Management
Our dedicated leadership team comes from a variety of backgrounds, but they all have a common goal: To deliver the best programs in Social Media Marketing.
Jim Calhoun, Chief Executive Officer
Jim co-founded PopularMedia and has served as chief executive officer since its inception in 2003. He is responsible for guiding the company's strategy, growth, operations and customer satisfaction. A true Silicon Valley veteran, Jim has helped a broad range of businesses grow through technology and marketing -- from startups such as Glam Media, Inc. to global leaders such as HP and IBM. Prior to founding PopularMedia, Jim founded CustomerClick LLC, a privately held direct marketing services firm based in San Francisco. Previously, Jim served as Vice President of Products at NetObjects, Inc. Jim is a former reviews editor at CNET and holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri.
Sage Bray, Chief Financial Officer
Sage leads PopularMedia's finance department and day-to-day operations, and plays a key role in driving revenues and profitability. For more than a decade, Sage has managed the finance and operational efforts of companies across multiple industries. He was Director of Operations of RGA Associates, a high-tech recruiting firm, and helped launch PopularDemand, a venture-backed start-up. Sage has been involved in consulting and advisory functions for numerous early-stage and venture funded companies. He holds a degree from Tufts University.
Russell Wirth, Senior Vice President, Sales
Russell is responsible for driving PopularMedia's revenue growth via direct sales, channel sales, and partners. He brings 20 years of sales experience with expertise in online marketing, analytics and scaling emerging businesses. Before joining PopularMedia, Russell spent 4 years as Vice President, Sales, at Coremetrics, and previously held senior sales management positions at Closedloop Solutions (hosted financial budgeting), Crystal Decisions (enterprise reporting) and Information Resources Software (business intelligence). Russell received his BA in Business/Economics with honors from Colorado College.
Craig Stanford, Vice President, Strategic Alliances
Craig has 18 years of experience in media sales and marketing, with expertise in digital media and convergent technologies. Before joining PopularMedia, Craig was director of U.S. and pan-regional sales for Terra Networks, the Internet division of Telefnica. Craig was also co-founder and vice president of business development and sales at start-ups SiteBurst and FasTV, and has served in senior sales management roles at Active Entertainment, Bohbot Entertainment & Media and GGP Sports Television. Craig is a cum laude honors graduate of Southwestern University.
Cricket Wardein, Senior Vice President, Account Services
Cricket is responsible for leading clients on strategies and creative programs to grow their viral marketing initiatives. She has been a marketing innovator in direct response and branding on the Internet for over 15 years. Prior to joining PopularMedia, Cricket was Chief Marketing Officer for Yahoo! in Australia. At Yahoo! in the U.S., she ran marketing for Yahoo! Music and Yahoo! Personals. She also led marketing consulting for Netcentives and was a vice president of interactive at Foote, Cone and Belding. She has worked on online programs for a wide range of marketers, including the Gap, Palm, Pepsi and American Express.
Jane Paolucci, Senior Vice President, Marketing
Jane is responsible for PopularMedia's strategic marketing initiatives to increase the company's presence in the social media market. With more than 17 years experience, she helps to enhance a company's web presence to drive incremental revenue, and increase customer loyalty. Jane was most recently worldwide vice president of marketing at Coremetrics where she built the marketing department from the ground up. Prior to joining Coremetrics, Jane was the group director of public relations at Siebel Systems, Inc. Jane has also held senior marketing and communications positions at Amdocs, the Clarify CRM division, and Remedy Corporation. Jane holds a bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley.
Bob Tekiela, Chief Technology Officer
Bob is responsible for PopularMedia's product and technology direction, product design, implementation and technical operations. He brings 20 years of experience in driving technology vision and strategy, building, motivating and leading technology organizations, designing and building technology systems and products. Prior to joining PopularMedia, Bob was VP of Technology at Sapient Corporation and CTO at Digitas. He led development of Internet and marketing technology solutions for companies including GM, Janus, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Williams-Sonoma, VeriSign and many others. Bob holds a MS from AGH in Krakow, Poland.