Visionary Studio Executive and Serial Technology Entrepreneur Appointed as Independent Board Members
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Demand Media®, a leading content and social media company, announced the appointment of Peter Guber, chair of Mandalay Entertainment Group; and Josh James, senior vice president and general manager, Omniture Business Unit of Adobe, to its board of directors effective immediately. The new board appointments bring significant operating experience and expertise in creating content, captivating audiences and using data to better understand online behavior.
“Both Peter and Josh are legendary entrepreneurs in their respective industries because they not only broke new ground, but they also had the business savvy to grow their companies into sustainable market leadership positions,” said Demand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt. “The experience they bring from two different ends of the spectrum – creative arts and web analytics – will be invaluable as Demand Media continues to focus on creating the content that consumers want, engaging passionate communities, while using data to enhance the consumer experience and create a powerful business model for the company.”
Peter Guber currently serves as chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, a multimedia entertainment company focused on motion pictures, television, sports entertainment and new media. Guber founded Mandalay in 1995 after leaving Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) as its chairman and CEO. Prior to his work at Sony, Guber was co-founder and chairman of Casablanca Records and Filmworks and the founder and chairman of Polygram Entertainment. Guber began his career in the entertainment industry at Columbia Pictures where he rose to become Studio Chief within two years. During Guber’s 40-year career, the films he produced and executive produced have earned more than $3 billion worldwide and have amassed more than 50 Academy Award nominations.
“Demand Media is at the forefront of the new media landscape with a unique model and rare expertise that make it an attractive online partner for traditional entertainment and publishing companies,” said Guber. “The Internet continues to reveal untold opportunities that everyone is scrambling to understand and create sustainable business models around. As someone who’s always understood the power of the narrative for attracting audiences, I believe Demand Media has discovered a new and largely untapped story telling platform on the web. As part of its Board, I look forward to helping unlock this value and drive innovation online, using the insight and experience I bring from the entertainment industry.”
Josh James co-founded Omniture in 1996 and later took the company public in 2006, earning him the distinction of being the youngest CEO for a NASDAQ-traded company. The company was later acquired by Adobe in October 2009 for $1.8 billion. James now leads the Omniture Business Unit of Adobe as senior vice president and general manager. A serial entrepreneur, James founded three successful, Internet-focused companies prior to co-founding Omniture. James was recently recognized by Fortune Magazine in its 2009 “40 Under 40” feature.
“I’ve been impressed by Demand Media’s ability to use data and technology to help create an entirely different approach to building a modern media business. The company’s strong growth trajectory and its measurable results represent a unique opportunity for brand marketers who are looking for innovative ways to maximize their impact online,” said James. “Having spent the past 14 years helping marketers understand and use analytics data to optimize their online business, I look forward to helping the Demand Media team realize the full potential of the opportunity they have created.”
About Demand Media
With a comScore Top 20 U.S. network of premium online brands, a breakthrough Internet content studio and an enterprise social media platform deployed on some of the world’s leading digital destinations, Demand Media makes it possible for more than 100 million people each month to engage in conversations and form passionate communities around relevant content. The privately held company was founded in May 2006 and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY and London, UK. For more information about Demand Media, Inc., please visit: www.demandmedia.com.
