QUICKPLAY - Key Persons
Anthony is responsible for sales and revenue across the Americas.
Prior to joining Quickplay, Anthony was director of sales, media and entertainment strategic accounts, North America, for Verizon Media Platform, leading a team focused on the company's highest-value customers and prospects.
An eight year veteran of VMP, Anthony was a four-time winner of the company's President's Club Award. His unmeasurable passion, leadership, knowledge and determination have enabled him to excel at building teams that help customers succeed.
As VP, Solution Engineering at Quickplay, Balbinder is responsible for articulating and defining solutions that enable Digital Service Providers launch award-winning OTT TV platforms that delight and engage consumers, via the Quickplay platform. Before joining Quickplay, Balbinder was VP, Solutions Delivery at Evergent Technologies where she was an instrumental member of the senior leadership team responsible for the implementation and delivery of revenue management solutions.
Balbinder was also with AT&T and Quickplay for 13 years, working closely with global Tier 1 operators to launch TVE and OTT services. Balbinder brings to Quickplay several years of solutions marketing, solutions delivery and product management experience.
Balbinder holds a B.S in Computer Science from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the University of Leicester, UK.
Job Titles:
- SVP, Global Head of Sales
Chris Drake has been at the forefront of the streaming, digital video, and OTT industry for more than 25 years and at Quickplay will be responsible for Quickplay's global sales efforts.
Drake joins Quickplay most recently from Verizon Media, where he was global vice president of media and entertainment with responsibility for all aspects of the company's broadcast, media, sports and operator businesses.
Previously, he was vice president of business and corporate development at Telestream, spent 10 years with thePlatform and Comcast Technology Solutions where he led business development and sales, and prior to that spent several years at streaming media pioneer RealNetworks.
Job Titles:
- Founding Member of the Highview
- Principal at Highview Capital
Dan Picmann is a Principal at Highview Capital. Dan is a founding member of the Highview team and is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, diligence and execution of new investments. In addition, Dan leads all debt capital placement and related corporate finance activity for new and existing portfolio companies. Dan currently serves on the Board of Quickplay.
Goutham is responsible for customer success, platform engineering, service operations, and professional services at Quickplay. He most recently was AVP Software Engineering with AT&T Entertainment, where he led OTT & video solution engineering teams in the U.S., Canada, and India.
Before, Goutham headed Professional Services for Quickplay, until it was acquired by AT&T. He was SVP of Engineering with Polaris Financial Technologies, and a Practice Head in North America with TATA Consultancy Services, where he worked across industry verticals. He has an MSc in Computer Science from the National Institute of Technology and BS in Electronics from ANU, India.
As Sales Lead, APAC, Jim is responsible for the company's revenue growth through sales, industry engagement, and collaboration with partners. He was formerly the Senior AP Sales Executive for IBM Watson Media, AI & Cognitive Applications where he helped customers with cloud adoption and AI innovation strategies.
In his 19-year career, Jim has become a recognized subject matter expert for the Telco, Media & Entertainment industry, with a focus on disruptions around digital transformation. He has previously held senior sales roles in Asia at Nagra, SeaChange and Witbe.
Joy is an accomplished c-level technology executive with over 25 years of experience in the media and advertising industry. She is an experienced P&L accountable leader with a proven track record of consistently driving business growth and profitability. She has both public and private company leadership experience as a founder, entrepreneur, and business growth leader providing enterprise software and SaaS solutions to Fortune 500 and media and tech companies globally.
Before becoming an independent advisor, Joy spent seven years growing and leading Strata, an ad tech division of FreeWheel within Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA). FreeWheel is a provider of comprehensive ad platforms for publishers, advertisers, and media buyers. Prior to Comcast, she founded and led Spot Buy Spot, an ad tech solutions and advisory firm which she sold to Comcast in 2008. Joy began her career in technology consulting with Willis Towers Watson.
Joy also advises multiple companies throughout the media and technology space, serves on the board of the International Women's Forum of Chicago, and is vice chair of membership for the Economic Club of Chicago.
Joy currently serves on the Board of Quickplay, a Highview portfolio company.
EDUCATION
Joy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Drake University.
Juan is Quickplay's Chief Technology Officer and one of the company founders. He leads Product for Quickplay and is responsible for the technology roadmap, including applications of Artificial Intelligence to drive user engagement and monetization. He was formerly at AT&T Entertainment, where he built the technology roadmap for next generation video platforms, in the context of the merger with Warner Media.
Juan joined AT&T via the Quickplay acquisition, after developing a video streaming service for Fox in Latin America. Before, he founded an advanced analytics company and was an Associate Principal at McKinsey and Company's digital technology practice in Toronto, Santiago, and New York. Juan has a Masters in Technology from MIT, and Masters in Engineering from PUC, Chile.
Kenneth Slutsky is an investor in both private and public sectors enterprises. His experience spans numerous industries including: technology, energy, real estate and financial services. Among the corporations in which he has held CEO or other senior leadership positions are Kern Oil & Refining Co, Casey Co, and Candle Corporation, a leading provider of systems management software.
He has served or is serving on an advisory board for Northwest Airlines, Red Cloud Capital, AT Curd/PCL Construction Co, Wedgewood Enterprise Corporation, and the Middle East Policy Board for The Rand Corp, among others. Kenny also has been involved with several public sector endeavors including, but not limited to, running political campaigns and providing advice to various governmental agencies.
EDUCATION
Kenny graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College and obtained a J.D. from Emory University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Head of Sales
- Head of Sales, India and MENA
Navdeep Aswal serves as Head of Sales, India and MENA for Quickplay.
A 15 year veteran of the OTT industry, Aswal has helped numerous Tier 1 providers achieve streaming success. Previously he had been Director of Sales, and Business Development - APAC for Accedo.tv, working closely with Tata Sky, Discovery Plus, Airtel, SonyLiv and other Tier 1 providers. Previously he had led acquisition and partnerships for Digivive Services' NexGTv, one of India's first OTT services. He also has held sales positions with Onmobile Global, Mahindra Comviva, Spice Digital and other innovators.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director at Highview Capital
- PROFESSIONAL
P.J. Gilbert is a Managing Director at Highview Capital. P.J. is a founding member of the Highview team and is responsible for all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, diligence and execution of new investments. P.J. currently serves on the Board of American Plastics, Quickplay, and National Fire & Safety.
Prior to joining Highview, P.J. worked as a Vice President at JLL Partners, a New York-based private equity fund, where he executed investments across industrials, business services, healthcare and other sectors. P.J. previously served on the Board of Directors at First Community Holdings.
Earlier in his career, P.J. was an Associate at Lightyear Capital and a Director of Strategy at Cetera Financial Group, a Lightyear Capital portfolio company. He began his career in investment banking at Bank of America.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Officer
- CBO / Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships Team
- Co - Founder of Struum
- Leader in Direct - to - Consumer
Paul Pastor, an earlier leader in Direct-To-Consumer services, is a Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer here at Quickplay. Paul is responsible for key disciplines that will underpin Quickplay's global growth: Sales, Marketing and Communications, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Corporate Development.
Paul is also Co-Founder of Struum, a soon to be launched SVOD aggregation platform.
Prior to joining Quickplay, Paul co-founded Unite Broadcast Ventures, a branded SaaS OTT platform to support European local market streaming joint ventures.
Prior to his more recent entrepreneurial path, Paul powered brand, channel and show success at Discovery Communications and The Walt Disney Company. Paul holds a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Virginia and a MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Founding Member of the Highview
- Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Highview Capital
- PROFESSIONAL
Steve Russell is a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Highview Capital. Steve is a founding member of the Highview team and oversees all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, diligence and execution of new investments. Steve currently serves on the Board of American Plastics, Quickplay, and GS Foods.
Prior to joining Highview, Steve was a Director at Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity fund, where he executed investments across business services, healthcare, industrials, technology and other sectors. Steve previously served on the Board of Directors for Fleet Complete, LGS Innovations, Quickplay and America SCORES Chicago. Earlier in his career, he worked as an Analyst at Chilton Investment Company and in investment banking at J.P. Morgan.
EDUCATION
Steve holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
PERSONAL
Steve grew up in Texas and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. He loves spending time with his family, which also includes an old dog (a Boxer) who still acts like a puppy. In his spare time, Steve enjoys playing golf, watching Dallas Cowboys football and working on his 1967 Ford Bronco restoration
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chartered Professional Accountant in Canada
As CFO of Quickplay, Tim is responsible for building financial efficiencies to support growth, maintaining financial discipline, budgeting, managing financial risks and accounting processes. Previously, Tim was CFO of Endeavor Streaming, a video streaming platform with over 650 employees and 14 offices worldwide, where he oversaw their global finance operations.
Previously, Tim was CFO of NeuLion, Inc. where he oversaw the sale in 2018 to Endeavor Streaming. Tim is a licensed Chartered Professional Accountant in Canada and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.
Job Titles:
- CMO at Samdesk
- Vice President of Global Marketing
As Vice President of Global Marketing at Quickplay, Tina leads development and implementation of marketing strategies that emphasize how Quickplay's OTT platform helps Tier 1 content providers and distributors create engaging, differentiated OTT services.
Prior to joining Quickplay, Tina held senior marketing positions with Samdesk and Magic Leap.
As CMO at Samdesk, Tuli led creation and execution of campaigns that helped the company attract and retain customers and expand market share. At Magic Leap, as vice president, marketing strategy and operations, Tuli developed and launched the company's first-ever go-to-market strategies. Later, as vice president, enterprise and partner marketing, she developed the partner marketing organization and created and implemented an omni-channel enterprise marketing strategy to support ambitious sales objectives. Earlier in her career, Tuli spent eight years with mobile computing pioneer Research in Motion aka BlackBerry.