NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Robocast Inc. founder Damon C. Torres, the inventor of the now ubiquitous AutoPlay for Streaming, announced the appointment of senior investment professional Ed Robertiello as Interim President. He is joined by incoming Robocast advisory board chairman Charles Millard, and both Woody Freiman and Peter “Rafe” Rafelson as advisors. Before assuming his current role as interim president, Robertiello served as an advisor to Robocast where he helped plan for the team to scale, onboarding Bruce Barnet and Joel Bluestein as additions to its board of directors, and leading efforts to bring in a host of other investors, staffers, and advisors who will be announced soon.
“I look forward to working further with the board, staffers, stakeholders, and advisors during this exciting period of innovation for Robocast. The platform that Robocast has built largely in secret for years is going to change the whole media landscape when we formally launch in 2022,” said Robertiello. “Damon literally invented the “Automated Browsing System for Publishers and Users…” which we know as AutoPlay for Streaming today. To date, his predictions on the adoption and evolution of this groundbreaking technology have been spot on. We’re here to support his passion and vision of what’s to come and to turn many more of his lucrative ideas into reality -- while providing fair trade solutions -- in the near future.”
Robocast’s Interim President
- Ed Robertiello, CFA has built and led investment platforms for some of the most prestigious asset management firms in the industry. During his time at Blackstone, he was instrumental in creating BAAM, the firm’s $60 billion hedge fund affiliate. For Credit Suisse Asset Management, he restructured and ran the $25 billion global alternatives platform where he managed a team of 65 professionals around the world. Robertiello is also credited with developing the alternative strategies business for Russell Investments, the third largest outsourced CIO provider globally with over $300 billion in assets under management. Further, Ed restructured the Absolute Return Strategies allocations and created the Multi Asset Class portfolio platform at CalPERS, North Americas largest pension fund with over $400 billion in assets under management. Robertiello serves as the Chief Investment Officer for Blueprint Capital Advisor.
Robocast Board of Directors
- Inventor of AutoPlay for Streaming, Damon C. Torres is the Chairman and CEO of Robocast Inc. While earning a degree from New York University’s Film & TV program in 1983, he started his first company, ExpoVideo ShowTapes, whose clients included the very first PC Expo. As a pioneering multimedia producer, Torres and his teams created some of the world’s first examples of CD-ROMs for Toshiba; Digital Pre-Press for Esquire, The Simpsons and Disney magazines; and early websites for the French Government, Economist Group and Toshiba. In his role as an inventor, with invaluable guidance from his teams, Torres created settlement deals after three years in court with Microsoft and Apple – companies that Robocast sued for patent infringement. In addition, he is an editor of RoboGuide and a board member of Earth Day Initiative which holds global events and actions from its base in New York City.
- Joel Bluestein is an early supporter of Robocast through advice, investments and ideas. Bluestein co-authored Robocast’s Ethical AI plans. Bluestein is a world-touring, multi-instrumental pro musician, producer and entrepreneur, with decades of experience as a venture investor. His family holdings include iconic New York real estate and several innovative companies. Among many accomplishments, he designed, built, and managed the Dreamland Recording Studios in Woodstock, NY, which opened in 1983 and remains in operation today. Bluestein is a lifetime member of the American Sustainable Business Council/Social Venture Circle. Bluestein has served on the boards of The Open Center of New York and WhoWhatWhy, and co-founded The Alternative Guitar Summit which attracts the top names in the guitar virtuoso world.
- Bruce Barnet has spent more than 25 years as a principal investor and board member of numerous growth companies and start-ups. He spent more than two decades at Time, Inc. in strategic planning, development and publishing, and served as president of Time, Inc. Magazines Asia. Barnet has previously held CEO roles at Cowles Enthusiast Media and Cahners Business Information. Barnet first became involved with Robocast in 2000 as an investor, referred by a leading investment bank. After advising the company for more than a decade, Barnet recently agreed to join the board of directors. He currently serves on the boards of Robocast, Natural Commerce and Shotzoom, in addition to serving as an advisor to JEGI Clarity and Good Cell.
Robocast Advisory Board
- Charles Millard is chair of Robocast’s advisory board and has held leadership roles in both the public and private sectors for more than three decades. He is the former Director and CEO of the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. appointed by President George W. Bush; and was a tech-focused investment banker for Prudential Securities; President of BP Direct Securities; and a Managing Director in charge of pension relations at Citigroup. Millard also served as a City Council Member and Commissioner of Economic Development for the City of New York. Millard led the City's efforts to support New York’s Silicon Alley, where he was among the first to hear of Robocast in the mid-nineties.
- Robocast investor and sports media executive Woody Freiman has been awarded dozens of Emmys at both the national and local levels as a producer, director and executive in sports television over 4 decades. He has been at the forefront of the transition of television production from the analog to the digital realm. Woody has been an innovator in many aspects including graphics, camera positions and replay executions. He has worked at ABC Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, NFL and was part of the team that launched the YES Network, the most successful RSN in the country. Woody has worked on almost every sports event imaginable including 6 Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series and Kentucky Derby as well as supervising The Rites of Autumn, a ten-hour documentary on the history of college football, and two acclaimed series for YES, Yankeeography and CenterStage. Freiman is currently the VP of Production and Programming at the YES Network.
- Peter (Rafe) Rafelson is an entertainment, tech and business entrepreneur, platinum RIAA & ASCAP award winning artist, writer, director and producer, and active in media and technology sectors. Rafelson has written, produced and mixed over thirty #1 hit songs (including Madonna’s biggest hit, “Open Your Heart”) for artists like Tyga, Ty$, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Madonna, The Go-Go’s and Britney Spears. As the son of iconic film producer/director Bob Rafelson (“Easy Rider,” “Five Easy Pieces” and The Monkees), he grew up in the heart of the Hollywood movie industry before starting his own career in music.
ABOUT ROBOCAST
Robocast Inc. is a technology company whose mission is to AUTOMATE THE NET® so people can PLAY THE WEB®. Founder Damon Torres invented an “Automated Browsing System…” commonly known today as “AutoPlay for Streaming.” Products and services available for licensing – and prepping for a formal public relaunch – include RoboSearchsm, Robocast Socialsm, RoboFeedrsm and soon-to-be announced new features. Its patent portfolio has been licensed to leading media companies such as music video distributor Vevo. Robocast provides licensing, content and education. For more information, visit www.robocast.com.
