Mobile Leader Board
Mobile Monday is proud to present its Mobile Leader Board. The MLB features current mobile leaders in the community based on their leadership, knowledge and determination to better the mobile community. To submit an executive, please send bio, headshot and 250 word description why this executive should be profiled.
Chris Petrovic
VP Digital Media
Playboy Enterprises
In this role, he is responsible for developing and managing digital-focused strategic and business development initiatives for all divisions the company, including digital, television, radio and publishing. Petrovic is also responsible for finding the next generation products and services and developing launch strategies for their successful global execution. This position places him at the leading-edge of new and future ideas and technologies as well as and new-media business models.
Before joining Playboy Petrovic served as VP, Business Development for AG Interactive, a division of American Greetings. Petrovic oversaw all business development efforts across of the divisions digital business units. Petrovic joined AG Interactive from theglobe.com, where he served as VP, Strategy and Business Development and was responsible for developing and growing the companys digital and print media businesses.
Petrovic is a graduate of Columbia University in New York and holds a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He began his new media career as the CEO of an Internet start-up in 1998, and from there went on to become COO and General Counsel of Buzztone, a leading viral marketing agency, before joining the venture capital firm Prime Ventures as their VP of Business Development and Legal Affairs, managing the business development and legal operations of its portfolio companies, including most notably drkoop.com.
Petrovic is based in Playboys Los Angeles office.
Thomas Ellsworth
Chief Executive Officer
GoTV Networks
Thomas Ellsworth is a deeply experienced veteran of the wireless industry. Before joining GoTV, Ellsworth served as Executive Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Development from 2001 to 2005 at JAMDAT Mobile. Inc. (NASDAQ: JMDT) where he was part of the management team that saw the company complete its highly successful IPO in September of 2004. Prior to JAMDAT he was Vice President of Incubator Development and Senior Director of Business Development in the wireless division of Sprint. In that role, Ellsworth oversaw the Sprint incubator joint venture that led to the formation of wireless companies including JAMDAT Mobile and Boingo.
While at Sprint, Ellsworth also launched the 1st CDMA market in the US and developed what became the Free and Clear rate plans a pioneering change in the wireless industry. Earlier in his career he held selling, marketing and strategy roles at California Amplifier, Inc., L.A. Cellular (acquired by AT&T) and IBM. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration - Marketing from California State University, Northridge and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
Jack Hallahan
Vice President, Advertising and Brand Partnerships
MobiTV
Jack brings to MobiTV twenty years marketing insight, offering senior level brand development expertise. Mixing traditional and new media experience in website development, advertising and integrated marketing, Jack has helped build brands including TiVo, Apple, Mattel, Sports Illustrated, and Nike.
As Vice President, Advertising and Brand Partnerships for MobiTV, he is focused on creating a diverse client portfolio in Retail, Consumer Goods, Automotive, and Entertainment. Ad Age, Emmy Awards, and The Mobile Marketing Association have recognized his contributions to mobile advertising, while MediaWeek awarded MobiTVs work with Lions Gate as Mobile Campaign of the Year in 2007. Prior experience as Managing Director Wirestone and Vice President at AKQA Advertising includes multi-channel marketing for Visa USA, LucasArts, Macys, Nike, and Hewlett-Packard.
Jack established his advertising reputation in New York helping start up Mens Health Magazine after managing Fortune 500 clients for Sports Illustrated. Advertising, media and marketing strategy form the foundation of his agency experience at Chiat/Day and Young & Rubicam, where he began his career on Madison Avenue after graduating from Villanova University. Jack lives in Orinda, California, with his wife Lisa and their three children.
Jody Stark
VP Business Development, Transpera
Jody Stark is Vice President of Business Development at Transpera, bringing with him over a decade of media and emerging technology experience. Jody joined the company in 2007 to focus on strengthening its market position after having developed strategic media technology and programming plans for several international media companies including Disney, Turner, Comcast, Cox Communications, Viacom, Oxygen Media, BBC and News Corp. Prior to Transpera, Jody served as CEO and co- founder of Viziworx, Inc., a provider of core interactive television authoring services and led the successful acquisition of VisiWorx by Liberty Media. Jody was nominated for an Emmy in 2000 for his work with Turner Broadcasting.
Scott Duncan
President, Trillion Entertainment
Scott Duncan began his film career in 1986 in Canada where he developed and sold national marketing campaigns for many of Steven Spielbergs films including, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, The Back To The Future series, The Land Before Time, among others. Duncan moved to the United States in 1995 to join Trillion Entertainment to help produce the feature film Joyride, which was distributed domestically through Artisan Entertainment, starring Tobey Maguire, ( Spiderman ) & Benicio Del Toro ( Traffic ). Trillion went on to Executive Produce The Item, which premiered in dramatic competition at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and has screened at numerous festivals worldwide, including Toronto and Rotterdam. Trillion then produced New Suit, a feature film which opened 13 US markets to rave reviews and The Nazi Officers Wife documentary, a collaboration with Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Liz Garbus ( Girlhood, The Farm ) and Rory Kennedy ( American Hollow ), featuring narration by Academy Award-winning actress, Susan Sarandon and actress Julia Ormond . The documentary was released theatrically in five U.S. markets and aired on the A&E Networks in June, 2003. Scott is in pre-production on the feature film Fortuna and early pre-production on an adaptation of The Nazi Officers Wife , and the drama Dream And Die, which are both scheduled to shoot in fall 2009.
Duncan launched Trillion Mobile in 2005 (now named Trillion Digital Media) to distribute entertainment content on mobile phones in foreign markets. Duncan uses his relationships in the entertainment industry to secure a multitude of premium content libraries in a variety of genres (action sports, fashion, celebrity, horror, music, etc). Trillion Digital Media now distributes content libraries in the UK, Europe and China.
Faraz Syed
CEO & Co-Founder, Device Anywhere
Recognizing a need in the fast growing mobile industry to provide the first truly affordable handset testing service, Faraz founded DeviceAnywhere in April 2003. Faraz spearheaded DeviceAnywhere's evolution from being a technology provider for testing to its role today as a comprehensive mobile development environment. Clients throughout the world can access real mobile phones linked to live operator networks, through the Internet on their desktops. Being one of the fastest growing mobile start-up companies in Silicon Valley, the company provides service to many of the largest Internet and mobile companies in the world with more than 650 clients using the service.
Prior to launching DeviceAnywhere, Faraz was the Director of Solutions at Brience, a mobile WAP applications company, and a Technical Architect at KPMG Consulting. While employed with Brience, he experienced the difficulty and expense required to develop new mobile applications when teams often had to travel abroad to set up testing labs and independently purchase new handsets. The challenge facing the industry presented Faraz with the vision for founding DeviceAnywhere. Faraz has also held technical positions at Oracle, KLA Tencor and AMD. He holds a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the lead singer for a local rock band, Kaif.