Una Empresa de Medios con la Mirada Puesta en el Futuro

Fred Fourcher founded Bitcentral, Inc. in 2000, building a nationwide news distribution network for CBS Newspath, and another one for NBC News Channel in 2003. In 2005, Bitcentral entered the news production system business and pioneered the first large-scale, internet-based news aggregation and sharing platform called Oasis™.  Oasis is now used by more than 1,200 news organizations worldwide and distributes more than 40,000 stories per day. A recognized thought leader in the industry, Fred received an Emmy in 2017 for Bitcentral’s innovative use of the MOS Protocol in our news systems. Bitcentral now has more news production systems in TV stations than any competitors in the U.S. It is also one of the dominant providers of master control systems in Latin America. Fred’s vision of always designing and delivering efficient media workflows for customers has resulted in him being an innovator in digital streaming and FUEL™. FUEL, a production, streaming, and monetization solution, is transforming the broadcast industry from appointment viewing to a dynamic viewing experience on any platform. A 4,000-hour private pilot and general aviation advocate, Fred received the Sharples award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in 2007 for the most significant contribution to aviation by an individual. He was instrumental in rallying non-commercial/general aviation pilots’ collective voices to convince Congress not to grant the airlines a monopoly over the nation’s airspace. As founder and board member of the SoCal Pilots Association, he remains very active in aviation-related issues. Fred also volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America and mentors budding entrepreneurs in Orange County. Fred is married and has two sons, both of whom are Eagle Scouts.

Steve Petilli is a successful technology entrepreneur who has led several companies from startup to acquisition by Fortune 500 companies. He is an early investor in Bitcentral and a Board member for the last 20+ years. Steve’s core strengths are in strategic planning, business operations, acquisitions, and execution. His background and expertise span multiple industries, from streaming digital video, social watch party, wireless location-based services, semiconductors, and linear TV. Major exits include Pivotal Technologies, sold to Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), and Networks in Motion, sold to Telecommunications Systems (NASDAQ: CMTL). Steve serves on multiple company boards and is a Limited Partner in several Venture Funds. He holds an MSEE degree from the University of Southern California, and a BS Computer Engineering Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

John Drake joined Bitcentral as CFO in 2017 with more than 20 years of financial management experience in various industries (specialty software, consumer lending, and wholesale distribution) and at different-sized companies of up to as much as $1 billion in annual revenue. He works across functional areas to ensure all line managers work together to increase the firm’s value. A true team player, John knows that significant and lasting achievements are built by teams. As an example, he and the operations VP at a wholesale distribution company built a search engine that used transaction data to identify pricing anomalies. The findings allowed the firm to generate way-above-average margins for the industry. He also used an ESOP structure to finance a management buyout and in the following years prepared the same company for sale to a PE firm. John received a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Southern California. He received his CPA license in California.

As Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson has direct control of the organization’s operations in accordance with Bitcental’s strategic objectives and business plans. Sam is a career broadcast professional with more than 32 years of experience including over 20 years in various leadership roles at large, industry-leading corporations. He has held positions spanning product management, marketing, direct sales, and sales engineering. His broad experience spans all aspects of media production and distribution including automation, master control and playout, news gathering and production, post-production, signal management, and live production. He has successfully overseen the integration of several products from international acquisitions into the North American market. On the OTT side, Sam has extensive networking expertise in contribution and distribution networks for live streaming and video on demand. Sam received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Austin College. As an Eagle Scout, he has enjoyed giving back to the Boy Scouts of America as an assistant scoutmaster, assistant district commissioner, and a Wood Badge staffer. Sam also enjoys coaching youth lacrosse as well as training community emergency response for the C.E.R.T program and emergency communications for the Medical Reserve Corps.

As GM of the Streaming Media Group, Greg Morrow has P&L responsibility for the business unit and directs all activities involving product development, new ventures, and revenue operations. Greg’s two decades of experience with internet media, product innovation, and digital operations have given him valuable insights into the industry and its users. Groundbreaking technology and digital activity have been threaded through Greg’s entire career, making him the perfect ambassador for FUEL. Greg understands the need to invest in new technology and knows the possibilities available to the partners who implement FUEL into their business operations. After all, he began his career in 1997 by founding his own site at the dawn of web-based digital video, and his company was the first to license music videos from record labels to stream on-demand. Additionally, Greg worked with Nexstar Digital, where he led strategic partnerships and sales strategy for the platform group. He also has previously held roles as the COO of Ranker, Inc., general manager of Yahoo! Music International, and Director of Strategy and Marketing for Yahoo! Music in the U.S.

With more than 20 years of experience in the broadcast industry, Andrés Galván joined the Bitcentral team in 2015 with the acquisition of Fission Software, a company that Andrés co-founded in 2000. Fission Software specialized in the development of broadcast automation and integrated playout solutions. As CEO from its inception, Andrés led Fission Software as it created, developed, and sold state-of-the-art, software-based systems in North America, Asia, and Northern Europe through a network of regional partners and distributors and dedicated subsidiaries in Mexico, Hong Kong, and Scandinavia. In his role as Managing Director of Bitcentral México, Andrés oversees the operation of Bitcentral’s subsidiary and LATAM Headquarters, Bitcentral México, S. de R.L. de C.V. As Director of Sales Engineering and Account Relationships, he leads the sales efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean. Andrés received a scholarship in Economics from the prestigious Tecnológico de Monterrey University (ITESM-CCM), achieving the distinction of being the first undergraduate student to become a university professor at the age of 20, leading a Digital Content production class for six years. He also started his first company, a 3D-animation studio.

As a veteran of the Public Broadcasting Service, John King has 25 years of experience in commercial and public broadcasting, specializing in all areas of earth station technology, studio and facility design, satellite analysis, and field engineering supervision. John is Vice President of Sales Engineering for Bitcentral in the U.S. and Latin America, directing and managing Sales Engineering services related to the digital broadcasting customers of Bitcentral. He is responsible for building service revenue such as engineering, consulting, integration, installation, customer support, customer training, ongoing software maintenance support, and other technical support services. A 20-year veteran of Bitcentral, John has used his electrical engineering background to oversee field engineering implementation and tech support; and he now supervises the installation of Core News, Central Control, and OTT solutions in hundreds of TV newsrooms across the country. From procurement to go-live, nothing goes into the field without the hands-on involvement of his team. John volunteers weekly to teach youth and adults Judo, Jujitsu, and other martial arts.

As Director of Corporate Project Management, Raksha Gopal manages projects at Bitcentral from initiation through deployment, coordinating with members across all departments. She is responsible for maintaining the overall company Project Management Dashboard and all project management processes. Raksha has managed custom and crucial project release implementations such as CNN and MBN. Her 25-year career progressed from software developer up to the COO management position, and then President of her own consulting company. She has managed software development, quality assurance, operations, configuration management, project management, and HR; and has provided guidance for project life cycle, product direction, project direction, client relationship, and team building; managing up to 100 employees through seven managers. Raksha is actively involved in the community as a board member for Dance 2 Your Door, a non-profit organization that brings the art and entertainment of dance to facilities for the elderly, chronically ill, and immobile; as a co-coordinator for Assisteens, an auxiliary of Assistance League of Irvine, a 100% volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to providing programs that improve the quality of community life; as a volunteer at Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue; and as a committee chair for College Nights at Beckman High School. Raksha holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation Engineering from Bangalore University and a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from L.S.U.

As VP of Operations, Sameer Mohiuddin provides oversight and leadership across many functions and areas at Bitcentral.  These areas include procurement, product staging, implementation and training, technical support, systems operations, account management, digital workflow management, and internal IT.  Under his leadership, the Operations Team at Bitcentral strives for a well-coordinated and quality-driven effort around product delivery, on-site & remote training, 24/7 tech support, product upgrades, and customer relationship management. As a prior leader for quality assurance at Bitcentral and other organizations, Sameer brings a passion for quality and transparency in all areas of operations. His focus on quality and knowledge-centered support and communication enables Bitcentral to achieve some of the industry’s highest customer-satisfaction ratings for product delivery, training, and technical support. Before joining Bitcentral, Sameer was in software QA and release management at SunGard, HIS, and other technology companies, managing local and offshore QA and Support teams, and building new software testing procedures, software release methodologies, technical support processes, and SOPs. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He has a passion for education and literacy-based initiatives or organizations and has, for years, volunteered on various education committees in the local area.

Jonathan Clarke has more than 20 years of experience building organizations and processes that deliver software products. During his leadership tenure, he has built dozens of web-and device-based products in the media, automotive, and credit industries. His passion for technology drives him to develop a deep understanding of the details of products being built and allows him to identify opportunities for strategic advantage. These products have received numerous awards for their innovation, technical achievement, and aesthetic quality. Jonathan has been recognized as a regional leader in the industry. He was one of the three finalists among more than 275 nominees in the “Best Technical Manager” in Orange County category in Tech in Motion’s annual Timmy Awards contest. He received his Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University and his MBA from the University of Southern California. He enjoys working with youth groups such as the Boy Scouts of America and donating his time to coach soccer, baseball, and lacrosse for local youth and high school athletic programs.

As Vice President of Sales, Diane Severns is responsible for generating new revenue in the News Production and Master Control/Automation product lines with direct sales into key and national accounts across the U.S. market. As an 18-year veteran at Bitcentral, she has combined entrepreneurial drive with business-management skills to drive gains in revenue, market share, and profit performance. Diane has focused on identifying key opportunities in a rapidly changing multi-platform environment by listening to the challenges of broadcasters nationwide and providing them with next-gen solutions that enable them to maximize the value of their media. From her previous roles as Sr. Account Manager and Manager of Inside Sales, she brings more than 10 years of broadcast television industry knowledge and relationship-building experience to her current role. Prior to joining Bitcentral, Diane was a key player in several multinational joint venture start-ups in both the aerospace and automotive industries. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Principia College and an MBA from Xavier University, both with honors. Diane was a finalist in the TechAmerica Orange County High-Tech Innovation Awards for her role in a start-up venture that provided real-time emergency notification solutions to the public safety market.