Management

Bringing a lifetime of experience at the intersection of public policy, technology and media, Al Gore serves as co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Current.

Gore served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two in the U.S. Senate, establishing himself as an expert in technology, communications, nuclear disarmament, the environment and other issues.

As Vice President of the United States (1993-2000), Gore led administration policies on telecommunications and actively championed causes such as the environment and the growth of the internet.

Joel Hyatt, co-founder and Vice Chairman of Current, has guided the network's development since its inception, achieving recognition for the company's innovative approach to producing and programming content by and for its audience. Under Hyatt's leadership, Current has grown to more than 60 million subscriber households, expanded internationally, and received an Emmy® Award, the youngest network ever to win such an honor.

In May 2007, Hyatt was elected to the board of directors of Hewlett-Packard. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution. Previous to Current, he co-founded and led Hyatt Legal Services, which provided low-cost services to middle and lower-income families. Hyatt also created, founded and built Hyatt Legal Plans into America's largest provider of employer-sponsored group legal plans, before selling the company to MetLife. Hyatt served on the faculty at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where his courses on entrepreneurship were among the most popular at the school. He also served as National Finance Chair for the Democratic Party in 2000. BusinessWeek recognized Hyatt as one of the top 50 business leaders in the United States.

Chief Executive Officer Mark Rosenthal brings more than 25 years of media success to Current. For nearly a decade, as President and Chief Operating Officer of MTV Networks, part of Viacom, Rosenthal was a leader in growing and extending the reach of that company's world-class media brands, both geographically and into areas such as films, consumer products and the Internet. During his tenure, revenue and earnings from the company's operations more than tripled as MTV Networks' 100+ television channels grew to reach 400 million households in 164 countries around the world. He also helped lead the execution and integration of acquisitions that added brands such as Comedy Central, VIVA, Spike TV, mtvU, Country Music Television, and Noggin to the MTV Networks franchise.

After MTV, Rosenthal was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Interpublic Media, part of the Interpublic Group, one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies. In this position, Rosenthal oversaw all of Interpublic's worldwide media operations, including Initiative, MAGNA Global, Universal McCann and a number of leading specialist media agencies, with capabilities that ranged from programming and content development to interactive, retail and media barter. Rosenthal comes to Current Media from Spot Runner, where he held the position of Vice Chairman and President of Media Platforms.

Chief Operating Officer Joanna Drake Earl was the first executive to join Current co-founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt. As President of New Media, Earl originally oversaw the architecture, creation and management of Current's leading web-based participation platform.

Before joining Current, Earl was Vice President, Content Strategy for MOXI (now Digeo), driving the development of new video, music and gaming set-to-box based applications with the largest media and entertainment companies. Earlier, Earl served as Vice President, Media Partnerships and Applications at ReacTV in Silicon Valley, where she partnered with leading media companies to deliver the world's first personalized video news service on the Web.

As management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, Earl spent five years developing strategic planning functions and market strategies for the motion picture, television and theme park divisions of leading entertainment conglomerates. In addition to her work in Hollywood, she developed strategic alliance programs and new media market strategies for three of the largest Silicon Valley companies.

Paul Hollerbach is Current's Chief Financial Officer, responsible for overseeing the company's finance, investor relations and the human relations groups.

Prior to Current, worked at Yahoo! where he held a broad range of senior financial roles, including Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations and Vice President, Corporate Controller. Over nearly 10 years with the company, Hollerbach helped develop a world-class finance organization and transformed the investor relations function into an industry-leading group. While at t Yahoo!, he was also responsible for the company's worldwide strategic planning efforts, working with operating teams across multiple lines of business and geographic regions, as well as leading all investor communications. Prior to Yahoo!, Hollerbach worked at Silicon Graphics Inc., KPMG LLP and Ernst and Young LLP. He is a licensed CPA in California.

Ofer Shaked is Chief Technology Officer for Current, overseeing the company's technology initiatives, including online, broadcast, cross-platform product development and technology operations. Shaked joined Current in 2007 as Chief Architect.

Before his work at Current, Shaked led the Social Search business for Yahoo! and started Yahoo! Answers, taking it from concept to a global service used by over 100 million users in 20 countries. Shaked joined Yahoo! through the acquisition of FareChase - a company he co-founded and where he served as Chief Technology Officer. The FareChase search engine now powers Yahoo! Travel.

Before starting FareChase, Shaked managed a technology group for Tecnomatix Technologies (now part of Siemens), an innovator developing software for manufacturing planning, using 3D human and robotic simulation. Shaked managed mission critical, international development projects with partners like BMW, PTC and others. Earlier, Shaked led several research and development projects for The Israeli Intelligence Corps., specializing in behavioral engineering and large scale information extraction.

David Neuman is Current's President of Programming, overseeing content on three television networks (US, UK/Ireland, and Italy), as well as the original video featured on current.com. Neuman leads a team of over 200 creative personnel based mainly in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, and Milan.

Neuman's career in media includes experience as a senior programming executive in entertainment (Vice President of Comedy Programs, NBC, and President of Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television, The Walt Disney Company), new media (head of programming, Digital Entertainment Network), news (Chief Programming Officer, CNN, and Executive Producer and President of Programming, Channel One), and independent production (Grantwood Productions at 20th Century Fox, and Blackrock Productions, Inc.). At Channel One, his work as Executive Producer garnered a Peabody Award, broadcasting's highest honor. Neuman also received a special commendation from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his work with the CNN team covering the events of September 11, 2001.

Neuman graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in Communication Studies, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a White House Fellow in the Reagan administration, serving under the Assistant to the President for Cabinet Affairs at the White House. Neuman also actively volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for neglected and abused children in Los Angeles County, through the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Paul Levine is Current's President of New Media, leading the company's consumer engagement and monetization initiatives for online, mobile, and emerging delivery platforms.

Levine brings more than a dozen years of consumer internet and online media experience to Current. Prior to joining Current, he led product, marketing, and customer operations for AdBrite, a leading online ad marketplace backed by Sequoia Capital. Previously, Levine was VP/GM of Local Services at Yahoo!, where he was responsible for the company's Local, Yellow Pages, Maps, Real Estate, and Classifieds businesses. Under his leadership, Yahoo! Local grew to reach over 20 million US unique users and became widely recognized as the industry's leading local search and content destination. Earlier, Levine held a number of management positions during 5 years at E*TRADE, where he was responsible for driving record online account growth for the company.

Levine holds a BA from Amherst College and an MBA from Stanford University.

Ken Ripley is Current's Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales, partnering with top global brands and agencies to reach Current Media's coveted influencer demographic. Prior to joining Current, Ripley was Executive Vice President of Global Advertising Sales for IGA Worldwide, Inc., a leading independent in-game advertising company. While at IGA, he oversaw a sales organization that worked with more than 100 companies to tailor messages specifically to in-game audiences.

Prior to his tenure at IGA, Ripley was Vice President, Sales Development for Discovery Communications where he built a new sales division, bringing in more than 40 new national TV advertising clients. Previously, he was national sales manager for Discovery's Emerging Network group including: Discovery HD Theater, Discovery Home, Discovery Times, The Science Channel, The Military Channel, Discovery Kids Channel and Discovery Kids on NBC.

Ripley has also served as Vice President Advertiser Sales for TiVo, Inc., where he launched TiVovision, interactive television's first marketing system for advertiser on-demand messaging and signed numerous charter advertisers. Before TiVo, Ripley was Vice President, Advertiser Sales for Columbia TriStar Television where he managed sales for DirecTV's and Game Show Network's ad sales efforts.

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Michael Streefland brings more than a decade of proven marketing and media sales success to Current Media. Prior to joining the company, Streefland ran SCG, Inc., a leading new media consulting practice advising clients on executive development, marketing and sales strategy. Before SCG, Inc., Streefland spearheaded the launch of Cyworld USA, the North American localized version of SK Telecom's phenomenally successful Korean social network Cyworld. At SK Telecom, Streefland architected key partnerships for the service, including GSN's "National Vocabulary Championship", NBC Daytime's "Passions" and Bravo Television's hit reality show "Top Design."

Prior to SK Telecom, Streefland served as the Creative Director for Johnson & Johnson's pregnancy and parenting portal BabyCenter and headed up strategic marketing and sales development efforts for iVillage. At iVillage, Streefland was involved in the successful re-branding and re-launch of the women's network that eventually led to the company's sale to NBC Universal.

Streefland started his career in Hollywood working in television programming and packaging, including stints at Fox Broadcasting Company, Walt Disney's Buena Vista Television, and Paradigm Talent & Literary Agency.