NYU Stern School of Business

University at Albany

Chief Operating Officer at Success Academy Charter Schools

As COO my responsibilities include leading strategic planning, growth, and transformation, and overseeing enterprise-wide initiatives such as SA’s continuous improvement program (“Lean”) and business functions, including, HR, business development, operations, facilities, technology, and the creative agency. The objective is to drive innovation and operational efficiency and ensure that Success has the proper structures, systems, and controls to effectively scale to 100 schools.

Success Academy Charter Schools

Chief Operating Officer

Teach course part-time in the fall on the transformation of the music industry from physical to digital and the strategy behind all the major moves including subscription, digital video distribution etc.

University of Bologna

Adjunct Professor

Teach course part-time in the spring on the transformation of the music industry from physical to digital and the strategy behind all the major moves including subscription, digital video distribution etc.

(acquired by Discovery Communications)

I founded Panna as a way to connect consumers with award-winning chefs, building a highly successful and video subscription application with 40K+ subscribers. During this time, I signed 75+ of the best chefs onto the collaboration, fostering a positive reputation among food media contacts. 

In addition, I partnered with Whole Foods, Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, Esquire, etc. to foster ongoing revenue generation. And I hired and built out a team of 20 with minimal turnover.

•  Raised $15M from venture funds and a large strategic investor, A+E Networks.
•  Built extensive content that now supports Food Network Kitchen, a new DTC business for Discovery.
•. Developed and built a mobile app; one of the best apps in the App Store in 2012, 2013, and 2016.
•. Devised and shot video that won James Beard and IACP Awards for excellence in instructional videos.
•  Pitched, shot, and delivered an unscripted TV show (Feeding Love) with seven episodes for FYI Network.

Panna

CEO | Founder

This is the home of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, David and Victoria Beckham.

In this executive role, I focused on digital strategy and business development. I led a team in building relationships and establishing brand awareness. And I reported to the CEO for this top television production company.

•  Secured and managed multimillion-dollar relationship with iTunes, leading the way for new partnerships.
•  Led the launch of online voting for American Idol, generating 100M+ online votes.
•  Negotiated with MySpace to launch online auditions for American Idol Season 10, generating significant ad revenue and 10K+ auditions.
•  Conceptualized a distribution strategy for one of the first ever original web series, securing distribution deals with Hulu and Clear Channel generating $4M+ of marketing promotions and $8M in in-show advertisements.

19 Entertainment

President of Digital and Business Development

- Reported to Vice Chairman, advised Chairman and Vice Chairman on digital strategy for the music group, including negotiations with Apple and other large distribution partners
- Ideated and executed creation of first music video syndication network, now known as VEVO, as an alternative strategy to licensing business, signing five hallmark deals 
- Identified emerging digital business opportunities, incubating new ventures such as MySpace Music, a first of its kind
- Responsible for all digital investments and acquisitions; invested over $20M in three digital companies and oversaw purchase of one, serving as a board member for all three investments

Universal Music Group

EVP of Global Digital Initiatives - reporting to Vice Chairman

I oversaw the operations and finances of a $350 million division of Universal Music Group, where one of my achievements was overseeing their digital arm, taking it from zero to $60 million in revenue.

David Ellner