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Pixsy CEO to speak at Goldman Sachs Internet Conference 2008
May 21-22, Las Vegas
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Ira Rubenstein EVP, Global Digital Media Group Marvel Entertainment,
Inc.
Ira Rubenstein has built a career on identifying and implementing new marketing
and distribution opportunities for entertainment across a wide array of platforms.
In his role at Marvel Rubenstein is responsible for the company's Global digital
strategy and implementation for all of Marvel's properties across digital and games
channels.
Prior to Marvel, Rubenstein spent 12 years with Sony, most recently as executive
vice president of Sony Pictures Digital where he was responsible for overseeing
the division's production efforts to extend Sony Pictures properties into the digital
marketplace through SonyPictures.com, mobile games and personalization products,
casual games, and innovative strategic partnerships. Rubenstein managed the digital
growth of the studio's most important brands including Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
- leading the expansion of these properties into broadband, interactive television,
mobile, and the PSP and PS3 platforms. In addition, Rubenstein oversaw production
for all Sony Pictures properties breaking into the growing mobile marketplace, developing
an array of successful mobile entertainment offerings including the award-winning
Spider-Man 2: The Hero Returns and Ratchet and Clank: Going Mobile, as well as the
first Movies for Mobile Phones on Memory Cards.
Also during his tenure at Sony, Rubenstein oversaw the establishment of Sony Pictures
Digital Entertainment's on-demand movie initiative, Movielink, to offer theatrically
released motion pictures via digital delivery for broadband Internet users. Before
the establishment of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, Rubenstein was vice president,
marketing, Columbia TriStar Interactive. In this role, he managed the strategic
implementation of media planning, promotional and creative advertising campaigns
for more than 100 film sites. Before joining Columbia TriStar Interactive, Rubenstein
worked in film research and new media for Twentieth Century Fox.
Rubenstein was recently included on the highly regarded "Digital 50" list, a distinction
given to fifty new media innovators by The Producers Guild of America's New Media
Council. Recognition for his work also includes Webby Awards, a Mobie award for
games, a Gold Clio and several Key Art Awards.
Rubenstein holds a B.A. in Management Science from UC San Diego and is a graduate
of the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC.
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Sanjay Reddy
Sanjay Reddy was most recently the Senior Vice President, Business Development &
Strategic Planning for Gemstar-TV Guide International (former ticker: GMST) where
he headed up all business development, mergers & acquisitions and strategy for Gemstar,
a leading media, entertainment and technology company, with businesses spanning
interactive television technology, cable television, publishing, mobile and online.
The company was acquired by Macrovision (ticker: MVSND) in May 2008 in a $2.3 billion
cash and stock transaction with Sanjay leading the execution of the sale process.
While at Gemstar-TV Guide, he also led the successful divestiture of SkyMall and
the acquisitions of several niche web properties including JumpTheShark.com. He
joined Gemstar in 2004 with broad media, technology and deal experience having worked
in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, the finance industry on Wall Street
and the technology industry in Silicon Valley.
He joined Gemstar-TV Guide after having served as a principal in an offshore animation
company. Prior to this, Sanjay was a Vice president in the M&A group at Salomon
Smith Barney and also served as Vice President, Corporate Development at Covad Communications,
a publicly traded DSL company based in Santa Clara, CA, where he resolved several
distressed channel partner situations involving reorganizations and asset purchases
in bankruptcy. Between receiving a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from UCLA,
Sanjay worked in the independent record business in Los Angeles and produced an
MCA released Billboard Top 20 record. He currently serves as a board observer for
BuddyTV and on the advisory boards of My Damn Channel, Inc. and Pixsy.
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Andrew Anker
Andrew is a Silicon Valley veteran with experience in two prior startups, including
Wired Digital, a pioneering Internet news and media organization. Andrew was the
co-founder and CEO of Wired Digital and built into it one of the 20 largest networks
of Web sites with such properties as HotBot, Wired News, and HotWired. Prior to
joining Six Apart, Andrew was a general partner with August Capital where he invested
in such consumer internet companies as Tickle (recently purchased by Monster) and
Listen.com (creators of Rhapsody, now owned by Real Networks). Andrew spent his
early career as an investment banker focusing on the media, technology, and communications
industries.
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Royal Farros
The 2000 Winner of the San Jose Business Journal Entrepreneur of the Year award,
Royal Farros co-founded and was CEO of MessageCast, Inc., sold to Microsoft (NASD:MSFT)
in 2005, founded and was CEO of iPrint.com (taken public in 2000 and merged with
12th largest promotional products company in U.S. in 2001), was an Officer and General
Manager at Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX), and was Chairman and EVP of T/Maker Company
(sold to Deluxe Corporation in 1994). Royal hold multiple patents, has appeared
numerous times on CNBC, and received his B.S. (1981) and M.S. (1983) in Industrial
Engineering from Stanford University.
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Rob Wrubel
Rob Wrubel is the CEO & President of Aptimus, Inc a publicly traded (Nasdaq: APTM)
next-generation Internet advertising network. Wrubel has been CEO of the company
for three months and has been president for a year. Before that Wrubel was co-founder
and co-CEO of Whole Body / Yoga Works based in Santa Monica, CA. Yoga Works is the
largest operator of Yoga and alternative fitness studios in the county with locations
in Los Angeles, Orange County, and New York City. Rob was an Entrepreneur-in-residence
at Highland Capital Partners in 2001 and 2002 where he developed new business concepts
for funding. From 1998 to 2001, Rob was the founding CEO of Ask Jeeves, one of the
leading Internet brands and search advertising success stories. Wruble grew the
company from a 15-employee start-up in 1998 to a public-market software and services
company with over $100 million in sales. Ask Jeeves was sold in 2005 for $1.95 billion
to Barry Diller’s IAC. Before Ask Jeeves, Rob was one of the founding team members
of Knowledge Adventures, Inc, the country’s largest educational software company.
From 1993 to 1998, Rob was VP of Product Development and Chief Operating Officer
of Knowledge Adventure, Inc., growing it from $10M in sales to over $200 million
in sales. Knowledge Adventure was eventually sold Cendant Corporation and then to
Vivendi Entertainment.
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Mark Coopersmith
A leader and innovator in technology, media and consumer products, Mark has spent
more than 20 years launching, building and restructuring high-growth global businesses.
Mark led the $300mm Global Technology Brands group at consumer products company
Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL); has served as President of Strategy for brand consultancy
Addis Creson (where he is a board member); and co-founded and built a $150mm division
at Sony which was focused on consumer products, content licensing and e-commerce.
He was the founding CEO of pioneer online payments company WebOrder, now part of
Motorola; and earlier in his career was a strategy consultant with Ernst & Young.
He has advised leading technology and media businesses such as DirecTV, Intel, Sony
and Viacom/MTV, and has also worked with many innovative earlier stage companies.
Mark serves on the boards of a number of private companies. He also spends time
with students at UC Berkeley where he is an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship
and Innovation at the Haas School of Business. He is an alumnus of UC Berkeley,
where he earned his B.A. and MBA degrees. He lives just north of San Francisco,
in Tiburon, with his college sweetheart Lori and their two children.
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