Corporate Governance

Chairman of the Board

W. Kip Speyer has been our CEO, President and Chairman of the Board since May 2010. From 2005 to 2009 Mr. Speyer served as a director, the president and chief executive officer of Speyer Door and Window, LLC, which was sold to Haddon Windows, LLC (SecuraSeal, LLC, AccuWeld Corporation) in December 2009. From October 2002 to May 2005 Mr. Speyer had been a private investor. Mr. Speyer was president and chief executive officer of Intelligent Systems Software, Inc. (ISSI) from October 2000 through June 2002, whereby Mr. Speyer became chief executive officer of ICAD, Inc. (ICAD: Nasdaq) which was a combination of ISSI and Howtek, Inc. (HOWT:Nasdaq). Mr. Speyer was the president and chief executive officer of Galileo Corporation (GAEO: Nasdaq) from 1998 to 1999. Galileo Corporation changed its name to NetOptix (OPTX: Nasdaq) and was merged with Corning Corporation (GLW: NYSE) in a stock purchase in May 2000. From 1996 to 1998 Mr. Speyer was the president of Leisegang Medical Group, three medical device companies owned by Galileo Corporation. Prior to joining Galileo Corporation, Mr. Speyer founded Leisegang Medical, Inc. and served as its president and chief executive officer from 1986 to 1996. Leisegang Medical, Inc. was a company specializing in medical devices for women’s health. From 1982 to 1985 Mr. Speyer served as president of Hays Medical Companies, a six-company multi-national and part of the Hays Group. Mr. Speyer is a graduate of Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1972. Mr. W. Kip Speyer is the father of Mr. Todd F. Speyer.

Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bright Mountain Media, Inc.

Matt Drinkwater is a digital executive with extensive, progressively advancing leadership experience at iconic high-tech brands Buzzfeed, Twitter, Groupon, Yahoo, AOL, and Lycos. He consistently demonstrated his agility in working across publishing, platform, format, and AdTech mediums, collaborating with diverse domestic and international stakeholders to deliver on and surpass goals.

Most recently Senior Vice President, International, of BuzzFeed, Matt was previously in Agency Development and Global Accounts, Twitter, Miami, and Head of Twitter’s Global Online Sales in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Matt relocated to Sao Paulo to found and grow Twitter Brazil, becoming fluent in Portuguese by learning the language virtually on his own; he is also proficient in Spanish. A dynamic and engaging presenter, he even conducted keynote speeches in Portuguese.

Before joining Twitter, Matt’s influential roles included VP of Groupon Inc., East Coast; Senior Director of Sales, New England and Canada, at Yahoo; and Regional Sales Director, Boston, and Account Director, Atlanta, at AOL. His leadership talents were evident early on in his career when he earned promotions to management at Lycos and AOL.

Matt excels at designing strategies and scalable solutions to complex business problems and bringing divergent voices together in alignment with visions, values, and goals. His expertise includes operations optimization, business management, international sales, talent acquisition and development, product enhancements, strategic partnerships, Go-to-Market, coaching and mentoring, and global team leadership.

Examples of feedback: “You…helped unify teams, create amazing cultures and a strong sense of community across all our international markets.” (Head of International Content). “You have been a leader who both defines a mission but also makes each and every employee under you feel like a true partner in that mission.” (Head of EU Content). “You brought international together in a way that one else could…I learned a lot from you about supporting revenue.” (Head of Intl. Video Operations).

SVP Revenue Operations for Bright Mountain Media, Inc

Todd F. Speyer has been a member of the board of directors and an employee of our company since January 2011.  Currently serving as the company’s SVP of Revenue Operations, Mr. Speyer previously served as CEO of Bright Mountain, LLC, the company’s Technology Division.  Under his leadership, the Technology Division achieved 250% plus growth in 2022.

Prior to serving as CEO, Todd had various roles including COO, and VP, Digital that oversaw in-house digital operations including content, ad operations, direct sales, indirect sales, and partner programs.

Prior to joining our company, Mr. Speyer was the marketing and product manager for Speyer Door and Window from 2005 to 2009.

Mr. Speyer graduated from Florida State University in 2004 with a BA in English Literature.

Director, Chairwoman of Audit Committee, Member of Governance and Nominating Committee.

Pamela Parizek has over 30 years of experience advising corporate boards, audit committees, c-suite executives and outside counsel on complex accounting, legal and regulatory matters. She is a JD/CPA, certified in financial forensics, and previously served in the enforcement division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and led the Washington, DC forensic practice of a Big Four accounting firm. Pamela has led numerous investigations involving public companies, private entities and charitable foundations and her findings have been presented to U.S. and foreign regulatory authorities – in compliance with restrictive data protection and privacy regimes around the world. She has also provided forensic assistance to audit engagement teams on fraud risk, accounting irregularities and alleged illegal acts. Pamela serves on the Board of Directors of Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and on the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She previously served on the boards of Global Kids, Inc. and the SEC Historical Society. Ms. Parizek holds a JD from Northwestern University School of Law and a BA from Harvard College.

Director, Chairwoman of Finance and Business Strategies, Chairwoman of Compensation Committee, Member of Acquisition Committee.

Gretchen Tibbits joined Progress Partners in 2020 as a Managing Director. She brings over 25 years of general management, strategy, branding, acquisition, and finance & operations experience in consumer facing businesses to the boutique investment bank.

Prior to joining Progress Partners, Tibbits was the President and Chief Operating Officer of LittleThings which she took to a sale in 2018. At LittleThings, her responsibilities included oversight and mentoring of the 100+ person team in conjunction with the CEO; acting as spokesperson at national and international conferences and to the press; launching the Direct Sales strategy; leading board relations; management of finance & operations; and establishing strategic relationships with other major media companies.

Tibbits has worked for a diverse group of companies including Hearst, StyleCaster, Maxim, ESPN, WorkingWomanNetwork, and Inc. She is recognized as a brand builder and an industry thought leader and has been named to the Folio 100 and is a Digital Hall of Fame honoree.

Tibbits holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Management from NYU, where she was a Stern Scholar, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols Scholar and a Lawn Resident, and for which she serves on a number of volunteer boards.

She is on the board of the Tectonic Theatre Project, a proud resident of Harlem, a theater lover, a wine collector, and an avid traveler.

Director, Chairman of Acquisition Committee, Member of Audit Committee, Member of Compensation Committee.

Harry D. Schulman has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2019. For more than 20 years he has served on multiple boards including Baird Capital, a private equity firm managing over $3 billion, Hancock Fabrics, Inc., O2 Media, Inc., QEP and HeZhong International Holdings. He holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Miami and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Dayton.