABC: SABC is a public broadcaster in the local area with a mandate to inform, educate and entertain the public.
Ted Henderson
Managing Director of Schooner Capital
Ted has been a Managing Director at Schooner since 2004. Along with his colleagues, Ted invests across asset classes, domestically and abroad, with particular interest in domestic venture and growth stage companies, as well as alternative asset holdings in developing markets. Presently, Ted serves as a director at Orthocare Innovations, MediaSilo, Millstone Medical Outsourcing, Nanoscale Powders, Seventh Generation, SRS Medical, and Zixi. At Millstone Medical Outsourcing and Zixi, he serves as chairman. He is a past director of a number of Schooner investments, as well as several not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining Schooner, Ted founded several enterprises in the for-profit education sector, served as a general manager at subsidiaries of The Washington Post Company, worked in venture capital at Fidelity Capital, and served global clients at Leo Burnett. Ted received an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, with a degree in Chinese language and culture.
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About Schooner Capital: Schooner Capital is a Boston-based private investment firm engaged in venture capital, growth equity, and public securities.
Scott Yaphe
Managing Director of Schooner Capital
Scott is a Managing Director of Schooner Capital focused on investment opportunities in venture and growth-stage companies as well as alternative asset funds. Prior to Schooner, Scott spent 12 years as a General Partner at ABS Ventures, a multi-stage private investment firm. Scott has served on the board of directors of numerous companies including Adeptra (acquired by FICO), Synchronoss Technologies (NASDAQ:SNCR), Workbrain (TSX:WB) and Paratek (acquired by RIM). Before joining ABS Ventures, he was Director of Corporate Development at a telecommunications company as well as a management consultant with A.T. Kearney where he focused on corporate strategy in emerging market regions. Scott received his MBA from Harvard Business School and Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.
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About Schooner Capital: Schooner Capital is a Boston-based private investment firm engaged in venture capital, growth equity, and public securities.
Peter Binas
Managing Director of Schooner Capital
Peter joined Schooner in 2008 as a Managing Director after almost ten years with management consultancy McKinsey & Company. While there, Peter specialized in corporate finance and strategy, advising leading players in the consumer packaged goods and retail industries in the US, Latin America and Western Europe. Core areas of focus included mergers and acquisitions, new market entry and growth strategies, competitive strategy, post-merger integration, and operational effectiveness. At Schooner, Peter serves as a director on the boards of RailComm, Colo Railroad Builders, Orthocare Innovations, and CustomMade. He also provides strategic and corporate finance support across the full portfolio . Peter holds a JD/MBA from Harvard Law and from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker scholar, and an AB with Honors from Harvard University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Economics and Social Studies.
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About Schooner Capital: Schooner Capital is a Boston-based private investment firm engaged in venture capital, growth equity, and public securities.
Siva Muthukumarasamy
Founding Engineer/ Director , Engineering of Peel
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About Peel: Peel is the leading universal home control and video content discovery platform w/ 130M+ users worldwide, generating 140B+ remote commands
Burt Herman
Product Director, User Platform of Condé Nast
Burt is director of innovation projects for the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, parent organization of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philly.com. Previously, he co-founded Storify, a social media storytelling platform used by top media organizations, brands and non-profit organizations that has won numerous awards for journalism innovation. Burt is also co-founder of Hacks/Hackers, the largest global grassroots movement bringing together journalists and technologists. Burt earlier covered stories around the world for The Associated Press as a correspondent and bureau chief for 12 years. He was a 2009 Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University, where he earlier graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
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About Condé Nast, Hacks/Hackers: Condé Nast publishes magazines, websites, and tablet and smartphone applications.
Max Prin
Global Technical SEO Director of Condé Nast
Max Prin is the Global Technical SEO Director at Condé Nast. Max supports Condé Nast’s SEO efforts by developing tools, automations, and processes through research and testing. Max is also in charge of developing and publishing TechnicalSEO.com.
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About Condé Nast: Condé Nast publishes magazines, websites, and tablet and smartphone applications.
Zak Williams
Director of Business Development of Condé Nast
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About Condé Nast: Condé Nast publishes magazines, websites, and tablet and smartphone applications.
Mike Allen
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Axios Media
Mike Allen is a co-founder and Executive Editor of Axios, the new media company he launched in January with Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Axios (means “worthy” in Greek) uses “elegant efficiency” and “smart brevity” to deliver top insights and reporting on business, tech, media trends and politics to smart, engaged readers. Mike was a co-founder of POLITICO where he started Playbook, the agenda-driving newsletter that led The New York Times Magazine to dub him “The Man The White House Wakes Up To.” Mike was named to Vanity Fair’s “New Establishment,” and is an alumnus of TIME, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star. He grew up in Orange County, Calif., and graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.
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About Axios Media: Axios is a media company that delivers vital, trustworthy news, and analysis.
Kathleen Nisbet
Associate Director, Strategy of Axios Media
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About Axios Media: Axios is a media company that delivers vital, trustworthy news, and analysis.
Luis Blackaller
Creative Director of WEVR
Luis Blackaller is Creative Director at WEVR. .
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About WEVR: WEVR is a developer of a technology platform used to offer virtual reality content.
Steve Galle
Director, VR Production of WEVR
Steve Galle is Director, VR Production at WemoLab.
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About WEVR: WEVR is a developer of a technology platform used to offer virtual reality content.
Andy Jones
Animation Director of WEVR
Andy Jones is Animation Director at WemoLab.
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About WEVR: WEVR is a developer of a technology platform used to offer virtual reality content.
Travis Kuhl
Director of Engineering & Technology of Team Coco Digital
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About Elwood Technology, LLC, Team Coco Digital: Team Coco Digital is an online streaming platform that provides episodes, event information, and video clips related to the Conan talk show.
J. Curtis Majett
Corporate Director of Facilities, Administrative Services & Telecommunications of Access Intelligence
Prior to joining Access Intelligence, Curtis worked as a roof truss design engineer and computer technician. He joined Access Intelligence 1993 as an Office Assistant and later became Director of Facilities and Administrative Services, where he expanded his role to providing support services to all Access Intelligence offices. In 2000, he was promoted to his current position and his role was increased to managing all facilities and telecommunication-related matters for Access Intelligence globally, including our former offices in London, and Menlo Park, CA, and including current offices in Rockville, MD; New York; Salt Lake City, Houston, Arlington, VA and Norwalk, CT.
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About Access Intelligence, Majix Photos & Productions: Access Intelligence offers business intelligence and integrated marketing solutions such as magazines, data products and e-media solutions.
Steve Schuman
Managing Director of HALLEY Venture Partners
Steven J. Schuman is the Managing Director of HALLEY Venture Partners, L.P., a venture investment firm he founded in 2017 that focuses on building the best cannabis, hemp, and traditional agriculture companies.
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About HALLEY Venture Partners: HALLEY is focused on building elite companies in the legal cannabis, hemp and traditional agriculture spaces
