Thomas Ellsworth

CEO

Thomas Ellsworth has made a career out of disrupting analog incumbents, most notably in wireless / mobile and content publishing. An author himself, (The Rat, The Race and The Cage – 2006), he understands the author’s perspective in today’s digital market: creators of the books that readers crave and love deserve a much greater share of the revenue in today’s digital market than legacy publishers can or will offer.

Read The CEO’s Blog: “It Has Come To This“

Previously Ellsworth was CEO of GoTV Networks, a leading mobile media company that pioneered the production and publishing of mobile programming and high-end “super applications” for tier-1 partners including the NFL, NASCAR, SONY Crackle, Univision and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Prior to leading GoTV to a successful acquisition in mid 2011, he was the EVP of Marketing for JAMDAT Mobile a publisher of wireless games that went “end to end” – from startup in 2001 to one of the most successful IPOs of 2004 to a $680M acquisition by Electronic Arts in 2006. Prior to that, he was VP of Business Development at Sprint where managed Sprint’s involvement and interest in a wireless incubator JV. He has over 20 years of new media, mobile and publishing experience.

Favorite Authors:
Ray Bradbury, P.J. O’Rourke, Francis Chan

Hutch Morton

President and GM

Hutch Morton, a member of the founding management team, has driven the adoption of new content publishing business models for over a decade. He was an early member of management teams that launched multiple digital content startups. An experienced sales and marketing executive, he ran a strategic digital marketing agency from 2006 – 2011 that built innovative campaigns for tier-1 entertainment brands including Fox, NFL Networks and Discovery Network. Morton has a history of delivering results in lean business organizations and brings tat to PDP’s day to day operations and marketing.

Previously he was VP of Marketing for GoTV Networks a leading mobile media company that pioneered the production and publishing of mobile programming and high-end “super applications” for tier-1 partners including the NFL, NASCAR, SONY Crackle, Univision and the Oprah Winfrey Network. Prior to that, he was Director of Marketing at JAMDAT Mobile a publisher of wireless games that went “end to end” – from startup in 2001 to one of the most successful IPOs of 2004 to a $680M acquisition by Electronic Arts in 2006. Earlier in his career, Morton was a Product Manager with the web pioneer eToys.com. He has nearly 15 years of digital media experience.

Favorite Authors:
John Irving, Thomas Friedman, Alan Jacobson, Stephen Ambrose

Daniel T. Owen

Chairman

Dan Owen is Co-Founder and Principal, White Space Ventures and managing general partner of HO2 Partners, a Dallas-based technology venture capital firm, and is an active private investor and company advisor.

Dan began his career as a media executive and entrepreneur. Joining Spectradyne in 1975 during its infancy, Dan negotiated with the Hollywood studios to create pay-per-view movie release window and led the rollout of SpectraVision into 700,000 hotel rooms in five countries, eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer until the sale of the company for $635 million in 1989.

In 1992 Dan founded Focus Networks and built a satellite video sales training network for the department store industry, which he sold to Fairchild Publications in 1995. In 1996 he was a seed-round investor and advisor in WeddingChannel.com, which became the largest online bridal registry and merged with TheKnot, Inc. in 2006.

In 1998 Dan co-founded HO2 Partners and launched a $35 million venture capital fund. HO2 co-led the initial funding rounds of five successful enterprise technology companies: TraqWireless (now merged with Tangoe, Inc.), Ignite Technologies, InnerWireless, GlobeRanger and Voyence (sold to EMC Software). Dan serves on the boards of Ignite and GlobeRanger.

Dan co-founded White Space Ventures with Will Bunker in 2004. He negotiated the sale of Cookbookwiki.com to Wikia in May, 2008 and is actively involved in the strategy, branding, web design and marketing of YoYoBrain.com.

Joseph Pianelli

Partner, Generate Ventures

Joe Pianelli has over 25 years of experience in finance, corporate development, business formation, as well as senior level operating roles in the following sectors: wireless, publishing, digital media, Internet and consumer retail. He has worked on a global basis with C-level executives of large and small enterprises developing strategic growth plans and launching new business ventures.

Joe is also the Founder and Managing Partner of Pegasus Consulting Group a business strategy firm. He is the former Vice President of Wireless Innovation at Radio Shack Corp. where he was responsible for the development of new business ventures and product innovation. At Radio Shack he also held Director and Sr. Director Strategic Development roles that focused on creating a technology innovation sourcing strategy in collaboration with venture capital firms and Corporate R&D groups.

Michael Courtney

Partner, Generate Ventures

Mike Courtney has over 18 years experience applying marketing research and analysis for consumer and B2B segments within high tech, retail and financial industries.

With extensive knowledge of servers, software, wireless devices and emerging technologies, Mike has been involved with product and concept development of wireless instant messaging, Bluetooth, power line networking, natural language database search, Biometrics, mobile payment systems and digital services.

Mike served as a partner in Genesis Campus, an early stage venture fund; evaluating startup companies and is actively involved in the entrepreneur community as an accredited investor and board advisor for multiple startups.

Joel Gotler

Joel Gotler & Associates, Inc.

Joel Gotler started his career over 30 years ago at the William Morris Agency in New York, and was made an agent upon signing superstar Mama Cass Elliot of “The Mamas and The Papas.”

Gotler has been instrumental in deals for best selling authors and celebrities such as Sting’s best-selling memoir, BROKEN MUSIC and LYRICS BY STING; television personality, Fran Drescher (CANCER, SCHMANCER and ENTER WHINING); Sue Grafton (A IS FOR ALIBI); Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer, Piers Anthony (XANTH series); Robert Graysmith (ZODIAC, ZODIAC UNMASKED); Renee Loux (THE BALANCED PLATE, GREEN HOME LIVING); Dr. Tim LaHaye, creator of THE LEFT BEHIND series, BABYLON RISING; Pete Rose; and Ron Artest. In addition Gotler exclusively represents the film and television rights to other best-selling authors such as James Ellroy (THE BLACK DAHLIA, AMERICAN TABLOID, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, WHITE JAZZ); James Lee Burke (IN THE ELECTRIC MIST); Ken Bruen (LONDON BOULEVARD, THE GUARDS, BLITZ); Charlaine Harris (TRUE BLOOD); Amanda Hocking (Trylle Trilogy); Caldecott Award winner David Wiesner (FLOTSAM, THREE PIGS, TUESDAYS); Edgar Award winner, Michael Connelly (THE POET, BLOODWORK, LINCOLN LAWYER); Pulitzer Prize winners, Richard Russo (EMPIRE FALLS) and Frank McCourt (ANGELA’S ASHES). He also represents a long list of literary estates including John O’Hara; John Ball; James M. Cain; Alfred Bester; FX Toole and Andre Dubus II.

Gotler is also responsible for selling the underlying rights to hundreds of films, including, but not limited to The Untouchables, Bettlejuice, Chocolat, In The Bedroom , The House of Sand and Fog, Dangerous Minds, Indecent Proposal, Glory, White Oleander, London Boulevard, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Wolf of Wall Street, In With the Devil, Lincoln Lawyer, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins.