Mika Salmi

   Mika Salmi                                                                         

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Professional Experience

2010-present         Mad Races          New York

Founder

· Developed a prototype and relevant materials for a mobile phone, location-based social game

· Sold to betaworks (NYC based incubator) in October 2010; remain as an advisor

2009-present         Sulake/Habbo Hotel          Helsinki

Chairman

· Oversee the Board and executive team of the pioneering social game company for teens

· €60m in revenue and $6m EBITDA in 2010; 200m characters created; 15m unique visitors

2007-present         Pressplane          Seattle

Executive Chairman

· Work closely with the CEO and the whole team on strategy and new product direction

· Guiding the product development, positioning and funding of new mobile app, Zapd

2006-2009         Viacom/MTV Networks          New York

President, Global Digital Media                                                                              

· Managed worldwide operations, strategy, and deals with 1,500 employees for 30+ brands (including MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon), 400 websites, and 80 mobile channels

· Created solid value over two years:

§ 4X growth in revenue to over US$1 billion

§ 40% traffic growth to over 90 million unique visitors worldwide

§ 300% growth in streamed videos to over 400 million per month

§ Total overhaul of digital products, technical infrastructure, and organizational structure

· Led a strategic repositioning of the company, including elevation of games as a business line, led by Harmonix (Rock Band), AddictingGames, and innovative virtual worlds efforts

· Worked with various international teams and territories on all aspects of the business; this included leading a restructuring of MTV Japan’s operations

· Reported to Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV Networks, and a member of her senior executive team; worked closely with Philippe Dauman, CEO of Viacom, and his senior team

1998 - 2006        Atom Entertainment          San Francisco

Chief Executive Officer / Founder                                                                              

· Founder of AtomFilms, an innovator and pioneer in online video and user generated content; grew the company into the clear leader in online entertainment (1998-2000)

· Purchased by Shockwave in Jan. 2001; selected by investors to be CEO of company

· Built AtomFilms, Shockwave, and AddictingGames (acquired in 2005) into world-renowned brands and industry leaders with over 30 million unique visitors per month and a library of award-winning, world-class films, videos, and games

· Discovered and nurtured diverse talent such as Oscar-nominated Jason Reitman, viral internet phenomena Jib Jab, and casual game pioneers PopCap

· Raised over US$40 million in venture capital from Sequoia, Chase Capital, Intel, others

· Led company through rapid growth, severe downturn (90% of staff let go in 2001), successful recovery, and rapid growth again; then guided company to 16 straight quarters of profitability

· Ran a high-powered Board of Directors: Richard Barton (Founder, Expedia and Zillow), Rob Burgess (ex-CEO, Macromedia), Bob Daly (ex-Chairman, Warner Bros), Thomas Hoegh (Partner, Arts Alliance Capital), and Michael Moritz (Partner, Sequoia Capital)

· Sold Atom Entertainment to Viacom in August 2006 for US$200 million

1997-1998  Getty Images          Seattle

Business Development Director                                                                                

· Reported directly to co-Chairmen and CEO assessing new business opportunities

· Started a completely new business; took it from conception to staffing to launch

· Developed and signed partnerships with top software, hardware, and content companies to solidify Getty’s position as the leader in the images market

1996-1997        RealNetworks          Seattle

Entertainment Business Development Director                                                      

· Negotiated deals with all major record labels, film studios, and media companies, creating the earliest relationships between an Internet company and traditional media

· Managed marketing, content, and business planning for all product launches

· Conceived and oversaw the development of new products, features, and business models

1994-1995        Sony Music International          New York

International Marketing Director                                                                               

· Created and implemented international marketing plans for US-based artists to 51 countries

· Discovered and signed Platinum selling and Grammy nominated The Presidents of the USA

1993-1994      EMI Music France / Benelux          Paris

Business Planner                                                                                                        

· Reported to the EMI Regional Director and ran the overall business strategy

· Prepared five year plan for EMI France, Holland, and Belgium

1992      EMI Music Eastern Europe          Budapest

  Consultant                                                                                                                                

· Integrated newly-purchased Hungarian company into EMI International environment

· Evaluated and formulated a strategy for Poland, Czech Republic, and Romania

1989 -1991      Marcus & Millichap, Inc          Seattle

  Associate                                                                                                                   

· Represented clients in buying and selling of over US$22 million of commercial real estate

· Honored as one of the top brokers in the country

1988 -1989        TVT Records, Inc          New York

 Director                                                                                                                      

· Discovered and signed multi-Platinum selling and Grammy winning artist Nine Inch Nails

1987 -1989        Banker’s Trust Company          New York

 Database programmer  / Associate

Boards of Directors – current and past

· Elisa - Finland’s leading telecom and broadband company  Helsinki

· INSEAD – Business school for the world    France/Singapore/UAE

· Blinkbox — Premium television and film via Internet and mobile  London

· ImageMetrics — Facial animation technology   Los Angeles

· Songbird — Open source media player   San Francisco

· Shockwave KK  — Online and mobile games   Tokyo

· Propel Renewable fuels — Alternative energy company   Seattle

Other Activities

· Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmys) — Voting member   Los Angeles

Education

1992   MBA, INSEAD (European Institute of Bus. Administration)      Fontainebleau

1987   BS Finance/International Business, University of Wisconson           Madison

    Graduated with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Gamma Sigma

Personal

·   Languages — Fluent in English, Finnish, and French; proficient in Spanish.

·   Nationality — Dual citizenship, USA and Finland (EU)

Links / Articles

·   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_salmi

·   http://www.crunchbase.com/person/mika-salmi

·  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/04/05/i-want-my-web-mtv.html

· http://www.vanityfair.com/online/newestablishment/2008/09/the-next-establishment-2008.html

·   http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_12/b3976032.htm

·   http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_20/b3681085.htm

·   http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/28/internet-advertising-salmi-biz-media-cx_lh_0327mtv.html