Reactrix Home Page
 
 
 
 

Management Team


Michael Ribero, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Ribero came to Reactrix with almost 25 years of marketing, international operations and general management experience in packaged goods, travel, media & entertainment and professional services.

The opportunity to build a great new media company around a compelling and potentially game-changing technology drew Ribero to Reactrix, he says, adding, "Everyone talks about changing the world, and with Reactrix, I think we really can."

Prior to joining Reactrix, Ribero served as president of Brierley & Partners, a global leader in customer relationship management solutions. Before Brierley he worked for six years in the video gaming industry as chief marketing officer and general manager at Sega of America, founded Radical Entertainment, was senior vice president and general manager of EA Sports and headed worldwide publishing at Midway Games. He also served as chief marketing and strategy officer for Hilton Hotels Corporation and vice president of marketing programs for Eastern/Continental Airlines after starting his career with Procter & Gamble, working in brand management with brands that included Ivory and Bounce.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he received his degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. Mike and his wife Victoria reside in Palo Alto, CA.

Top of page


Susan Danaher, President, Sales and Marketing
A seasoned veteran of the media industry, Sue Danaher brings more than two decades of branding, research, planning, marketing and sales expertise to her role as president of Reactrix. Her experience with blue chip clients across diverse markets is invaluable in guiding the rapid growth of the revolutionary Reactrix network as it helps define the next generation of media.

One of the cable industry's most influential executives, Sue cultivated a diverse array of cable television networks – MTV, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, TBS, TNT and others – into household names. Playing a key role in establishing cable as a viable medium for top brand advertisers, she developed a distinct talent for defining niche audiences to match target demographics with the right brands across multiple platforms: cable, online, broadband, print and events.

As traditional media loses its ability to captivate consumers – who now have increasingly more control over the ads they see – Reactrix has invented a whole new way to engage audiences where they gather outside the home. With unparalleled media industry experience and relationships, Sue is well-positioned to continue to build upon the company's momentum.

Sue and her husband of 24 years have two children and reside in Connecticut.

Top of page

Matt Bell, Chief Scientist & Founder
Reactrix founder Matt Bell invented the company's core technology as an art project. After observing the fascination and hours of fun it inspired at a party, he was determined to bring the experience to a larger audience – much larger. He quit his job at Google and launched Reactrix.

Bell now leads Reactrix' applied research and advanced product development efforts. He has a keen interest in the uses of computer visioning, machine learning and artificial intelligence, as well as in developing creative new methods of human-computer interaction.

At Google, Bell was a software engineer specializing in using machine learning techniques to improve search engine quality. He also has conducted published research at Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs.

Top of page

Raymond Suarez, Executive VP, Operations & Technology
Raymond Suarez has launched advertising products, digital signage and related services in industries as diverse as transportation, food service, cinema and retail. "A colleague had described the Reactrix network as advertising and entertainment put together, and believed that this was the future. Shortly afterwards, I was at an AMC theater with my son and daughter. When I saw all of the activity surrounding the Reactrix display, I was convinced he was right."

While serving as VP of global operation for Vultron, Inc., he directed hardware and software development, established global supply chains, and introduced patented electronic and wireless applications. As President of Nsight Technologies, he guided business development, product innovation and go-to-market strategies for diverse clients. While working for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, he managed business performance and operational budgets. Early career positions include industrial engineering and program management in aerospace and resource exploration.

Top of page

Doug Barry, Chief Financial Officer
Douglas Barry brings over 30 years of financial expertise to Reactrix. Doug Barry is a partner at the financial services firm at David Powell, Inc., which brings financial experts to growing and start-up companies, and is currently Reactrix' "Interim" CFO. He joined Reactrix in 2007 to help with its explosive growth and for the launch of WAVEscape™, Reactrix' newest product delivering "Wii-like" functionality in a digital signage experience.

"What attracted me to Reactrix was the unusual combination of technology, media, and commerce...and the great people working here."

Mr. Barry's keen understanding of business plan creation and review, cash management and investments, cost analysis and strategic planning are critical to the success of a fast-growing company such as Reactrix, and to the emerging technology and media platforms produced here. He has worked in some of Silicon Valley's great start-up companies including mBlox, Good Technology, Kontiki Inc. and Marimba Inc.

Barry has also been Director, Financial Services at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Vice President, Financial Services at Pollock Financial Group. He began his financial career at Crocker National Bank.

Barry was in service as Lieutenant Commander for the United States Navy, where he was a Russian linguist and conducted Naval Intelligence.

Barry is on the Board Emeritus of Theatre Works, the nationally-acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, and currently lives in Menlo Park with his wife Marie. He holds his J.D and B.A. in Economics from the University of Santa Clara.

Top of page

Jim Bell, Senior VP, National Sales
A seasoned veteran of the media industry, Jim Bell brings more than three decades of consulting, advertising, media planning, branding and sales expertise to his role. His experience working with Fortune 500 brands across a variety of media will help guide the rapid growth of the Reactrix Media Network™.

"Advertisers are increasingly demanding new approaches to reach, connect and establish meaningful relationships with new and existing customers," said Bell. "Reactrix is answering their call by creating a unique and compelling media experience that immediately engages the consumer and, as a result, delivers superior ad metrics such as recall and purchase intent when compared to other media formats. The Reactrix experience is a great solution in today's media marketplace and is revolutionizing the industry as we know it."

Jim Bell joins Reactrix from Insight and Solutions, Inc. where he most recently served as President and CEO. There, he worked with a broad range of media properties including publishing, broadband, television, VOD, digital signage and film to identify, connect, involve and engage audiences in a manner conducive to marketers' needs.

Prior to forming Insight and Solutions in 2003, Jim was Managing Director, Initiative Media North America (a unit of Interpublic) where he developed Initiative 1-2-1 to address the increased emphasis on digital and ROI media. Prior to his appointment at Initiative Media North America, Jim Bell held numerous senior management positions at top tier agencies including MediaCom Worldwide (a unit of Grey Global), Media Connections and Grey Entertainment.

Top of page

Janis Nakano Spivack, VP, Experience Design
Janis Nakano Spivack is an accomplished executive who brings 20-plus years of leadership and award-winning creative work to Reactrix. She has led the design of innovative interactive products and developed traditional and new-media advertising for Fortune 500 companies.

Spivack – who confesses an addiction to new media – has been working in interactive realms since the earliest days of the Web, and she feels the same excitement with Reactrix. "One of the best ways to connect with people is to entertain while informing," she says. "And I love the fact that people can be physically together during the experience. The potential for Reactrix is enormous."

Spivack was the founding chief creative officer of Organic, which she joined in 1997. While there, she built a global team of 150 designers, editors and producers, and established and maintained creative excellence for the firm's 10 international offices. Most recently, she was Vice President, Creative, of There, whose 3D virtual world was dubbed "Best of What's New in 2003" by Popular Science Magazine.

Prior to Organic, Spivack founded goFISH!, an online advertising resource; consulted for Nike.com, Disney.com and Turner New Media; and led the design of breakthrough 3D interactive programming for children at daVinci Time & Space.

Before entering the world of new media, Spivack spent nine years art directing media campaigns for Davis, Ball & Colombatto Advertising in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where her clients included McDonald's, Toyota and Crystal Geyser. Her work has garnered Addy and International Telly awards and recognition by the New York Film and Television Festival.

Top of page

Kimber Sterling, VP, Business Development and International
Sterling comes to Reactrix from TiVo Inc., where he served since early 2003 as the director of advertising and research sales. During his time at TiVo, Sterling turned TiVo's technology into a viable and profitable advertising business which is now the leader in the DVR category.

"Given the market's rapidly increasing demand for strong new advertising platforms that can engage consumers, Reactrix' new advertising technology will be a big hit," said Sterling. "I have never seen a medium as effective as this one at pulling the consumer into a branded message. This is exactly the type of medium advertisers are looking for as they reduce their reliance on traditional, passive media."

Prior to his position at TiVo, Sterling was the national director of marketing for Westwood One, Metro Networks Division. He has also served in a variety of media executive roles at some of the top advertising agencies. Sterling has represented and worked with some of the world's best-known brands over the last two decades.

Top of page

Lauren de la Fuente, VP, Brand Solutions & Marketing

Lauren de la Fuente serves as Reactrix' Vice President of Brand Solutions & Marketing. She is responsible for creating content through media partnerships and branded entertainment and establishing the overall brand positioning and marketing leadership for the company.

Lauren de la Fuente has worked with some of the world's most internationally recognized and celebrated young adult brands. Nike, MTV and the Sci Fi channel have all contributed to her expertise in launching global brands, forging lasting and influential strategic alliances, creating innovative branded programming and developing award-winning creative. De la Fuente has set the pace with each team she has led and been integral to the fullest articulation of each initiative.

As Vice President, Strategic Programming and Marketing Solutions for G4 – Videogame TV, de la Fuente lead the strategic marketing and programming initiatives for the Comcast-owned TV network. Her development of custom programming formed G4's strategy for creating smart, organic and sponsored programming initiatives. Her accomplishments at G4 – in addition to being a member of the original launch team – include the creation of a branded-television show for P+G's Pringles brand, "Cheat! Pringles Gamers Guide"; an "Entertainment Weekly" partnership consisting of both magazine editorial and TV programming, "G4 and EW Present the Top 100 Video Games of All Time"; and the launch of the Xbox 360 "36 Hours to the Xbox 360" premiere which featured a live TV event, podcasting, VOD programming and online extensions. In 2005, she crafted G4's largest partnership deal with a weekly show, "Action Blast," for Fortune 100 toy-maker Hasbro featuring retro-cool brands such as Transformers. De la Fuente also headed up the VOD strategy and programming for G4 which resulted in G4's coveted spot as a top ten VOD provider for Comcast and Time Warner, where customers view more than 10MM pieces of G4 content each month. At G4 she also coined the term "Gamer Generation" to describe the young adult demographic that grew up with a game controller in one hand and a remote control in the other.

Prior to G4, de la Fuente served as Vice President, Creative for USA Network and Sci Fi channel where she established an in-house "creative shop" responsible for all advertising, design, production, photography and collateral for both TV networks. There, she oversaw the award-winning repositioning and rebranding efforts for both Sci Fi Channel and USA Network.

Previous to Sci Fi and USA, de la Fuente was Vice President, Marketing at MTV where she spearheaded all marketing, advertising, communication, branded entertainment programming, public relations and promotional activities for MTV's ad and affiliate clients. She was part of the launch team for MTV2 and interacted with a stable of "best-in-class" young adult marketers including Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Taco Bell, 7-11, Levi's, Sony Playstation, MasterCard, Puma, Adidas, Neutrogena, 20th Century Fox and Coke.

De la Fuente also ran Creative and Regional Marketing for Nike, where she developed a national outreach program and programming extension for the Sundance award-winning film, "Hoop Dreams" and championed Nike's first-ever regional marketing strategy. She also worked at Chiat/Day on the Teddy Ruxpin account, spent time developing the launch strategy and creative direction for VOD pioneer Intertainer and most recently worked for Access 360 Media, an out-of-home media start-up.

De la Fuente's achievements in brand-building and strategic programming have earned her numerous awards including Promax/BDA and CTAM's Mark. She frequently speaks on industry panels and lectures at Colleges and Universities. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder.

"Having been on the launch teams for G4 and MTV2 it is exciting to be part of building another media business."

Top of page

Neal Bangerter, VP, Product Management
Neal brings 14 years of academic and industry experience to Reactrix, and is an expert in identifying and profiling strategic market opportunities.

It is just such an opportunity that attracted him to Reactrix: "As consumers gain more control over their media experiences, traditional forms of advertising are giving way to those that engage consumers in new and exciting ways. Out-of-home advertising is no exception; it will become more engaging, more personalized, and more connected with time. In my view, Reactrix is ideally positioned to capitalize on that transition."

Neal holds a degree in Physics from U.C. Berkeley, an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, and began his career as a software developer for a Silicon Valley startup. Prior to joining Reactrix, Neal helped lead Microsoft's Surface product business planning effort, identifying target market segments for the product launch, developing key partnerships and building strategic alignment across the group. Before Microsoft, Neal was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, a product management consultant to Cadence Design Systems, and has held several other positions in both industry and academia.

Top of page

Chris Betts, VP, Corporate Development
Chris brings 20 years of successful business and corporate development as well as finance experience to Reactrix. "It is rare that you have the opportunity to help champion a new technology or medium; Reactrix provides the chance to do both."

After serving as an investment manager in a private equity fund out of business school, Chris began his operating company career as a corporate development executive for Vodafone, the world's largest wireless communications carrier. He continued his strategic transaction work with Inktomi and Digital Path Networks. Chris has broad experience in equity and debt investments, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, revenue channel development and other strategic transactions.

Chris enjoys outdoor activities including fly fishing, golfing and skiing, as well as taking his two-year-old daughter to the park.

Top of page

Michael Harshfield, VP, Field Operations & Supply Chain
Michael Harshfield joined Reactrix in 2005 and is responsible for deploying Reactrix technology worldwide, leading the Customer Care organization and managing the company's supply chain.

Harshfield has more than 20 years of experience in management, technology deployment, operations and management analysis. As director, U.S. IT Deployment for McDonald's Corporation, he managed the deployment and installation of new technologies across 13,000 McDonald's locations. Harshfield was responsible for the deployment of Wi-Fi services, high-speed connectivity, digital merchandizing, interior and drive-thru menu boards, as well as dynamic advertising and window displays, among other technology enhancements that represented more than $50 million in capital investment.

"I have evaluated emerging technologies and new media platforms for many years, and immediately knew that Reactrix was different when I saw shoppers deeply engaged with branded entertainment on the interactive media displays for the first time," says Harshfield. "As the Reactrix media network continues to expand, the new medium has incredible potential to make a real impact for advertisers by effectively connecting millions of consumers with brands through dynamic and highly entertaining spots in out-of-home public venues, like retails stores and malls."

Harshfield earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Quality Management from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Economics and Political Science from Northeastern University.

Top of page

Donna Lekosky, Corporate Controller
Donna Lekosky has extensive financial experience in public accounting and startups. Half of her career was spent in public accounting, giving her a solid grounding in finance and tax. She left public accounting to join an international tradeshow company, currently part of MediaLive International. There, she established accounting policies and procedures, managed the worldwide accounting organization and played a key role in acquisitions.

Donna loves the startup environment: the energy, creativity and teamwork. At women.com, an early Internet website for women, she served as VP of Finance, managing the company from startup through IPO.

Top of page