Austin Digital Media : Accomplishments

Accomplishments

Designed a web-based marketing program for Scriptware, creating hundreds of links with writers' web sites all over the English-speaking world. Generated promotional tie-ins and advertising opportunities, increasing sales and market share, thus maintaining Scriptware's rank as the world's leading word-processing program for scriptwriters.

As New Media Agent at The Agency For The Performing Arts in Hollywood, represented and advised interactive multimedia companies and creative talent on projects in infotainment, simulation, education, games, music and children's genres for the Internet, CD-ROM, diskettes, multiple and linear media. Included:

Hal Holbrook (Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight CD-ROM)

Greg Roach/Hyperbole Studios (The Madness Of Roland, Quantum Gate, 10 State Spree)

Brilliant Media (Peter Gabriel's Xplora), Best Musical and Best Interactive Product, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

Robbie Weaver, Voyeur director. Winner, Best Director, Academy Of Interactive Arts & Sciences

Rupert Holmes, composer and playwright (The Pina Colada Song, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood)

Created the relationship between the Internet Development Group and Fox Family Worldwide. IDG went on to produce "Frank's Toxic Torpedo" game for FoxKids.com. IDG of Seattle designs and develops business internet, intranet and extranet systems. Their specialty is programming and coding. Clients include IBM, Intel, Motorola and Porsche.

At SusanLoveMD.com, increased traffic and revenue, working with the founder/CEO. Resulted in a successful merger into LLuminari, a multimedia women's health information company.

Ran a successful online publicity campaign for WorldWideLearn.com, the Yellow Pages of distance learning.

At eMarketWorld, as principal advisor to the VP/Content Chair of the eMediatainment Conference, co-created the Advertising, Marketing & Promotions; Media; Entertainment; Emerging Technologies conference tracks. Co-created panels on topics including Advertainment, Rich Media, Partnering with the DigiNets (digital networks), VOD, Interactive & Digital TV; Online Promotions, Product Placement, Peer to Peer, Media Integration, Streaming Media, eBooks, Immersive Technologies, etc. Co-created "super-panels," including a Women's Forum and an Advertising Forum. Wrote all the copy for the conference tracks and panels. Using my own database, recommended and invited keynoters and dozens of speakers.

Introduced Digital International Graphics and its services to potential customers, allies, business partners and acquisition targets in the United States.

Negotiated distance learning partnership deals with higher learning institutions, for United Internet Technologies.

As Vice President of Business Development for Stayhealthy.com, created strategic alliances with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., RnetHealth.com/The Recovery Network and Bioamerica Corporation for National Colorectal Cancer Month. Stayhealthy.com is a developer and marketer of non-invasive, accurate, Web-enabled products that empower consumers to quickly and privately measure and monitor their health online.

Wedding 411.com—Negotiated sponsorship and merchant partner agreements with bridal industry manufacturers and service companies, including Blue Shield, Creative Technologies Corporation/Brabantia, Culligan and Fiskars for CyberStudios' flagship themed commerce environment website, wedding411.com. Advisor on site navigation and search engine listings. Brought wedding411 its first sponsor (Blue Shield) and helped establish their brand as one of the leading wedding sites on the Internet.

Beta Test Leader for Hypertouch Corporation. Negotiated agreements and received commitments from Yahoo! Internet Life and NewMedia magazines, and advertisers including Bandai Corporation, Avery Dennison, Rhino Records and FeatureCast (America's Most Wanted and Teen Magazine web sites).

Hypertouch is a technology that enables magazines and advertisers to hyperlink directly from print to the Web. After inserting a magazine into the Hypertouch Binder, the reader is able to touch an ad (or an article) on a printed page and be instantly hyperlinked to any page on any web site.

Hypertouch

"Assuming it works as well as it appears to, it will absolutely revolutionize the world of e-commerce. It's the coolest thing I've seen since my first glance at Mosaic 0.8 a few years ago." (CNET Builder.com)

Authored web pages and a white paper for Information Discovery (formerly DataMining.com), a market leader in data mining products and services.

Executed an Internet marketing campaign, wrote a white paper and press releases for Creative Media Marketing and its client, TransNet.

Acquisition deals for FindYourDream.

Created sponsors for Screaming Mouse for production of an enhanced CD.

Market researcher for HomeDelivery.com.

Western Regional Sales Manager for Sony Home Entertainment.

Western Regional Sales Manager at Embassy Home Entertainment. Produced the largest sales volume ($1.5 million) of any territory in the country in sales of pre-recorded video cassettes and discs, including Silkwood, Children Of The Corn and This Is Spinal Tap.

General Manager of Video Pipeline, the #1 preview tape service in the Home Video Industry. Successfully negotiated custom programming contracts with national retail chains, including Waldenbooks and Turtles. Also served as the company's Production Manager and Video Editor.

For Venture Productions, created and oversaw production of The Fairchild Garden Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants Web Site and CD-ROM. Also explored strategic marketing opportunities.

Director of Marketing for First Light Video Publishing, the world's leading publisher of media training videos and CD-ROMs. Managed acquisitions, contract negotiations, corporate strategy and marketing. Titles included How To Produce A CD-ROM, What Is Multimedia? and Multimedia In Education.

Principal, Clubhouse Video, a mail order company that used a video catalog to promote the sale of children's videotapes.

From The New York Times, Sunday, October 4, 1987
The Interactive World of Toys and Television,
by Sandra Salmans

In Los Angeles, two young entrepreneurs have started Clubhouse Video, which markets videos to children by means of a quarterly video "catalogue" - a one-hour video cassette that shows previews of up to 50 specially selected videos for children. The objective is to offer a range of videos that are mostly educational and that appeal to different age groups and both sexes, said Chaz Austin, Director of Sales. The only problem is that the club is limited by what is on the market. For adolescent girls, for example, it bent its standards to include three by no means educational videos about Jem, the toy and television cartoon heroine who, as the publicity says, is a record company executive by day, a rock star by night. "Jem was the best I could find, unfortunately," said Mr. Austin.

While Video Merchandise Manager at Nickelodeon, the store was named "Number One Video Music Retailer in the United States" as a result of efforts to raise the store's profile.

Created and developed an Internet database marketing campaign for ASR Recording Services using a targeted e-mail delivery system, resulting in an average response rate of 12% and attracting such clients as EarthLink Network.

Created a joint venture for The Tonight Show Web Site and CD-ROM with the NBC Television Network, Brilliant Media and Charles Fleischer (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

Writer/Producer, promotional campaigns at the CBS Television Network and ABC Owned & Operated Television Stations for 60 Minutes, M*A*S*H, All In The Family, Dallas, The Jeffersons, Alice, One Day At A Time and Lou Grant and features Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Gator and Food Of The Gods.

Production Coordinator on the network series American Bandstand at Dick Clark Productions. Created montages for American Bandstand's 25th Anniversary Special, a two-hour prime time special that earned a 46 share. Talent Coordinator and Film & Video Coordinator on a number of network prime time specials.

Music industry journalist for Soul, BAM, Rocky Mountain Musical Express, Chic, etc. Interviewed Michael Jackson, Shirley Caesar, The Village People, Johnny Paycheck, Rick James, etc.

Wrote artist bios for music companies, including Epic, Columbia, United Artists and A&M.

Born and raised in Manhattan. Attended the legendary High School of Music & Art. Faith Regina Shaw Award for Vocal Excellence.

B.A., Sociology, the City College of New York while on a full Regents' Scholarship. Tau Delta Phi fraternity.

M.A., Broadcast Communication Arts from San Francisco State University. Master's thesis entitled Marshall McLuhan: An Analysis of His Theories About Television.

Program Enrollment classroom leader for Landmark Education, with a 25% close rate.

Board of Governors, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, 1993-1996.

International Vice President, International Interactive Communications Society,1994. The IICS is the leading professional association in New Media. Produced and Co-Chaired the First International IICS Convention in Anaheim, CA as part of Infocomm.

Vice President, Los Angeles Chapter, IICS. Produced programs on the subjects of IBM Ultimedia, 3DO, Tandy VIS, Kodak Photo CD, Video Dialtone & Telcos, Nanotechnology, Interactive Television, Multimedia Roundtable with the ITVA, and a panel entitled "Interactive Agents: Digital Phonies Or The Key To Multimedia Success?" contracting with leading experts in the field to share their knowledge with the members of the IICS. During his tenure, membership increased five-fold and the number of Special Interest Groups doubled.

Additional Clients

Clients have also included:

CenterStage LA. Executed a distance learning research project.

4therapy.com, Served as Senior Vice President, Business Development of 4therapy.com.

Woodstock.com Market researcher for Woodstock.com.

Avery Dennison Worldwide Office Products Software Development Group.

The Insiders System for Writers, the Doorway Between Undiscovered Writers and Top Industry Decision Makers.

DK Digital Media/The Netty Awards

Information Discovery. Authored web pages and white paper.

The Interactive Agency, which offers integrated public relations, advertising and online marketing campaigns. Specifically worked with Digitrends, Audio Universe and New Media Invision Awards accounts.

NetConsult Communications, Inc., makers of Intershop Online, a software package that creates stores on the Web, including secure transactions via CyberCash, database management and inventory control.

Peak Care, producers of custom rehabilitation therapy videotapes.

JBI Localization, a translation, dubbing and localization agency providing audio and print services for the multimedia, film, and video industries, as well as corporations and corporate communications companies.