Jimmy’s investor-backed digital publishing company was acquired in 2015 by the Maker Studios’ co-founders at Zealot Networks, where he served as SVP of strategy and monetization, managing revenue for its ViralNova and Allscreen properties and overseeing partnerships with long-time clients Conde Nast, AOL, Scripps Networks (Food Network) and Time Inc.

As founder and CEO of Hutch Media, Jimmy scaled revenue to tens of millions of dollars for its own content properties, including RumorFix, which aggregated a network of sites boasting over 100MM pageviews per month.

Jimmy is a managing member of Snakkle.com, alongside Rich Battista, president of People & Entertainment Weekly. He served on the advisory board of Affinity Networks from 2014-2015 and the advisory board of ad tech company nRelate from 2010-2012, which was acquired by IAC.

He is currently on the board of Saving Innocence and the event committee of First Star, both nonprofits to whom a percentage of NMP proceeds are directed. Jimmy began his career as an advertising executive at RWB, working with clients such as Intel, VW, Herbalife and Dow and helping procure engagements with Toyota and Lexus.

Mr. Johnson is currently CEO of Benevolent Capital, Co-chairman of Phoenix Rising Football Club, director of TerraCycle (http://www.terracycle.com) and a member of the Young Presidents Organization (http://www.ypo.org). He served as Managing Director, Zealot Networks, from 2015 to 2017, where Zealot acquired 17 digital media and marketing services companies, including Mr. Hutcheson’s last digital publishing business.

From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Johnson was a member of the board of directors, and the chairman of the compensation committee, at Blyth Inc. (http://blyth.com, NYSE: BTH). Blyth is a $1 billion direct to consumer sales company and leading designer and marketer of accessories for the home and health & wellness products. Blyth was acquired by the private equity firm, Carlyle, in November 2015.

From 2010 to August 2012, Mr. Johnson was the CEO and President of Forward Industries (www.forwardindustries.com, NASDAQ: FORD).

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a masters of business administration from the Presidential/Key Executive program at Pepperdine University. In 2014, Mr. Johnson graduated from the Harvard Business School’s President’s Leadership Program through YPO.

He is a member of the board of trustees for Choate Rosemary Hall and is a Senior Fellow in Entrepreneurship and a member of the board of visitors for the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University.

Jay Westlin leads corporate development efforts for Next Management Partners and is also founder and CEO of Fastener.io, a consultancy he founded in 2013 to provide outsourced corporate and business development and publisher acquisition for consumer digital content publishers and advertising technology platforms.

A 20-year business development veteran of media, entertainment and advertising, Jay is a multiple-time founder, executive team member, advisor and mentor whose primary focus is on forging valuable corporate and business development partnerships among a deep base of digital content publishers and their surrounding platforms.

Before Fastener.io, Jay was executive vice president of corporate and business development at Spin Media (previously BUZZMEDIA) where he was originally recruited in 2007 to help turn Buzznet.com into a publishing group with more than 100 million global unique visitors per month across 40 digital properties.

Prior to Spin Media, Jay was vice president at AtomicOnline (sister company of Gorilla Nation and now part of Evolve Media) which owns and operates 50+ websites including men’s lifestyle publication CraveOnline and women’s lifestyle site SheKnows.

Jay received his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Indiana University.

Rajeev (Raj) Seshadri is a founder-principal of a CFO-advisory enterprise that has provided an immersive CFO experience to companies in a transformative stage for over 20 years. He currently works with a range of companies that are financed by venture capital funds.

Since 2018, Raj has primarily worked with venture-funded companies at varying stages of maturity, one of which has since grown to “unicorn” status. In 2019 he led the turn-around and subsequent sale of a Series-C, venture capital funded, publishing company that had grown to over $50 million in sales and an international footprint. During his tenure, these companies have made acquisitions, raised funds from institutional lenders, venture-capital and private equity sources at various times. The aggregate total of fund raises exceeds $200 million over this period.

Prior work included a multi-year assignment as CFO at a private-equity fund owned, online seller of specialty products with both domestic and international sales across multiple selling channels. Raj led a turnaround in operations and provided a subsequent liquidity event to its investors. Before that, Raj was CFO at a NASDAQ-listed company that was a Web-based, customer advertising services provider to over 70,000 subscription-based SME customers. 

Raj has an MBA with Distinction from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Marybeth offers 20 years of experience in operations and finance, guiding Fortune 500 brands and luxury brands toward sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Renelyn Famor is a seasoned executive assistant with extensive experience supporting C-level executives across the entertainment, media, and creative industries. Known for her discretion, efficiency, and proactive approach, she excels in managing complex schedules, high-level communications, and cross-functional coordination in fast-paced environments.

Currently, she supports the CEO of a leading entertainment company, where she plays a key role in day-to-day operations, event planning, and high-profile client engagement. Her background also includes work in production, talent relations, and hospitality, bringing a well-rounded and service-oriented perspective to every project.