Ben Elowitz, Co-Founder and CEO
Ben is co-founder and CEO of Wetpaint, a technology platform company that is reinventing the media model on the social web. The company attracts more than 15 million unique visitors monthly on its platform. Ben is also a thought leader on the subject of next-generation digital media publishing and the author of Digital Quarters, a blog about the future of digital media and the steps the publishing industry must take to become profitable. In addition, he writes Media Success, a bold and forthright newsletter for digital media thought leaders. His work has been featured on CNNMoney, TechCrunch, All Things D, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Fortune, TIME, paidContent, and CNBC.com, among others. Prior to Wetpaint, Ben co-founded Blue Nile (NILE), the largest online retailer of luxury goods. Ben was also an early employee at Fatbrain.com (FATB), an ecommerce company that went public in 1998 and was sold to Barnes & Noble in 1999. Ben holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an angel investor in a number of media and ecommerce companies and is a frequent conference speaker on digital media, social content, and entrepreneurship.
Ben is co-founder and CEO of Wetpaint, a technology platform company that is reinventing the media model on the social web. The company attracts more than 15 million unique visitors monthly on its platform. Ben is also a thought leader on the subject of next-generation digital media publishing and the author of Digital Quarters, a blog about the future of digital media and the steps the publishing industry must take to become profitable. In addition, he writes Media Success, a bold and forthright newsletter for digital media thought leaders. His work has been featured on CNNMoney, TechCrunch, All Things D, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Fortune, TIME, paidContent, and CNBC.com, among others. Prior to Wetpaint, Ben co-founded Blue Nile (NILE), the largest online retailer of luxury goods. Ben was also an early employee at Fatbrain.com (FATB), an ecommerce company that went public in 1998 and was sold to Barnes & Noble in 1999. Ben holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an angel investor in a number of media and ecommerce companies and is a frequent conference speaker on digital media, social content, and entrepreneurship.
Rob Grady, COO
Rob is responsible for the development and deployment of the Wetpaint platform and properties such as Wetpaint Entertainment. His career experience spans from early-stage startups to large consumer-branded companies, all of them focused on building great consumer products and experiences. Prior to Wetpaint, Rob spent seven years with Starbucks, where he was Vice President, Global Beverage, and Director of New Ventures for Starbucks’ U.S. operations. Earlier in his career, Rob worked in marketing for RealNetworks, the pioneer in Internet audio and video, where he led the product management team behind the RealPlayer, the most popular media player in the early years of the web. He also led the development and branding of the first media subscription business on the internet, RealNetworks’ SuperPass and GoldPass. Rob, who began his career at Procter & Gamble, holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford University.
Rob is responsible for the development and deployment of the Wetpaint platform and properties such as Wetpaint Entertainment. His career experience spans from early-stage startups to large consumer-branded companies, all of them focused on building great consumer products and experiences. Prior to Wetpaint, Rob spent seven years with Starbucks, where he was Vice President, Global Beverage, and Director of New Ventures for Starbucks’ U.S. operations. Earlier in his career, Rob worked in marketing for RealNetworks, the pioneer in Internet audio and video, where he led the product management team behind the RealPlayer, the most popular media player in the early years of the web. He also led the development and branding of the first media subscription business on the internet, RealNetworks’ SuperPass and GoldPass. Rob, who began his career at Procter & Gamble, holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford University.
Michael Howell, Co-Founder and VP, Social and Audience Development
Michael joined Wetpaint in early 2005 as part of its founding management team. During his tenure with the company, he has led the audience development, analytics, publishing, customer service, and corporate strategy groups. In his current role as Vice President of Social and Audience Development, he is responsible for setting strategy and overseeing operations for Wetpaint audience development and content distribution. He is the chief designer and driving force behind Wetpaint’s social media strategy and patent-pending Social Distribution System. A data scientist at heart, Michael takes an analytical approach to driving breakthrough results. Prior to joining Wetpaint, Michael was a management consultant at Lake Partners where he specialized in analytics-driven strategic consulting. Michael holds a B.Sc. in Economics with honors from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Michael joined Wetpaint in early 2005 as part of its founding management team. During his tenure with the company, he has led the audience development, analytics, publishing, customer service, and corporate strategy groups. In his current role as Vice President of Social and Audience Development, he is responsible for setting strategy and overseeing operations for Wetpaint audience development and content distribution. He is the chief designer and driving force behind Wetpaint’s social media strategy and patent-pending Social Distribution System. A data scientist at heart, Michael takes an analytical approach to driving breakthrough results. Prior to joining Wetpaint, Michael was a management consultant at Lake Partners where he specialized in analytics-driven strategic consulting. Michael holds a B.Sc. in Economics with honors from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Chris Kollas, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development
Chris is responsible for identifying and driving new business development initiatives, including the company’s strategic partnerships with media companies. Prior to Wetpaint, Chris developed partnerships for RealNetworks’ end-to-end digital media distribution system and drove adoption by hiring and leading the company’s top-producing sales team. He has a B.S. in Business Administration and Speech Communications from Oregon State University and a Masters in Education from Antioch University.
Chris is responsible for identifying and driving new business development initiatives, including the company’s strategic partnerships with media companies. Prior to Wetpaint, Chris developed partnerships for RealNetworks’ end-to-end digital media distribution system and drove adoption by hiring and leading the company’s top-producing sales team. He has a B.S. in Business Administration and Speech Communications from Oregon State University and a Masters in Education from Antioch University.
Susan Mulcahy, Strategic Advisor
Susan Mulcahy is a strategic advisor to Wetpaint Entertainment. A writer, editor, and content strategist, Susan has worked as a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist (Page Six, New York Post; Inside New York, Newsday); a magazine editor (Avenue, Self); a writer for premium publications like Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and O at Home; and a creator of destination entertainment web sites. A pioneer in web content, Susan joined Starwave, Paul Allen’s online content company, in the early days of the web and, in 1995, launched Mr. Showbiz, which quickly became one of the largest entertainment properties online. She went on to become vice president of the entertainment division of Starwave, which was acquired by Disney in 1997. Susan has consulted for a wide variety of offline and online media ventures including AOL, Amazon.com, Redpoint Ventures, and the Museum of Television & Radio. She is the author of My Lips are Sealed: Confessions of a Gossip Columnist (Doubleday, 1988), Drawing Fashion: The Art of Kenneth Paul Block (Pointed Leaf Press, 2007), and Why I’m a Democrat (PoliPoint Press, 2008). She is also the producer of two CD compilations of the recordings of Ruth Draper, the great monologue artist.
Susan Mulcahy is a strategic advisor to Wetpaint Entertainment. A writer, editor, and content strategist, Susan has worked as a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist (Page Six, New York Post; Inside New York, Newsday); a magazine editor (Avenue, Self); a writer for premium publications like Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and O at Home; and a creator of destination entertainment web sites. A pioneer in web content, Susan joined Starwave, Paul Allen’s online content company, in the early days of the web and, in 1995, launched Mr. Showbiz, which quickly became one of the largest entertainment properties online. She went on to become vice president of the entertainment division of Starwave, which was acquired by Disney in 1997. Susan has consulted for a wide variety of offline and online media ventures including AOL, Amazon.com, Redpoint Ventures, and the Museum of Television & Radio. She is the author of My Lips are Sealed: Confessions of a Gossip Columnist (Doubleday, 1988), Drawing Fashion: The Art of Kenneth Paul Block (Pointed Leaf Press, 2007), and Why I’m a Democrat (PoliPoint Press, 2008). She is also the producer of two CD compilations of the recordings of Ruth Draper, the great monologue artist.