Corporate Governance

Matt Drinkwater is a digital media executive with extensive leadership experience at iconic high-tech brands Buzzfeed, Twitter, Groupon, Yahoo, AOL, and Lycos. He consistently demonstrated his agility in working across publishing, platform, format, and AdTech mediums, collaborating with diverse domestic and international stakeholders to deliver on and surpass goals.

Prior to joining Bright Mountain Media, Matt served as Senior Vice President, International, of BuzzFeed. Matt joined BuzzFeed from Twitter, where he led Agency Development and Global Accounts for Latin America from Sao Paulo, Brazil and Miami.

Before joining Twitter, Matt’s influential roles included VP of Groupon Inc.; Senior Director, New England and Canada, at Yahoo; and Regional Director, New England. His leadership talents were evident early on in his career when he earned promotions to management at Lycos and AOL.

Jeff Hirsch is a seasoned business executive with a results-driven record of driving growth for both private and public companies. His experience includes executive leadership, domestic and international growth management, business and sales organization development, product strategy/go to market planning and execution, operations management and process development, marketing communications and brand strategy, business development and investor relations. Jeff is driven by working with high performing teams to meet and exceed their goals, both professionally and personally.

In his last role as Chief Commercial Officer of PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM) he spent six and a half years helping the company operate profitably and grow faster than market rates. The company IPO’d in December 2020. Prior to PubMatic, Jeff served in several different roles such as President of CPXi (now Digital Remedy), and CEO of AudienceScience, arguably the first data driven technology offering in AdTech. He has also served as CMO of SundaySky, SVP of ValueClick, and was a founder and CRO of Fastclick (NASDAQ: FSTC). Prior to his 25+ years of experience in ad tech, Jeff founded a 1993 INC 500 software company and a regional advertising agency in Central California. He graduated with high honors with a BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Tom Triscari is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in the AdTech and Media industry. He is currently a Senior Advisor at Landmark Ventures, a prominent M&A investment bank, where he is focused on building the go-to M&A advisory practice in the AdTech & Media space. Additionally, Tom is the founder of the Forensic AdTech Collaborative Thinktank (FACT), an industry initiative to promote a new category in the field.

Tom’s influence extends to numerous advisory and non-executive board roles in various organizations, including WasteNot, Br1dge, Adfidence, and Compliant. He also holds the position of Non-Executive Board Member at Adslot (ASX: ADS) and is deeply involved in shaping the industry as the Founder of Quo Vadis Newsletter, a popular adtech newsletter.

His journey in the industry dates back to his years at Yahoo! EMEA, where he held strategic positions in sales operations, planning, and strategy. Before this, Tom’s expertise flourished as the Director of Publisher Marketplace & Business Intelligence at Criteo. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to found Labmatik, a programmatic consultancy catering to large global brands, and to serve as the CEO of Yieldr, a Demand-side Platform (DSP).

Tom’s contribution to academia has also been significant, as he has served as a Professor of Digital Media in the ESADE MBA Program in Barcelona and Madrid.

Tom holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His skill set includes driving projects to completion, content creation, and equity valuation. He is fluent in English and Spanish, with proficiency in Catalan, French, and Italian.

Elaine Riddell is a dynamic growth strategist with a proven track record of unlocking breakthrough potential within companies. With over 15 years as a CEO at leading firms such as NOPWorld Health (a unit of UBM), TNS Healthcare, and Kantar Health (now Oracle LifeSciences), Elaine has a distinguished history of transforming established global data, analytics, and consulting firms into high-performing market leaders. Her efforts have consistently driven revenue growth at three times the market rate, demonstrating her unique ability to scale businesses rapidly while achieving attractive margins.

Elaine’s expertise extends from her foundational roles at Abbott Labs (now AbbVie) and IMS Health (now IQVIA), where she honed her skills in customer-centric innovation, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and building high-performance cultures. This broad experience underpins her current role as Managing Director at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, a leading investment bank specializing in M&A advisory within the marketing and media services sectors.

In addition to her advisory work, Elaine is an influential board director for the Executive Forum, a network of top executives dedicated to advancing business growth. She served as Vice President from 2012-2016 and from 2018-2024 and was Chair of the Advisory Board for Themis Analytics from 2016 to its acquisition in 2017. Themis, a leader in data and analytics for the biopharma industry, benefited greatly from Elaine’s strategic guidance.

Elaine is a McGill University alumna and holds dual Canadian and American citizenship.

Joseph Pergola is a distinguished C-level executive renowned for his innovative approach to financial leadership and a proven track record spanning over 25 years in driving profitability and business growth. His expertise lies in harmonizing strategic, operational, and tactical financial functions, encompassing financial planning, analysis, P&L management, capital acquisition, and sales operations. Joseph is celebrated for his ability to build high-performance teams and align financial operations with core business strategies, particularly within the digital media sector.

Currently serving as Chief Financial Officer at Truckstop in Boise, ID, Joseph spearheads business transformation efforts as the company prepares for a Capital Markets exit. He oversees Finance, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Pricing, and Investor Relations.

Before this, Joseph was the CFO at Connatix, where he led the growth and transformation of a prominent video technology company, managing all facets of Finance, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Human Resources, Investor Relations, M&A, and Global Workplace. His tenure at Integral Ad Science, where he served as CFO and later as Chief of Staff to the CEO, was marked by a successful public offering, strategic acquisitions, and significant team expansion.

Joseph’s career includes notable roles at Amazon, where he led global sales strategy and advanced analytics for Amazon Advertising, achieving impressive revenue growth. At Audible, he served as Director of Finance for the Technology and Product Division and the US Revenue & Marketing Acquisition teams. His leadership at Criteo, The Weather Channel, and Yahoo! further underscores his ability to drive financial success and operational excellence across diverse industries.

His early career includes significant roles at Time Warner Inc. and CBS and a foundational stint as a Financial Analyst with EY LLP. Joseph holds an MBA in Finance & Media from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. Peter’s College. He is also actively involved in various professional affiliations, including the Board of Regents’ Investment Committee at St. Peter’s University and alums mentoring at Fordham University.

A seasoned financial technology and analysis expert, Joseph is adept with tools such as Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Netsuite, Salesforce, and various financial reporting and analysis platforms. His thought leadership has been featured in numerous industry publications, highlighting his insights on B2B payment innovation, sustainable success, and the evolving role of CFOs.