The Executive Team
Srini Dharmaji
Founder & CEO
John Shaker
Publisher Sales
Jay Flaherty
Media Sales
Dave Roberts
Engineering & Operations
Kate Hennig
Marketing
Sunayana Bedi
Business Development
Yukihiro Mitani
Japan and East Asia
Ranga K.
India
With a passion for disruptive technologies, Srini Dharmaji has been at the forefront of mobile data and multimedia innovations for more than 15 years.
As GoldSpot’s Chairman and CEO, he is the company’s key innovator, responsible for setting strategic direction and overseeing the company’s rapid growth and leadership in interactive advertising solutions with the vision to cement GoldSpot as “DoubleClick for Mobile”. Srini is the inventor of scores of patents in mobile interactive advertising that covers the whole gamut from interactive ad unit creation, targeting and campaign scheduling to dynamic ad-insertion, call-to-action enablement and fulfillment, and measurements. He is a well-known industry speaker on mobile advertising and content business models and technology trends. He won many industry accolades including Mobile Star 2008 Wireless Services Visionary award.
Before founding GoldSpot Media™, Srini provided leadership in business case development and product innovation in mobile video streaming, mobile broadcast and datacast applications to Virgin Mobile USA and Roundbox. Srini also led various Voice Over IP (VoIP) product initiatives at SIP innovator dynamicsoft (Acquired by Cisco Systems), Telcordia Technologies and Bellsouth Telecom. Srini earned B.S in Mathematics and an M.S. in Engineering from Indian Institute of Science.
As Media Sales Lead, Jay is responsible for the development and management of client-agency relationships and the flawless execution of mobile advertising and media plans. Prior to joining GoldSpot Media, Jay held various sales and marketing leadership positions with General Motors Company and Westwood One. As Director of Sales Operations at GM’s Chevrolet Division, Jay managed all retail marketing campaigns and the in market digital strategy at the national, regional and dealer level. At Westwood One, Jay was instrumental in establishing a strong automotive client base for both Westwood One and Metro Traffic media products. Jay is a graduate of Central Michigan University, The University of Oklahoma and the University of Illinois Executive Leadership Program.
As General Manager, Publisher Sales, John is responsible for the adoption of GoldSpot’s Ad Creation Tool, Platform and Services to Publishers. With 25 years of operating experience with top companies in the media, publishing and music sectors, John has successfully navigated complex “paradigm shifts“ while leading sales, licensing, and business development teams at both large and early stage companies. Prior to GoldSpot, John was CEO and Founder of Shaker Media & Music, a digital media consulting boutique that provides strategic and operating consulting services specializing in sales, content licensing, distribution, partnerships, business development, and Board Advisory. Formerly SVP, Licensing at BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), John grew U.S. Licensing revenue from 2/3 the size of its chief U.S. competitor to the largest in the world. He signed the first ever-commercial internet music agreement between BMI and On Ramp in 1995. An original member of MTV Networks’ senior management team, he led MTV Networks’ cable sales and distribution division and was later tapped to lead MTV Networks initial new media enterprises unit. John is a graduate of the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
In his role as VP of Engineering and Operations at GoldSpot Media, Dave is responsible for the development and delivery of the company’s mobile advertising solutions and app creation tools, day-to-day operations, and go-to-market planning. An early innovator in the Application Store concept, Dave Roberts has more than ten years of experience developing web services for mobile phones and creating and launching telecommunication products for top-tier businesses around the world. Dave has successfully delivered products to a wide range of sectors across the mobile space, including carriers, consumers, and mobile payments. Previously, Dave was Product Line Manager at Palm Inc., Senior Product Manager at Research in Motion and Senior Engineering Manager at Sun Microsystems. Dave is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego.
As GoldSpot Media’s Director of Marketing, Kate drives business strategy, strategic partnerships and directs all marketing efforts for the team. A Silicon Valley native, Kate’s early interest in consumer technology initiated a passion for young and vibrant start-ups. More than ten years later she is now capitalizing on her in-depth and frontline product marketing and sales experience from online advertising and mobile companies like the Rubicon Project and Helio to build Goldspot Media’s partnership initiatives and marketing strategies. Kate graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration, Marketing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.
As Director of Business Development, Sunayana defines innovative mobile advertising products and rolls out creative solutions to support the sales teams and customers. Sunayana has delivered advertising and marketing solutions for over ten years, for companies like Fox Interactive Media, Rhythm New Media, Tumbleweed, and Macrovision. She brings a strong start-up background, having co-founded a company that developed an enterprise IT product comparison tool. Sunayana graduated with a B.S. in Economics from the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
As Vice-President, Japan and East Asia, Yukihiro Mitani leads GoldSpot Media’s business development, sales and customer support for the company’s Japanese and East Asian operations. Yukihiro has more than 25 years experience developing new business, technical features and services in the mobile telecommunications, e-commerce, security, smartcard and industrial measurement industries. Prior to GoldSpot Media, Yukihiro was General Manager of Vodafone’s R&D Group in Japan, where he led development of several breakthrough products in the mobile industry, including the world’s first mobile commerce payment system, content certificate system, wireless wallet phone and handset motion-sensing features. Prior to Vodafone, he held various positions at Schlumberger, where he worked for several years at multiple global locations. Yukihiro holds an MS in Seismology from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and a BS in Petroleum and Mining from Waseda University.
Rangarajan heads the R&D team in Bangalore, India, and oversees the engineering, QA, and support operations at GoldSpot Media. He brings over 13 years of experience in product development, for various companies in a diverse range of industries. Prior to GoldSpot Media, he served as the R&D Manager at Notion Music, where he created the principle playback engine and was responsible for the overall architecture. Rangarajan holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science from Karnatak University.
Board of Advisors
Matt Bryant
Matt Bryant is the former President and owner of Media Buying Services International (“MBS”), one of New York’s pioneering media planning, strategy and buying organizations.
The key elements of MBS’ reputation were an innovative approach to media planning and buying, exceptional service and attention to detail, close relationships with both clients and the media, and impeccable fiscal responsibility. Among MBS’ clients during this period were Acura, British Airways, Westinghouse, Pepsi Cola, Evian Water, MCI, Anheuser Busch, Saab, KLM and Boston Market.
A seasoned entrepreneur with international media experience and extensive relationships within the media and client community, Matt has been at the forefront of the fast changing world of media, and has been a pioneer at the leading edge of a new sector in the advertising industry. Respected for his candor and original thinking, Matt represents a unique resource for close insight into today’s media marketplace.
Matt now runs The Advertising Business, LLC, a media consulting company, specializing in media performance analysis, media account reviews and media counsel. Clients include Nissan, for whom he provides global media performance analysis for their Nissan and Infiniti brands, Dean Foods, the world’s largest dairy processor, and several global marketers and media agencies.
Tim Hanlon
Tim Hanlon is the Founder and CEO of The Vertere Group, LLC, a boutique consulting, advisory and investment firm focused on helping today’s most forward-leaning brands, content producers, startups, and investors benefit from rapidly changing technological advances in marketing, media and consumer communications.
Hanlon was previously Founder/Managing Director of Velociter, the innovation-centric partnership and strategic investment arm of Interpublic Group’s corporate media agency division Mediabrands – where he was chiefly responsible for driving entrepreneurial innovation through proprietary relationships with more than a dozen emerging venture-backed media/marketing startup firms.
Prior to the Executive Vice President/Managing Director of Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Ventures – the strategic partnership and investment arm of VivaKi (comprising Starcom MediaVest Group, Zenith Optimedia Group, Digitas, Razorfish, and Denuo), which he founded in 2008, after launching predecessor Ventures practices for Denuo (2006) and Publicis Groupe Media/PGM (2005). In those roles, Hanlon served in formal advisory and directorial positions with over three dozen media-related startups, while managing successful exits with more than a half-dozen firms, including Sling Media (acquired by Echostar/Dish Network, 2007); Navic Networks (Microsoft, 2008); Rapt (Microsoft, 2008); SnapTell (Amazon/A9, 2009); Dapper (Yahoo, 2010); and Pelago (Groupon, 2011).
Before founding the Denuo Ventures and PGM Ventures practices, Hanlon was Senior Vice President/ Director, Emerging Contacts for media agency Starcom MediaVest Group.
Hanlon holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business, and a BA from Georgetown University.
William S. Smith
Mr. Smith is an advisor for GoldSpot Media. Since 1986, Mr. Smith has been in the investment research business, initially as a principal with 13D Research, Hoenig & Co., and currently with Wm Smith & Co., publishing institutional research for money managers, mutual funds, and hedge funds. Prior to 1986, he spent eight years in the energy business as a principal and in senior management capacities with Sheffield Exploration and ENI Corp. He began his business career in 1973 as a salesman for IBM Corp. Mr. Smith is currently President of Wm Smith & Co., founded in 1992. He formed the broker dealer in October of 1993 and Wm Smith Special Opportunities Research Company in 1995.
Mr. Smith received his BA in Business Education from the University of Northern Iowa. In September 1999, Mr. Smith was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to the Colorado Commission on Science and Technology.