The Vendare Group Names Media Veteran Michael Gannon EVP of Sales

The Vendare Group Names Media Veteran Michael Gannon EVP of Sales

Former Network and Cable TV Executive Joins Vendare Group to Grow Corporate and Divisional Sales

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vendare Group, a leading provider of performance-based online media and marketing solutions, today announced that Michael Gannon, former Vice President of National Sales with ESPN, has been named Executive Vice President of Sales for Vendare Group. Gannon will oversee national accounts and divisional sales, including TrafficMarketplace, eMarketMakers, Uproar.com, Jackpot.com and New.net.

A seasoned media sales executive with nearly 30 years working in network and cable TV and interactive media, Gannon has extensive experience driving sales and increasing revenue. He is skilled at creating and executing marketing and business development strategies, expanding companies into new markets, and building and motivating large sales forces.

Gannon most recently served as EVP of Sales and Marketing for Captivate, a national news and entertainment network that provides programming and advertising to professionals during the work day through wireless, flat-panel televisions in office elevators. For Captivate, he oversaw the sales, marketing, research, programming and production departments, rebuilt and organized the sales team, and repositioned the company's marketing strategies to focus on both B2B and the upscale consumer -- creating new sales opportunities and helping expand this innovative advertising concept into new markets.

Gannon began his career in network television -- having held a variety of sales and managerial positions at NBC, ABC and CBS -- and has played an integral role over the years in developing new revenue opportunities and expanding sales for various networks. Following Gannon's work at the networks, he spent 14 years with ESPN, working his way up to Vice President of National Sales. Gannon was instrumental in helping to grow ESPN's revenue from $6 million to $525 million and its sales team from eight to 46, consistently exceeding the company's revenue forecasts during his tenure. Then, as Vice President of Sales for Speedvision, a cable channel focused on racing competition, he generated $10 million in revenue by forging relationships with major automotive advertisers to support the fledgling network.

"We're extremely pleased to welcome Michael to the Vendare Group team," said Keith J. Cohn, CEO of The Vendare Group. "He brings to Vendare Group a wealth of industry expertise and proven leadership qualities, and he's in a key position to ensure our clients receive the highest level of sales support and counseling with their online media initiatives. Michael has a strong collaborative style and knows how to build and lead successful sales teams. We look forward to a highly productive relationship."

"The Vendare Group's performance-based advertising model uses the Internet innovatively and strategically to help connect companies with potential customers," said Gannon. "I see tremendous opportunity in online advertising and feel like The Vendare Group is the right organization at the right time."

Following Gannon's tenure at ESPN and Speedvision he helped launch PAX TV in 1998, the nation's seventh broadcast network, by serving as Vice President of Network Sales and driving $34 million in revenue during the network's first year. He then spent three years marketing interactive television advertising as the Vice President of Sales for Wink Communications -- where he established the sales team, formulated strategies for long-term growth, and closed major advertiser and agency deals that helped validate this new business model by Wall Street. The company went public in 1999 and was later acquired by OpenTV, a leader in interactive television.

Gannon is a 1975 graduate of Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.

About The Vendare Group


The Vendare Group is a leading online media and performance-based marketing company. With a reach of more than 90 million unique visitors per month, The Vendare Group provides advertisers with a suite of performance-based marketing services structured within four divisions: syndicated media, e-mail marketing, web publishing and search. The company, founded in 1999, is majority-owned by Idealab, a leading creator and operator of technology businesses.

The Vendare Group, which employs over 200 people, is headquartered at 15260 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 2000, Sherman Oaks, Calif., 91403, with additional offices in New York City and Seattle. The company can be reached at 818-817-2100, or on the Web at www.vendaregroup.com.

Contact: The Vendare Group
Brad Copeland, Director of Corporate Communications
(818) 528-2794



Source: The Vendare Group

CONTACT: Brad Copeland, Director of Corporate Communications of The
Vendare Group, +1-818-528-2794

Web site: http://www.vendaregroup.com/


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