 Michael Krafft
Managing Partner
Michael Krafft is the founder and managing partner of M&A Media Group, a global media and communications advisory firm (www.mamediagroup.com). He is also a managing partner of Emerging Market Capital Partners (“EMC”) linking worthy emerging market entrepreneurs with sources of capital (www.emc.com).
For more than 20 years, Mr. Krafft has built deep relationships with leading strategic and institutional investors, private equity funds, funds of funds, hedge funds and venture capital firms. His expertise and network has enabled local growing companies to directly obtain capital, strategic direction and sound financial principles.
He has led 50+ joint venture agreements, mergers and acquisitions across the media and communications sector.
In 1992, under the direction of Peter Gerwe, Michael established unprecedented avenues with StoryFirst, the first U.S.-funded television and radio networks in the former Soviet Union . The venture was originally financed by Universal Studios, Morgan Stanley, DLJ, Westwood One, Harris Allied and News Corp resulting in today’s CTC Network which in 2006; the signal was carried by more than 330 television stations and local cable operators across Russia with an advertising market share of 15.6%.
As an executive with Metromedia, he helped create global cluster strategies in Asia, Latin America, CEE, the former Soviet Union, and Central Asia . Metromedia’s infrastructure footprint, reaching 1.6 billion people, became a conduit for distribution of content owned by Metromedia through MGM, Orion and Sterling Films.
Mr. Krafft spent eight years in global assignments prior to his appointment as Vice President, Corporate Development for TIW, a global telecommunications company with subscribers clustered in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe . Two operating companies in Romania and the Czech Republic were sold to Vodafone for $3.5 billion in 2005. He was based in Prague directing new venture development.
Michael holds a Master of Business Administration degree in international finance from the American Graduate School of International Management and is proficient in Russian and a former board member of the Russian National Orchestra.
 Peter C. Wyckoff – In Memoriam
Peter Wyckoff was Michael Krafft’s original partner at M&A Media Group. His legacy continues in our guiding principals of M&AMG www.legacy.com/HartfordCourant/Guestbook.asp. He was an accomplished senior management professional, entrepreneur, fundraiser, interim executive, venture negotiator and internationalist with more than 20 years of experience and leadership in creating, funding and managing domestic and international businesses.
Peter worked in traditional and digital media and entertainment, cross-border private equity and institutional investment, interim management, buyouts, start-ups and turnarounds. He was multilingual and highly attuned to the global marketplace with extensive experience in Europe and Asia. He was Senior Vice President in charge of international and corporate development for E*TRADE where he developed and executed the global and corporate expansion strategy, Vice President and Managing Director for MCA and Matsushita in Asia where he was responsible for the creation and management of joint ventures and subsidiaries, venture capital and development, Vice President in the merchant banking group at Bank of America in London where he raised international and institutional financing, and previously Senior Director for United Artists Corp. and MGM in New York, Europe and Latin America. He also was an interim executive for such companies and institutions as Netscape, Intuit, eBay, Virgin Entertainment and the World Bank.
An unintended result of his assignment with the World Bank was to become a founding partner of a global media sector fund designed to capitalize on investment potential of media and entertainment properties operating in 15 emerging market countries and raised over $50 million in initial funding. He was also a founder and CEO of Mediabank, the first legal Internet-based digital media and intellectual property distribution system, and secured $30 million in capital from investors Bertelsmann AG, MCA, and Atlas Venture.
As a senior executive and venture partner, Peter produced $125 million in revenue from licensing rights and an additional $400 million in revenue from subsidiary trade sales; negotiated joint venture and licensing agreements in 25 foreign markets producing more than $275 million in revenues; acted as permanent and interim executive and managed foreign and domestic companies; and raised over $500 million in private placement and institutional financings.
Mr. Wyckoff graduated cum laude with a BA in history and government from Roger Williams College, and graduated in classical studies at Oxford University (Balliol College).
 Srinath Narayanan
Senior Board Member
Mr. Narayanan serves as a Principal at Canaccord Adams Investment Banking group focused on leading the firm's effort to provide West Coast-based clients with a broad range of investment banking services, including public offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions advisory work. Srinath brings extensive M&A and corporate finance experience in the areas of Internet media, software, communications and wireless sectors (www.canaccordadams.com).
Srinath was trained at Goldman Sachs in M&A, was a senior associate in technology investment banking at Banc of America Securities and has worked in a senior investment banking capacity at a smaller boutique. Srinath also brings strong operational and technology experience working at various New England firms MRO Software (IBM), Fidelity Investments and SpringTide Networks (Lucent).
Srinath holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Bombay, a Masters in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University and is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management.
 Edward Ifshin
Board Member
Edward Ifshin with Pacific Vision Partners has had extensive experience in international business development and strategic investment ventures with established and emerging companies and technologies in the US, Japan and SE Asia (www.pacificvisionpartners.com).
Most recently he has been involved with leading companies in data visualization software technology; broadband digital entertainment and education/training projects; mobile interactive services and technologies and mobile wireless security technologies.
He has advised on interactive media & information technology projects in the private and public sectors in the US and Japan for such clients as: NTT Advanced Technologies, Atom Films, Nokia Ventures, Hitachi, ITOCHU Corporation, METI, Nikkei Multimedia, NTT DoCoMo, Dentsu Interactive, Shidax Venture Fund, Global Business Network, NEC, KDDI, Softbank BB and SONY Computer Entertainment.
Edward was an advisor for an international project supported by the Ford & Rockefeller Foundations focusing on creativity, emerging technologies and new business models and was on the planning committee and participant in the 2006 Global Leadership Forum on Economic and Cultural Development held in San Jose, California, and which focused on digital media as an engine of regional development and urban revitalization.
He is a contributor on digital media for Japanese publications, and panelist at ICT seminars in the US and Japan.
Edward earned a graduate degree from the University of Chicago in Political Science. As a former U.S. diplomat has had assignments in Japan, SE Asia and Western Europe. He is proficient in Japanese, Malay, Thai and Dutch.
 J. Patrick Michaels, Jr.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Rick Michaels' involvement in the cable industry dates back to 1968 when he became
one of the original employees, and later, Vice President of TM Communications, the
cable subsidiary of the Times Mirror Company. Rick then became Vice President of
Cable Funding Corporation, a firm specializing in cable television financing and
investments.
In 1973, he founded Communications Equity Associates (“CEA”) to provide service
to a select group of cable industry clients who needed financial expertise. He has
continued to lead the company into a full-service international brokerage and
financial services firm, which includes the management of global private equity funds
with committed capital of over $1 billion.
In 2000, Rick founded Atlantic American Partners (“AAP”), to provide investment banking ervices primarily to Florida
middle market companies and the management of private investment funds in industries other than those represented by
CEA.
In 2007, he joined with former Attorney General John Ashcroft of The Ashcroft Group to form an alliance (AshcroftCEA)
to provide strategic consulting and investment and merchant banking services to middle market and growth companies in
the global security arena.
Rick was raised in Jamaica, West Indies. He received his bachelor's degree from Tulane University, where he graduated
magna cum laude, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was also a Tulane Scholar and Tulane Fellow. In addition, Rick
studied at the London School of Economics and later received his master's degree from the Annenberg School of
Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an honorary master's degree from St. Leo University.
While in England, he was Assistant Manager and an on-air personality for Radio City, an offshore radio station. At the
University of Pennsylvania, he received an American Broadcasting Corporation Fellowship. Rick currently serves on the
Advisory Board of the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania, the North American Advisory
Board of the London School of Economics and the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Rick is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers and serves on the Board of Directors of The Cable Center. Additionally, he
holds memberships in American Broadcast Pioneers, The Institute of Directors (UK), The Ireland-United States Council
for Commerce & Industry, Inc., Royal Overseas League (UK), and the National Cable Television Association. Rick
serves as Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee Regents. He is also active in several charitable
organizations including the Board of Governors of the Irish Breakfast Club, the Knights of St. Patrick and a Board
member and Fund Advisor for the Heernett Environmental Foundation.
Rick has hosted numerous conferences and seminars. He is highly regarded as a speaker and has appeared at industry
gatherings around the world including Canada, the UK, Spain, Germany, UAE, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and
Australia.
Rick is a former Director of the Home Shopping Network, Inc., The Box Worldwide, the Florida Cable Television
Association and the Minnesota Cable Television Association. Early in his career, Rick served on the Federal
Communications Commission's Local, State and Federal Advisory Committee. He is also a former Board member of
Enterprise Florida, the economic development committee created by the Florida Legislature.
In 1988, Rick was selected as Florida Entrepreneur of the Year by Venture Magazine and Arthur Young & Company. He
is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Finance and Industry and Who's Who in Cable Communications. Rick
was honored as the first Marian B. Gardner Memorial Lecturer in Cable Accounting and Finance to the Smeal College of
Business Administration at Pennsylvania State University. He was also a recipient of the prestigious University of South
Florida Presidential Medal and was presented with the Free Enterprise “Man of the Year” award by the University of
South Florida College of Business Administration in March 2004.
 Bruce Abramson
Member, Advisory Board
Bruce Abramson holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia and a J.D. from Georgetown. He is the President of Informationism, Inc., a San Francisco-based consultancy that helps an international clientele understand the law, the policies, the economics, and the strategic uses of patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property (www.theinformationist.com).
Bruce is an expert in the law and economics of technology, with a particular emphasis on the Internet, software, and the still-emerging world of digital content. He engages these issues from a variety of directions, some research-oriented and others quite practical. His current research interests focus on identifying the legal, regulatory, and policy barriers to effecting this transition smoothly. Bruce has authored many books and white papers on the subject including: Digital Phoenix : Why the Information Economy Collapsed and How it Will Rise Again, (MIT Press, 2005), which describes some of the information economy’s most exciting formative stories.
He has served on the faculty of the University of Southern California and as a research adjunct to the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University.
 Carole Kealy
Director of Partner Relations
Carole held a variety of management positions in her ten years at A&E and Lifetime Cable Networks. She was a member of the launch team that started the original ARTS programming service and moved on as Director of Sales, successfully helping to reposition the network as Arts & Entertainment (www.mamediagroup.com).
Carole served as Director of Marketing and in her last position, Director of Community Development, she created numerous legislative advances enhancing the image and positioning of cable television, apart from other competitive companies in a deregulated industry environment.
Carole launched Cable in the Classroom, a national project that was incorporated into 14,000 schools nationwide, grades K-12. The project won numerous industry accolades and was awarded at the White House by Barbara Bush during her administration.
Additionally, she served as Director of Marketing and Community Development, where she created numerous legislative advances enhancing the image and positioning of cable television in a deregulated industry environment.
 Margaret Rubin-Finn
Director of New Business Development
Margaret Rubin-Finn spearheads new business origination and execution. In this role her responsibilities include identifying suitable clients, assisting in partner relations and drive our mandates to closure (www.mamediagroup.com).
She is an accomplished senior entertainment/media, Internet and related technology executive with 20+ years of global business development experience. Previously, she was part of the senior management team with Time Warner International, Viacom Entertainment, Nethold Mediterranean and Mindport (Naspers). Additionally, she was the founder and CEO of The Audio Group.
Ms. Rubin-Finn is multilingual and has her MS in International Business Policy and BS in Business, Management and Economics, from SUNY Empire State College with Honors.
 George Alambo
Senior Advisor
George is a technology public policy adviser to governments, government agencies, technology hubs and accelerators. Before that George worked as a technology investment banker on Wall Street, Silicon Valley and European deals worth several billion dollars. He advised entrepreneurs, corporate CEOs, boards and senior management of Fortune 500, FTSE 100, continental European companies and venture-backed startups on mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and financings. Additionally he serves as head of the firm’s Silicon Valley Practice. Before that he worked as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, Houlihan Lokey and Wells Fargo Securities. He has also been the CFO of a venture-backed San Francisco-based technology startup from inception to merger. George started his corporate career at Deloitte Corporate Finance Advisory-Technology.
He holds a Master in Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco. George studied at Keble College, Oxford University in England.
 Taylor Hwang
Media & Entertainment Business Development Specialist
Taylor Hwang is a San Francisco based executive who has been a professional as a corporate development specialist for firms including EMiFinancial Corporation, Tank Hill Ventures, Scient and the Atlantic Group.
After graduating from the University of Texas and Obirin University of Tokyo he proceeded to Andersen Consulting as a consultant, thereafter, joined Booz Allen & Hamilton as a Lead Consultant. |
