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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Jonathan Sacks, Former President of AOL Interactive, Appointed President of MFORMA
BELLEVUE, WASH -- April 26, 2005 -- MFORMA, the world-leading publisher and distributor of mobile entertainment, has appointed Jonathan Sacks to the position of president and chief operating officer. Sacks was formerly president of AOL Interactive Services. The appointment was announced by Daniel Kranzler, MFORMA’s chairman and CEO, who said that Sacks brings to MFORMA strong and seasoned leadership as it expands and shifts its organization to accommodate significantly higher levels of global production amid accelerating worldwide demand for mobile entertainment applications. At AOL, Sacks was in charge of operations and media programming as the company’s subscriber total nearly tripled to approximately 30 million members.
“In Jonathan Sacks, MFORMA has found exactly the right leadership to carry the company through what are certain to be pivotal years for both MFORMA and the mobile entertainment industry as it evolves beyond games,” said Kranzler. “Jonathan is an expert in operations management as well as in creating subscription services for new media, which is a primary area of focus for MFORMA going forward. His insightful understanding of media programming and consumer habits as well as his experience in managing companies in hyper growth will be invaluable. I am extremely pleased that Jonathan has made the commitment to join us and I look forward to the increased efficiency, focus, and maturity his leadership will bring us.”
“The opportunity to lead MFORMA has captured my intense interest like nothing else has in recent years,” said Sacks. “Dan Kranzler’s vision and early understanding of where mobile entertainment was headed and the groundwork he and his team laid worldwide in establishing MFORMA’s great platform and market position is truly astonishing. I simply could not say no to the chance to lead this company, already an international player with more carrier customers and more media partners than any other mobile publisher, to even greater heights.
“Dan’s strategic vision and my focus on operations will combine in partnership to strengthen and extend MFORMA’s global leadership. MFORMA has every winning component in place--technical expertise, IP, a rich content catalog, the best distribution in the industry, and tremendous creative energy. We are going to harness all these key assets and focus on delivering the best mobile entertainment products to hundreds of millions of subscribers around the world. We will also focus operations on delivering the highest possible revenue and profitability. Mobile media is a huge and exciting opportunity and I am tremendously pleased to join the market leader.”
Prior to joining America Online in 1998, Sacks was president of the Hub, a joint venture between AOL and New Line Cinema. At the Hub, Sacks led the production of original music and entertainment programming for young adults. Prior to that, Sacks was president of IDG Books Worldwide where he developed the highly successful “Dummies” series of how-to guides for computers, operating systems, and the internet, and he was CEO and publisher of InfoWorld Publishing Company. Earlier in his career, Sacks was variously editor-in-chief, publisher, or columnist for several technology publications, including PC Computing, Corporate Computing, and InfoWorld.
In addition to the appointment of Jonathan Sacks, Kranzler also announced the following management team additions and changes.
Jim Brelsford has been appointed general counsel. Brelsford is responsible for MFORMA’s legal affairs, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, financings, international, licensing, and risk management. Prior to joining MFORMA, Brelsford was senior partner at Jones Day, where he led the technology transactions practice, and prior to that he was senior vice president of business development at Excite@Home. Earlier, Brelsford was the founding managing partner of the San Francisco offices of Perkins Coie.
Paul Bianchi has been appointed senior vice president, human resources. Bianchi is an experienced manager of human resources in entrepreneurial technology environments. He joins MFORMA from PeopleSoft, the second largest provider of enterprise software, where he was vice president of global human resources. Prior to that, Bianchi was head of human resources at leading tech companies Ask Jeeves, Probusiness Services, and Apple Computer.
John Brimacombe has been named chief strategist, games. In 1999, Brimacombe founded UK startup nGame, which was acquired by MFORMA in 2002. Brimacombe is a pioneer and leader in the mobile games industry and led nGame to a leadership position by focusing it on the next generation of Java-capable devices.
“We are building a world-class management team of which I am very proud,” added Kranzler. The new members, who are top professionals in their respective fields, join our existing team, which has accomplished great things and set the stage for our current expansion. “We now have operations in eight countries with hundreds of employees, all working toward maintaining our leadership in delivering the world’s best in mobile entertainment.”
About MFORMA Group, Inc.
MFORMA is a leading global publisher and distributor of mobile entertainment. MFORMA provides wireless operators and their customers with the world's best content and brands, and provides developers and brand owners with the shortest route to market. MFORMA’s customers include more than 100 of the world’s leading wireless carriers in 40 countries. In addition to the industry's most comprehensive catalog of BREW, Java, SMS, MMS, and WAP games, MFORMA provides music, sports, lifestyle, and information services subscription products. MFORMA’s carrier-grade platform manages the delivery of downloadable games and applications for some of the world’s largest carriers and MFORMA provides wireless operators everything they need to deliver mobile entertainment products to their customers—tools, platforms, content. MFORMA is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, USA with facilities in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego; London and Manchester, England; Shanghai and Beijing, China; and Seoul, Korea. [www.mforma.com]
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