Digital Strategy, Marketing and Business Development

Richard S. Stewart

Professional Summary

Fourteen (14) years of digital media marketing, strategy, and business development including:

• V.P of Marketing for Mini Movie Channel, successful launch of comedy video website averaging over 300,000 unique visitors per month, developed business model, marketing plan, partnerships and TV/web content.

• International – led launch of minimovie.com at Cannes Film Festival, ongoing marketing co-ordination with Moscow office, ran weekly meetings, set-up partnership with Hewlett Packard Europe for Cannes 2009.

• At EMI, drove platform development of $90m download, subscription business to 120% annual growth.

• At THERE, founded radio, e-commerce site in 1995, with interviews, live events, and syndicated review show.

• Experienced manager of market research, product development, cross-functional creative, technical units in new media: downloads, wireless, broadband, broadcasting, DVD, e-commerce, and audio-video content production.

Experience

Mini Movie Channel, Beverly Hills, CA. www.minimovie.com 12/2007 – Present

Vice President of Marketing

Mini Movie is a multi-platform international media company with TV and web properties in Europe/US.

Need: Develop an online short video comedy site & TV shows using catalog and make branded entertainment deals.

Functions: Staffed and managed marketing and business development groups, launched site, developed partnerships.

• Promoted multiple viral videos to an audience of millions in first week. Managed PR, collateral vendors.

• Led launch of minimovie.com at Cannes Film Festival, managed press contacts, agencies, and contractors.

• International coordination - weekly reports and ran marketing meetings with Moscow marketing team.

• Set-up partnership with Hewlett Packard Europe and coordinated sales leads for German TV channel.

• Branded entertainment relationship development. Distribution partnerships (In-Flight, Hotel, Mobile, PS3).

• Authored Marketing Plan, PR and Identity. Produced videos for web, sales uses. Public Speaking at events.

• Wrote and managed creative development of 3 TV series concepts as executive in charge of production.

• Managed market research. Data and deal analysis, statistical reports, ran weekly marketing meetings.

• Managed 4 staff. Developed organizational chart. Budgeting and forecasting. SEO/SEM, viral marketing.

Result: Successful launch at Cannes. CNN, BBC, VOA TV coverage, 10 million+ views of ‘Dance Off’ in 30 days.

EMI Music, Hollywood, CA http://www.emigroup.com 8/2006 – 4/2007

Director of Digital Sales Development

EMI, a music major, owns Capitol, Virgin, Blue Note, and operates an International Distribution Network.

Need: To strategically manage digital supply chain including downloads and market and partner analysis.

Functions: Partner management of digital download reporting iTunes, Wal-Mart, MSN, etc. and improved process.

• Strategic online market research. Data analysis with SAS, Access, Cognos. Developed new spreadsheet formats.

• International marketing reports to UK corporate marketing and finance teams on market, performance, trends.

• Partner management of digital download reporting and delivery process. Sales process management.

• Project Management of digital catalogs of video, music and mobile products (ring tune, ring backs, alerts)

• Produced research reports on wireless & download activity in US digital market, strategic market analysis

Result: Helped guide online and mobile digital products to 120% annual growth - over $90 million.

Movielink, Santa Monica, CA http://www.movielink.com 9/2005 – 9/2006

Producer

Movielink is a video download company owned by Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM and Sony.

Need: To merchandise entertainment content with strategy, web production, and creative content.

Functions: Merchandised feature films, analyzed on-site and market wide trends and statistics.

• Strategic online Marketing. developed merchandising spreadsheets. Marketing database reporting/analysis.

• Content Management. Creative development of feature film promotions. Presentations to CEO/executives.

• Compiled market and traffic statistics for use in nationally syndicated magazine. Networking to license content.

Result: Helped generate exclusive content features, steer overall strategy, line-up licensing deals.

Raw Music, San Francisco/Los Angeles, CA www.rawmusic.tv 11/2002– 7/2005

Executive Producer

Raw Music is a Branded Entertainment DVD/Television/Download venture.

Need: Researched and developed publishing business with Television and new media outlets.

Functions: Project and product management of Branded Entertainment Television variety show.

• Maintained project timelines, responsibilities. Qualified Talent, Assembled Creative/Technical Teams.

• Federal copyright and Trademark Registrations. Legal strategic development with legal team.

• Market research, strategic development, video and DVD Production with Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro.

• Presentations to entertainment, advertising executives with PowerPoint, online, and DVD video demos.

• Designed Mar-Com collateral. Managed programmer. P/L, created ROI projections for all new media markets.

Result: Met goals to develop viable property with interest from distribution, retail and media conglomerates.

Nielsen Wireless, San Francisco, CA www.telephia.com 12/2000 – 9/2001

Director of Business Development

Nielsen is the leading wireless market research company, (formerly Telephia acquired in 2007 by Nielsen).

Need: Urgent 60-day timeline to meet funding objective - implement a web strategy from hosting, to content to graphic design to live database, staff and train a viable department. Later with business development group, to manage various wireless web media projects and develop new media surveys and data mining products.

Functions: Business Development: led research/strategy in Gaming, Music and Broadband and Telematics.

• Drove and managed relationships with clients vendors, partners. Negotiated/wrote contracts.

• Sales Presentations to AT&T, Sprint, KDDI, BT, Sun, Palm, AOL resulting in $1m in sales.

• International – marketing and sales to KDDI in Japan, British Telecom and Orange (France).

• Product Management of WAP data measurement. P/L responsibility, Marketing-Communications.

• Liaised with IT (data warehouse), accounting (billing, ASP modeling, ROI), and legal depts.

Result: Closed sales on $1 million in service contracts, created survey based products on new media wireless use.

Executive Web Producer 1/2000 – 12/2000

• Life cycle product management of corporate websites - extranet, internet, intranet, co-branded sites.

• P/L Responsibility for budget of $1 million, and revenue objectives in excess of $5 million

• Organized and ran weekly content meetings. Oversaw online media spending. Managed team of 5.

• Product management of tradeshow media - flash, DVD, and web interface production, on location set-up.

• Directed and implemented technical plan for robust Java, Oracle, XML, and Solaris Co-location.

Result: Led migration to new platform, produced stable and secure web delivery systems with advanced features, achieved company milestones to garner $30 million in venture capital funding on tight deadline.

Ascend Communications Inc. www.ascend.com, Alameda, CA 1/1998 – 5/1999

New Media Publisher

Ascend was a 2,000 employee telecom routing/switching manufacturer acquired by Lucent for $22 billion.

Need: To add sophistication and brand appeal to corporate website, and gather qualified sales leads.

Functions: Project management: UI specifications, directed speakers, managed Real Networks, Harte-Hanks as vendors, toll-free phone – live call-ins, web broadcasting, lead capture system saved $500,000 in costs.

• Developed process, authored documentation. Trained and managed team of 5 programmers, and graphics.

• Product management: collaborated with stakeholders, produced workflows with Visio, trained team.

• Vendor research, selection. Contract negotiation. Relationship management. Budgeting projects.

• Product management: direct mail co-ordination. Generated 3,000 qualified leads. Hands-on HTML.

Result: Led implementation of Ascend branding strategy helping raise valuation from $8-$21 billion.

There Productions, Inc San Francisco www.there1.com 9/1995 – 1/1998

Executive Producer

Need: To start-up a music E-Commerce destination site with Real Audio artist exclusives. Later to consult many companies to establish web presences and add rich media and E-Commerce features.

Functions: Founded pioneering site, consulted on and produced audio/video, E-Commerce websites.

• Business development. Implemented international web broadcasting music discovery channel in 1995.

• Licensing, contract negotiation and administration of accounts with distributors, labels and agencies.

• Syndicated weekly CD review program to Real Audio’s Daily Briefings with 20,000 listeners/month.

• Produced webcasts of over 80 hours of programming, managed talent (DJ’s, artists, writers).

• Managed 25+ workers (DJ's, writers, graphics, programmers, engineers) and vendors.

• Built or Managed sites for Apple, Macromedia, MY-CD, Planet Blues, and GFR Leasing.

Result: Developed website with over 1 million unique users, pioneered the use of radio shows online, created fully functioning e-commerce site in 1995-6 well ahead of most competitors. Generated nationwide press coverage.

Education

Tulane Law School, J.D. 5/1994

Copyrights, Entertainment Law, Contracts, Business Planning, Negotiation, IP, Digital Video Protection.

University of California at Berkeley 5/1989

B.A. Film, with honors.

Universita di Bergamo 1989

Certificate, Italian Language, Advanced level

Technical Skills

Core knowledge areas: Product and Business Development, Web Broadcasting, & Content Production.

Process Areas: Content and Site Workflow, Team Management, Vendor Management. Budgeting. Marketing-Communications. Training. Negotiation. Deal Making.

Production Applications: Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, PhotoShop, Real, Peak, Sound Forge.

Tools: Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access, Filemaker Pro, SAS, Cognos.

Platforms: Mac, PC, UNIX, Wireless.

Industry Experience: Entertainment, Media, Telecommunications.

Professional Development

Financial Modeling, Project Management, Final Cut Pro, HTML, Entertainment Business Networking, Public Speaking, Sketch Comedy Writing, 16mm Film Production, Video Production, Cinema Sound.

Languages

Conversational French and Italian

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