Management Team
Michael Caruso: CEO
Michael Caruso is a veteran entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in business, management, sales, marketing, and start-ups. As a pioneer in online advertising Michael has worked with companies such as New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Amazon, Mars Candies, and Microsoft to develop some of their first integrated online programs.
Michael has held senior sales, management and business development positions for leading websites including: Internet Movie Database (acquired by Amazon), theglobe.com, Hollywood Stock Exchange (a subsidiary of Cantor Index Holdings, LP), and FortuneCity.com.
In 1997 Michael founded and actively ran Society for Internet Advancement San Francisco (SIASF), the first Bay Area Internet trade association. SIASF ran profitably with volunteer recruits until its membership base was rolled into the newly formed Bay Area Interactive Group (BIG) in 2004.
Robert Hambrecht: Chairman
Bob Hambrecht is a Partner at Greenlife International, a project development company that endeavors to build biofuel facilities in Argentina and other Latin American countries.
In February 1999, Bob helped co-found WR Hambrecht + Company, a financial services firm committed to using the Internet and the auction process to level the playing field for investors and issuers. Bob held a number of roles while at WR Hambrecht + Co including Director of Research, Managing Director of Equity Capital Markets and for his last five years there, Managing Director of Corporate Finance. Mr. Hambrecht worked with numerous technology and consumer companies, assisting them with their financing and strategic needs. He has a particular emphasis on the emerging field of “clean technology.”
William Ryan: VP Marketing
When Steve Jobs re-took Apple’s helm, he called on Bill Ryan and his team to manage Apple’s turnaround and to launch the iMac. When two Internet entrepreneurs at Stanford with a little-known enterprise called Yahoo! wanted to burst onto the national scene, they too turned to Ryan.
For more than 25 years, Ryan has helped create, shape and evangelize breakthrough ideas that define market landscapes and drive demand. Executives seek out Ryan as a strategic catalyst to:
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Help clarify their vision and strategy;
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Achieve breakthroughs by thinking through critical issues in unique, unconventional ways;
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Out-maneuver competitors by redefining market criteria, dynamics and positioning;
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Re-craft their story -- enabling the company to communicate with employees, customers, regulators, and influencers in ways that are credible, concise and compelling.
In his role as strategic catalysts for startups through multi-national corporations, Ryan maintains a proactive, hands-on work style – keeping in daily contact with clients and their markets. A true industry insider, Ryan sits on the Boards of several companies and foundations, such as Craigslist Foundation where he serves as President of the Board.
Additional Team Members
Technology Team
Marcus James is director of technology with over 25 years of technology experience. Prior to ClickFacts, Marcus worked at consulting firms for internet application developers and websites. He was Program Manager at Converge, Inc. an exchange for the high-tech industry. Prior, he was Director of Internet Development practice at consulting firm, Quovera. Prior, he was part of the Internet Development team at development company, Banta Integrate Media. He holds a B.A. in Economics from UCLA.
Mikhail Ledvich has a unique combination of computer science and media experience. As a programmer in the security and fraud arena, Mr. Ledvich developed numerous software programs which have been recommended by CNET, Washington Post, and the Kim Komando show and included with Microsoft Windows XP Toolkit. On the media side, Mr. Ledvich has worked with The New York Times conducting metrics and business analysis of premium online products.
John Smith is a senior Software Developer/ Systems and Database Administrator with over 11 years experience building very high traffic Internet sites including CNET, SNAP, NBCi, and iSyndicate. In addition, to his practical experience, John also has a PhD and Masters in Materials Science (Computer Simulation).
Kari Ziegler brings over 12 years of software experience to ClickFacts, with the last 6 years focused on creating and developing Company-wide quality processes, practices and teams in companies that varied from small privately owned start-ups to publicly owned Fortune 500 companies. In 1996, Kari was a founding member of the first AOL Instant Messenger QA team, where she started her practice of tracking test plans, tests and metrics in a database environment. From 2000-2006, Kari built, managed and directed teams for both US and Globally based companies such as CMGi, Student Advantage, GTECH, and TransUnion / TrueCredit. Kari's experience in financial, service based, entertainment and content management software has proven priceless to the companies she has worked for in the past.
Brian Zisk is a serial entrepreneur and technology industry consultant specializing in digital media, web broadcasting and distribution technologies. Brian is a Co-Founder and Technologies Director of the Future of Music Coalition. Additionally, he is a Board Member and/or Strategic Advisor for a wide variety of tech companies and non-profits, including the Metabrainz Foundation creators of MusicBrainz, the Xiph Foundation creators of Open Source Audio and Video technologies including Icecast, Vorbis, FLAC, and Theora, The Online Gaming Group, LLC, creators of Chesspark.com, Clickfacts, Inc., Rightround/Bandbot, Kiptronic, Inc., Gotuit Media, and more. He was previously a founder of The Green Witch Internet Radio which was sold to CMGI at the turn of the millennium. He is active in many influential computer-mediated forums, is quoted and published extensively in the media, frequently appears on panels and at industry events domestically and abroad, and is an expert at frenzy whipping, brand awareness, and in creating new business models.
Michael C. Ditzig has a history of uniting business, employee and client needs throughout his career, most recently for the private equity firm InterMedia Partners. Prior to InterMedia, Michael was the Director of Human Resources for the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network, Senior Vice President for Blue Sky MLS, Vice President of Product Development and Vice President of Client Services for BISYS, First Vice President and Director of 401(k) Retirement Services for Concord Financial Group, and Manager of Product Development and Senior Consultant for ERISCO, a company of Dun & Bradstreet.
Dan Fowler is a visionary leader with strong business experience in traditional and online marketing. He has extensive experience in building businesses from start ups to $100 million companies by providing operational and sales leadership, rapidly assimilating market trends, and strategically integrating those trends into solutions and revenue opportunities. Dan leads teams by mentoring and coaching them to build strong relationships and sell value while keeping a strong bottom line perspective.
As the SVP of Sales, Dan developed a marketing strategy to allow AOL to effectively and quickly capture an advertising market share outside of Fortune 500 Companies. Mr. Fowler built a telemarketing team in New York City and Dulles that aligned into six vertical sales teams. He has worked closely with AOL’s executive staff and McKinsey & Company to develop procedures and processes for operations, marketing, and pricing. Dan also represented AOL Media Networks on the AOL Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Bob Heyman is a leading author and entrepreneur in the field of Internet Marketing. At Cybernautics, a company founded by Mr. Heyman in 1994 and sold to USWeb in 1997, he coined the terms "Audience Development" for building traffic to websites, and "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO). He is generally accredited for inventing the agency side of the search engine management (SEM) process. From 1998 to 2001, Bob was the founder and CEO of eMarketing Partners, where his clients included IBM, NEC and ABC. eMarketing Partners was acquired in 2001 by the Catenas Corporation. Mr. Heyman also co-founded CybeReps which was acquired by Interep. His books include Net Results and Net Results.2 (both MacMillan/New Riders Press), and The Auction App (McGraw Hill).
Leslie Katz is the Managing Director of the San Francisco office of Duane Morris Government Affairs LLC. Her experience includes formulating plans and strategies for regulatory and legislative activities, developing and drafting legislation and policies, devising campaign plans, public speaking and advocacy.
Ms. Katz was also the Regional Vice President of Sempra Energy and subsequently Sempra Energy Utilities where she represented the company before state regulatory and legislative bodies. Concurrent with her position on the Board of Supervisors, she served as Vice President for Business Development and Public Affairs at several technology companies. She has also been a participant in the U.S. State Department Speakers Program where she collaborated with U.S. embassies in volatile regions and spoke to political and community leaders in West Africa about elections, emerging governments, leadership development and voting rights.
In 1994, Ms. Katz was elected to the San Francisco Community College Board and subsequently served as its President. Ms. Katz is also a former Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party and a member of the Executive Board of the California State Democratic Central Committee. She currently serves as a Board Director of numerous civic and professional organizations, and is a member of the California State Bar.
Tony Nethercutt is responsible for executing AdMob's revenue strategy, building the sales team, and managing agency relationships. Tony is a leader in interactive advertising and considered an expert in both media and creative targeting with more than 20 highly successful years of sales experience. Prior to AdMob Tony was Vice President of Ad Sales at YouTube (acquired by Google) where he led the hypergrowth of the advertising sales team. Previously, Tony was the Director of Media Strategies at Yahoo!, Vice President of Business for Carat Interactive and managed the DoubleClick Network Sales office in San Francisco.
Robert B. Sherman is a partner at The Pilot Group LLC, a middle market private equity firm. He oversees Pilot’s investments in their Television and Radio stations’ holding companies. As a specialist in revenue generation, Tony also serves as counsel and advisor to Pilot’s other portfolio companies.
Mr. Sherman is a former President of Interactive Marketing, America Online, Inc., where he led AOL's advertising initiatives across all AOL brands and services, focusing on building AOL's interactive marketing activities into a scalable and sustainable advertising business. Additionally, Bob was President of Time Warner Cable Advertising Sales where he built the Company’s first centralized ad sales group that produced record ad revenues.
Bob has over 30 years of experience in advertising and media, and has held the positions of Executive Vice President of NBC's owned-and-operated radio stations, Vice President and General Manager of CBS's WCAU, Philadelphia and NBC's WNBC, New York.
David L. Smith is the CEO of Mediasmith, Inc. in San Francisco. He is a veteran in the advertising media management arena and an internationally recognized expert in the areas of new media application, media strategy, media planning and metrics. David has a number of awards to his name including an Effie and an ad:tech Individual Achievement award. Bob wears many hats at Mediasmith. He combines his interest in “the next great thing” in media research and his passion for applying the next technology that “really makes a difference” with a personal, hands-on approach with clients.
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