Management Team

Ned Sherman, CEO, Publisher & Executive Editor
Tinzar Than Sherman, VP, Marketing & Events
Mark Hefflinger, Editor, Digital Media Wire Daily
Joakim "Jay" Baage, VP, Content / Senior Writer
Ellen Gildersleeve, Director, Events & Marketing
Dustin Hamano, Marketing & Events Coordinator
Paul Sherman, Co-Founder & Board Member

Ned Sherman

NED SHERMAN
CEO, Publisher & Executive Editor
Photo Headshot


As CEO, Publisher and Executive Editor of Digital Media Wire, Inc., Ned Sherman works at the center of the rapidly growing digital media industry, where he brokers relationships and keeps a tab on the most important developments shaping the industry. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Publisher Ned Sherman is more than the average pundit: He is an attorney and has an inside grasp of what is happening.”

Ned has established Digital Media Wire as a leading online media company that provides daily news, information and community to tens of thousands of executives and professionals at entertainment, media and technology companies throughout the world and owns and produces nine annual conferences. The advertising, sponsorship, client, partner and subscriber relationships that Ned has brokered make Digital Media Wire one of the best known media and entertainment industry brands to emerge in the digital age.

Ned is responsible for establishing DMW's partnerships with NYU's Stern School of Business, the Consumer Electronics Association and numerous other industry publishers, associations and businesses. Future of Television Forum, which he co-chairs with NYU's Professor Al Lieberman, is widely considered to be the most prestigious event of its kind, bringing together industry leaders from around the globe twice annually in Los Angeles and New York to network, do deals and discuss the industry's future. He also co-chairs and hosts Digital Music Forum, the industry standard among digital music industry events.

In 2004, Ned created the Billboard Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards, which was acquired from DMW by VNU (now Nielsen) in 2005. Ned continued to be active in the Awards, which he co-chaired and managed until 2006. In 2006, Ned was instrumental in securing an investment from the Consumer Electronics Association, now a partner on three DMW events, Digital Music Forum East, Future of Television East and LA Games Conference. In 2007, Ned established a partnership with Canada's leading media and entertainment event, Canadian Music Week, and chaired, produced and hosted the successful Millennials Canada Youth Marketing event in Toronto.

As Publisher and Executive Editor of DMW since 2000, Ned overseas all content for the site and newsletter, writes a weekly column Digital Media Week in Review and has published two books, Millennials & The Digital Entertainment Age: A Sourcebook for Consumer Marketers and The Digital Entertainment & Media Directory. From 2003 to 2004, he was Editor-in-Chief of Digital Media Law Report.

Before co-founding Digital Media Wire, Ned spent seven years as a corporate and entertainment attorney practicing at several of the leading law firms in the world.

As a founding member of the iLaw Group in the Entertainment Department at Loeb & Loeb LLP in Los Angeles, he handled licensing and corporate transactions and financings for media and entertainment clients including Universal Studios and MGM and launched dozens of Internet and new media start-ups. He has counseled company founders from initiation of a business plan to seed, angel, venture capital and later-stage private financings and managed all legal aspects of Internet clients from corporate organization, stockholder relationships, board compositions and dynamics, stock option plans, capital raising and security regulatory matters, Internet law issues, trademark, copyright, content and technology licensing, advertising and privacy issues.

From 1997 to 1999, he practiced in the Los Angeles office of Mayer, Brown & Platt where his practice centered on representation of U.S. and foreign banks in syndicated lending transactions and securitization matters.

From 1995 to 1997, he was a foreign lawyer at Nishimura & Partners in Tokyo, Japan, where his practice involved international mergers and acquisitions and the formation of technology and entertainment joint venture companies. He also served as President of the Roppongi Bar Association in Tokyo, the leading association for foreign lawyers working in Japan.

In 2000, he was an Adjunct Lecturer of Law at Tulane University Law School where he taught an entertainment law seminar. Ned is a graduate of Brown University (AB, with honors, 1990) and the University of Texas School of Law (JD, 1994) where he was Chief Articles & Notes Editor of the Texas International Law Journal and winner of the national Scribes Awards for his article on the human rights ramifications of U.S. reservations to international death penalty treaties.

Ned is a frequent speaker at industry events in the U.S. and overseas and has been quoted in publications including American Lawyer, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Crain's Mermigas on Media, interviewed and featured on C-SPAN, National Public Radio (NPR), NY1 Evening News and nationally syndicated radio shows, Inside Digital Media and WebTalk, and recognized in the Wall Street Journal.

Ned is active in alumni affairs for Brown University and is currently Los Angeles Chair for Brown University's Alumni Interview Program. He has traveled extensively from Europe to Asia to South America to Northern Africa. Ned is married and lives with his wife, son and daughter in Los Angeles, California.

Tinzar Than Sherman


TINZAR THAN SHERMAN  
            
Vice President, Marketing & Events

As VP of Marketing & Events, Tinzar heads up the Digital Media Wire events team and manages many of the company’s most significant sponsorship and marketing relationships across its events and publishing properties. Since joining the company in 2002, Tinzar has been instrumental in building relationships with leading companies in the media, entertainment and technology industries. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and cover such industries as games, music, film, television, publishing, mobile and Internet commerce. Tinzar is also a core member of the company’s corporate strategy team and is active in building new partnerships and launching products and events.

Prior to joining Digital Media Wire as Marketing Director in 2002, Tinzar was Communications Manager at the Beverly Hills Hotel. During her term, she was in charge of installing and managing DSL lines and the management of the hotel’s Communications staff. She handled the hotel’s relationships with mobile service providers, managed the Department’s budget, payroll, phone equipment and office supply inventories. Prior to that, Tinzar held management positions at the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills, the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and the world-renowned Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, Honolulu.

Tinzar holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a major in Hotel & Restaurant Management and a minor in Japanese. She is a fluent Burmese, Thai, and English speaker and speaks conversational Japanese.

Dustin Hamano

DUSTIN HAMANO
Marketing & Events Coordinator


As Marketing & Events Coordinator, Dustin handles the day-to-day issues pertaining to Digital Media Wire’s various marketing programs, event registrations, and ad campaign management for our daily email newsletter. Dustin also performs design work for our multi-channel marketing programs, including our web properties. Dustin holds a Bachelors of Art with an Emphasis in Design from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA. As part of his undergraduate education, Dustin studied for one year at the Beijing Institute of Technology, in Beijing, China, where he focused on the culture of China and its language.

 

Ellen Gildersleeve

Ellen GildersleeveELLEN GILDERSLEEVE
Director, Marketing & Events

Ellen joined Digital Media Wire in September 2006. Prior to DMW, she held a number senior management positions at major music labels, working with artists such as Nelly Furtado, Papa Roach, Lifehouse and The Vines. As Director of International at Capitol Records from 2004 to 2005, she managed album release plans for Capitol Records America product with the international affiliates by maintaining a constant and continuous flow of information and updates so as to support their local efforts. She was also responsible for all planning aspects of international tours, budgets, marketing, promotion and publicity, and managed clearance for all international affiliates and third parties of Capitol repertoire for compilations, TV break requests, price reduction requests and club requests. From 1999 to 2003, she was International Product Manager at DreamWorks Records. From 1997 to 1999, she was Foreign Licensing Manager at Geffen Records. She is a graduate of California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

Joakim "Jay" Baage

Joakim Baage JOAKIM "JAY" BAAGE

VP of Content
Senior Writer

Joakim "Jay" Baage has been working in media ever since he completed a year of military service as a writer for the Swedish Armed Forces newspaper Värnpliktsnytt.

He has since dropped camouflage in favor of business attire, moved to the United States and now has over a decade of experience from a wide range of international media companies.

In the last few years, Jay has focused on the transition from an analog to a digital world and how to build successful media and entertainment properties accordingly.

Jay currently oversees content, operations and ad sales for all Digital Media Wire. He furthermore manages marketing initiatives and strategic partnerships across the board for the company.

Together with Ned Sherman, CEO and Publisher of DMW, Jay heads up a series of of youth-focused entertainment and marketing conferences called The Millennials. In addition, he is Event Director for the NY and LA Games Conferences.

Jay is also a frequent speaker at international media industry events such as the LA Film Festival and Canadian Music Week.

He has a Masters Degree in Media, Entertainment & Technology Management from New York University and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Goteborg University in Sweden.

Jay is a recipient of the Wallenberg Scholarship 2004 and 2006, The Sweden-America Foundation Fellowship 2005 as well as awarded scholarships for being “A Promising New Media Manager” by Swedish Newspaper Publishers’ Association 2005 and 2001.

He has a keen personal interest in digital media, art, music and pop-culture. On his desk, you will find an iPod, the latest issue of US Weekly and a pair of Cutler and Gross shades.

Jay claims to listen to "all kinds of music," but is happy to give you an ear full about hipster bands from his native Scandinavia like "Peter, Bjorn & John."

 


View Joakim Baage's profile on LinkedIn

Mark Hefflinger

Mark Hefflinger
Editor, Digital Media Wire Daily Newsletter


Mark Hefflinger has served as Editor of the Digital Media Wire daily e-mail newsletter since September 2000. He also contributes to related publications including Potomac Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire and the Digital Media Law Report, in addition to freelance work. Before joining Digital Media Wire, Mark worked for several technology and entertainment public relations firms in Los Angeles. Mark holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Communicationsfrom Boston College.

Paul Sherman

Paul Sherman, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Tech Wire PublicationsPAUL SHERMAN
Co-Founder & Board Member, Digital Media Wire, Inc.
Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Tech Wire Publications


In 1999, Paul Sherman co-founded Potomac Tech Wire and is currently Editor-in-Chief for all of the Tech Wire newsletters and related publications. Once Potomac Tech Wire was profitable, Paul and his colleagues introduced New England Tech Wire, and then Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri State Tech Wire, European Tech Wire, and most recently Thames Tech Wire. In addition to his editorial duties, Paul has moderated more than forty Tech Wire business panels on subjects ranging from venture capital to telecommunications to homeland security. Prior to starting Tech Wire, he worked for three years as the news assistant at The New York Times bureau in Mexico City, and wrote for the Economist Intelligence Unit, Latin Finance and Time magazine for two years. Paul received an MBA from The Wharton School in 1999 and a B.A. in political science from Brown University in 1992.

Scott Goldberg

SEG SCOTT GOLDBERG Director of Business Development and Senior Writer Scott Goldberg is the Director of Business Development for Digital Media Wire and a Senior Writer for DMW Online. His editorial focuses include the Millennial Generation (people between the ages 12 and 28), the video game industry, music and film media, and making fun of anything that takes itself too seriously. He is also responsible for Digital Media Wire advertising, classifieds, and partnerships, as well as the development of content for DMW Online. He has several years of experience in the financial services and media industries, and is a strong advocate of the consumption of new personal technology. Scott received his BA in Economics from Williams College in 2002, and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2005. He was born and raised in Colorado, and spent much of 2005-2006 traveling abroad, retooling his Spanish and Portuguese, and freelance writing. Scott believes no program is more important for discovering the newest music than Nic Harcourt’s Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW.