About mediaFORGE.

With an experienced entrepreneurial team of technology and business leaders, mediaFORGE is poised to become the premier online advertising choice.

Based in Salt Lake City, mediaFORGE is emerging as an innovative leader in the rapidly growing field of retargeting. With an award-winning ad platform that provides a rich, personalized experience for the consumer, mediaFORGE is changing the display ad industry by offering advertisers a retargeting option that not only measures actual consumer engagement but also directly proves sales and incremental lift. This  method, called “measured engagement” along with our pay-for-performance price structure have led to a powerful group of satisfied mediaFORGE clients and significant growth.

With an experienced entrepreneurial team of technology leaders, mediaFORGE is poised to become the premier online advertising choice as marketers search for more efficient ways to use their advertising dollars.

The mediaFORGE Team

Tony Zito, CEO

Tony is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur. In his role as CEO, Tony oversees all aspects of their rapidly growing business and plays a central role in developing and driving the company’s vision. Tony has over 20 years experience in developing successful start up technology companies. Prior to his involvement with mediaFORGE, Tony co-founded and served as CEO of ezADit.com, an online aggregator of offline college media - acquired by Y2M, a subsidiary of MTV Networks.  Tony was also President and co-founder of Precision Data Link - which was acquired by The Profit Recovery Group (NASDAQ: PRGX) in 1998.  In his role at PRG, Tony held a key position as Senior Vice President where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations, strategy and growth of the Logistics Management Division and was tasked with identifying, managing and integrating five additional acquisitions.  Tony is an active member of the Utah Technology Council and is passionate about technology and marketing.  Tony is an accomplished musician, enjoys outdoor sports, and spending time with his family.

Rhett Frandsen, VP Sales and Network Developement

As VP of Sales for mediaForge, Rhett brings cohesive direction to both new business development efforts and account management. His 10 years of entrepreneurial focus and solid understanding of business development comes from diverse prior experience, including the founding of Podski, Inc., an online and mobile publisher of winter action sports content. Rhett has a B.A. in International Business from Westminster College and is passionate about creating real, measurable value for customers. His other passions include coaching a ski-racing program at Park City Mountain Resort and spending time with his family.

Adam Grow, VP of Finance

As VP of Finance and Yield Management, Adam employs a vast array of financial, accounting and yield management analyses to optimize customer campaigns and manage the internal financial needs of mediaFORGE. Prior to mediaFORGE, Adam was in PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP’s Transaction Services group for over four years and assisted strategic and financial buyers with their financial diligence in all types of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, etc. Adam also worked four years in Ernst & Young, LLP’s assurance practice and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  Throughout his transaction services and assurance experience, Adam focused on software companies, including in-depth reviews of the finance, management and operations functions of approximately 30 software companies of all sizes. Adam’s other passions include travel, art collecting, soccer, and his family.

Danny Kourianos, Director of Client Services

Advisors

Neal Richter, PhD

Currently Chief Scientist for The Rubicon Project, Neal brings 15 years of experience as a software engineer and scientist. His in-depth expertise in machine learning, search engines and computational advertising strongly position him to provide technological counsel as mediaFORGE continues to innovate display media products. Neal came to Rubicon via the acquisition of OthersOnline, an audience analytics startup.  He also spent eight years creating self-learning artificial-intelligence based functionality for RightNow Technologies’ eService CRM suite.  Neal has a doctorate in computer science from Montana State University.

Qayed Shareef

Qayed brings to mediaFORGE more than 11 years of marketing, sales and operations experience in digital advertising. Most recently, Qayed was Executive Vice President of Business Development at Epic Media Group, heading corporate development and strategic initiatives. Prior to Epic, Qayed served as General Manager for the Traffic Marketplace Ad Network (TMP), where he gained valuable expertise in campaign management, yield management, and publisher/business development for display, mobile and video media. As a specialist in this area, Qayed will provide mediaFORGE with strategic insight into industry trends, and innovation and growth opportunities. He has a history of successfully serving in marketing and management consulting roles for other early-stage companies (Cheetahmail, Lowermybills.com and Virtual Iris), contributing to growth and success in their early stages. 
 

Alison Wistner

Alison Wistner brings over 15 years of experience in private equity, corporate finance and investment banking to Mercato Partners. As a member of the investment team and the investment committee, Alison leads deal flow and due diligence efforts and is actively involved in the oversight and management of the portfolio. Alison currently serves as a board advisor to Cymphonix. Alison has a long history with the managing directors and investment team and is the newest member of the Mercato team. Prior to Mercato Partners, Alison was a Principal at Prospector Equity Capital (PEC), a private equity firm based in Park City, Utah. At PEC, Alison served on the investment committee and investment team and oversaw six portfolio investments. Alison was also the CFO of a portfolio company, Zane Benefits, a healthcare benefits administration technology company for three years. Previously, Alison was a Vice President at Hunter Capital, focused on middle market investment banking transactions. Prior to joining Hunter Capital, Alison worked as a Financial Analyst for NationsBanc Montgomery Securities in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Alison received a B.S. in Business Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Allen Hwang

Allen has held the position of CMO at 1-800 CONTACTS, brand management positions at The Gambrinus Company and Procter & Gamble, and was Director of Marketing at Pabst Brewing.  Allen was recently selected as one of Utah's Forty Under Forty and is recognized for having launched community initiatives that have raised thousands of dollars for organizations such as Friends for Sight and the Steve Young Forever Young Foundation.  Hwang received a Bachelor's degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Christian Faulconer

As Franchise Foundry’s CEO, Christian is responsible for corporate strategy and business development. Prior to his work at Franchise Foundry, Christian co-founded Public Engines, provider of the CrimeReports.com service and served as its COO. He also founded an analytics portal provider, Sharp Analytics (now a division of iCrossing). Christian has worked as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and also for Fortune 500 companies and Internet startups. In both 2007 and 2008, he was selected as a member of the v|100, vSpring Capital’s Top Venture Entrepreneurs in Utah. Christian earned a master’s degree in accounting and information systems from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Christian is a well-respected and highly successful professional who has a diverse and proven background in taking small businesses from start to large, profitable exits.

Gregg Frohman

Gregg Frohman leads the Sales Enablement team for Omniture, an Adobe Company. His 15 years of consulting experience in helping Fortune 500 companies leverage technology to drive business value have resulted in increased sales of Adobe’s online business optimization suite. Gregg also contributed to five years of more than 80% annual growth for Omniture by leading some of Omniture’s largest client engagements. Prior to Omniture, Gregg served as a principal consultant for Diamond Technology Partners, leading cross-functional teams to sell and implement multi-million dollar technology projects across industry sectors. Gregg holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Kim Langbecker

Kim Langbecker is President of Karnal Records is one of the fastest growing rock/alternative record labels in the music industry.  Kim Langbecker has over 20 years of experience in the music business as a promotions and marketing executive at major labels, including Atlantic, Columbia, RCA, MCA and Geffen Records. She has been an important part of the careers of such artists as Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Stone Temple Pilots, Tori Amos, Robert Plant, Dave Matthews, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, among others. Langbecker is co-founder of the Indigenous Land Rights Fund, a NGO that assists traditional communities in securing tenure of their ancestral land. She also served for three years as a commissioner on the Cultural Affairs Commission in Culver City, CA. She was recently presented with the Bob Marley Days Peace Award for her work in the community.