Bruce Goldstein
Founder, President, CEO and Board Member
Bruce is a highly accomplished senior business executive with extensive experience
as the driving force behind business development, strategic planning, and marketing.
He possesses a unique combination of operational and strategic expertise leveraged
to successfully manage, restructure, and reposition commerce, media, and entertainment
businesses. Bruce is a former CEO, Universal Management, CEO, Worldwide Thai LTD.,
Executive Vice President at both Internet Shopping Network and Styleclick, both
USA Networks companies (now InterActiveCorp) and Senior Vice President of MY-CD, a
unit of Bandai America.
Eric Hoffert
CTO
Eric has more than twenty-five years of experience launching new businesses and
building successful products, solutions, and patented technologies. He has played
a key role in digital media and collaborative software businesses at AT&T, Apple
Computer, Inc., Bell Labs, and new ventures. Eric is Chairman of Versatility Software,
Inc; a strategic technology-consulting firm specialized in digital media, content
management, and online video. The company's clients and projects include The Walt
Disney Company, Stanford University, Procter and Gamble, Vignette, Carnegie Mellon,
TiVo, Scripps Networks, Corbis, Video Monitoring Services, Medialink, etc..
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Previously, he was Co-Founder, CTO, and Chairman of the Board for Magnifi, a digital
asset management firm where he developed award-winning and patented products and
technologies for clients such as ABC, CBS, Boeing, Time Warner, Coca-Cola, and Citibank.
Prior to Magnifi, he managed Apple Computer's Multimedia Communications Group, where
he launched the QuickTime software product and led development of the first real-time
software video algorithm for the QuickTime multimedia standard. The patented technology
he developed was recognized with an Apple CEO Technical Award and is used on more
than 500 million computers worldwide.
Prior to joining Apple, Eric was a research scientist at AT&T's Bell Laboratories.
He holds sixteen patents, has published more than a dozen papers, and has lectured
in the US, Europe, and Asia. Eric holds a B.S. in C.S. from NYU, a B.S.M.E. from
Cooper Union, and an M.S. in C.S. from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
at New York University. Eric has been quoted in the press and his work covered in
the media including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New York Times, Fortune,
The Financial Times, CIO, Computerworld, InfoWorld, News.com, eWeek, Who's Who in
America, etc.
Barry Hall
Founder, CFO and Board Member
Barry Hall has nearly 30 years of business experience that combines a strong financial
background with a deep knowledge and practice of general management. He has been
a CEO, COO or CFO for a variety of publicly and privately traded Internet, high
technology, and telecommunications companies.
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Among the companies that Barry worked for prior to joining Thwapr are EarthLink,
Inc. where he was the Chief Financial Officer and led its IPO and CalAmp Corp where
he served Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. While at CalAmp he developed and
directed the overall business strategy and marketing plan that turned this publicly
held manufacturer of satellite television and wireless cable amplifiers from near
bankruptcy to the #10 small corporation in the United States (Business Week, May
24, 1993).
Barry holds an MBA and a BA in Mathematics, both earned at San Diego State University.
In between earning those degrees he served in the United States Marine Corps as
a tank platoon commander and was selected for the rank of Captain prior to his discharge.
He is married with twin daughters.
Leigh Newsome
SVP of Product
Leigh Newsome brings more than fifteen years of direct experience in technology
development. Leigh was the CTO/Co-founder of Airspun, a technology solution focused
on syndicating content via the web to broadcast radio stations,
internet radio stations, and mobile devices. Airspun's technology was utilized by
national radio station affiliates including ClearChannel, Entercom, & CBS Radio.
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Prior to Airspun, he led all worldwide e-business and web initiatives for Digidesign,
a division of Avid Technology an Academy Award winning $1B hardware and software
manufacturer in the audio and video industry. During his tenure at Digidesign he
developed many solutions including advanced copy protection implementations, web
2.0 applications, e-commerce, content management solutions, web to SAP integration,
Sarbanes-Oxley compliancy, and audio/video interactive applications. Leigh has also
developed online solutions for M-Audio, Apple, and co-founded an online retailer
for the aviation industry. Outside of his business life, Leigh is a private pilot
and a guitarist/songwriter. His former bands have performed with acts such as The
Fixx, The Church, Big Country, and Stan Ridgway. He is an Adjunct Professor at New
York University and teaches a graduate course focusing on technology development
for web and mobile platforms.
Kal Dolgin
Vice President, Business Development
Kal Dolgin is an accomplished business development and sales executive with 25+ years
international experience in the media, and entertainment technology arena. Prior to joining
Thwapr he was Sales Director at Muze, Inc. (acquired by Rovi) a foremost source of entertainment
information and metadata. His efforts at Muze resulted in key business partnerships within the
broadcast, retail and mobile segments. Before Muze. Kal managed worldwide sales for Avid
Technology’s Digidelivery secure media delivery product line where he fostered relationships
with international channel partners and global customers in the film, broadcast, games and
music industries.
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Mr. Dolgin has had significant experience in the online media industry - he spearheaded
business development for pioneering advertising insertion company Lightningcast (acquired by
AOL) and held key sales positions at USWeb and InterVU (acquired by Akamai) one of the first
content delivery networks focused on delivering streaming video. Kal started his career in
the professional audio and musical instrument business - he lived and worked in London, UK
for nearly 10 years where he founded International Networking Associates a European sales
and marketing agency representing popular brands such as E-mu Systems, Ensoniq, Lexicon,
Novation and several others.