The Team
Management Team
Johnny Boston, President and Chief Creative Officer
Johnny has over fifteen years of experience in developing and producing television, film, and web content. He is also the founder of Raw Media Network and Raw Films. Johnny utilizes this background in traditional film and video, to create unique and cutting edge new media content with a distinct visual flair and commitment to telling a compelling story.
Johnny’s eclectic background includes producing and directing music videos for artists such as DMX, Eve, and Jadakiss; producing and directing feature documentaries; tribute films, and corporate communication tools for global organizations such as The Clinton Foundation, Amnesty International, and the United Nations. See his full biography here.
Colleen Ryan, VP Marketing and Integrations
Colleen is a graduate of Emerson College and has been working with Raw Digital since its inception in 2007 where she was an integral part of developing the company’s mission and brand identity. Previously, she had worked with Johnny Boston through Raw Media Network where she produced marketing videos for top level clients such as IKEA, Moet Hennessey, Hotel Gansevoort, Jergens, Kahlua, Brides.com, and The Clinton Foundation, among others.
Colleen has a background in marketing, design, and production which gives her a unique perspective when creating multi-platform branded content. She has produced and developed marketing programs for several documentary films including the award-winning feature, “My Name is Alan…” and “Mr. Philadelphia”. In addition, she has helped develop integrated marketing programs for clients such as Fox Television Studios, Hearst Digital, and CosmoGirl Magazine, as well as producing branded video programs for Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Partnership for a Drug Free America, among others.
Christine Fulton, VP of Operations
Christine is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and is an Independent Media Production Professional based out of Connecticut and New York City. She was the executive producer on the documentary ‘My Name is Alan, and I Paint Pictures.’
In the past she has served as a director of the Highland Search Group (which was sold to TMP Worldwide), a consultant for Village Ventures, Vice President for Elematics (telecom software company backed by Warburg Pincus and other VC firms), and a consultant at CRS Associates.
Melissa Chesman, VP of Development
Melissa is a graduate of Northwestern University (’93) and holds a degree in Film, Television, and Radio. Previously she held positions in marketing at Fine Line Features, and story development at New Line Cinema.
For four years she was VP of development at Redeemable Features and head of the production company Chimera Films.
Creative Team
Doug Donovan is a graduate of the University of Delaware (’93) and has worked previously as a correspondent for the Philadelphia Enquirer, Forbes Magazine, and the Baltimore Sun. He currently writes for Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times, and Delaware Today. He was also a researcher on a commemorative project for the NYPD Museum where he researched and wrote the three-floor exhibit commemorating the one-year anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11 for the New York Police Department Museum in downtown Manhattan.
Chad Gervich is a television producer, published author, and award-winning playwright who spent five years as a development executive and producer with the Littlefield Company, former NBC president Warren Littlefield’s production company with Paramount Television (now with ABC). Chad created and produced the Style Network’s hit comedy/reality series, Foody Call, executive produced Celebrity Drive-By, a talk show pilot for E! Entertainment, and wrote and produced on Fox Reality Channel’s talk/sketch/variety show, Reality Binge (from Weller/Grossman Productions). He also created Dirty Laundry, an internet soap for Fox TV Studios, and wrote and produced Wig Out, an online sitcom for Warner Brothers. Chad has worked in development at NBC Studios, Sony Pictures, CBS Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox. His stage plays have been produced across the country, and his writing appears regularly in Daily Variety, Fade In, Moving Pictures, Writer’s Digest and Orange Coast, as well as several other nationally available books and magazines.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1941257/
James Hyman is a graduate of the University of London (’92) holding a degree in Film and Media. Previously he held positions as a producer and director at MTV Networks and MTV Europe where he was responsible for programming MTV’s dance culture shows from 1988-2000. He was also a producer and presenter at GCap Media from 2000 to 2007. He also worked for Nuts TV, and is the chair of his own company JLH Music supplying content to a variety of media outlets and distributors.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1340473/
Scott Sonneborn is a graduate of Princeton University (’93), and is an independent writing and editing profession based out the Los Angeles area. His numerous television writing credits include ‘Beavis and Butthead,’ ‘Celebrity Deathmatch,’ and ‘The New Tom Green Show,’ among others.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1032829/
Jason Hefter is a graduate of Duke University (’94), and is a writer for film and television living in Los Angeles. Among his writing credits are ‘TV Land’s Ultimate Fan Search,’¬† head writer for ‘Bernard’s Watch’ and the Fox Television pilot ‘Have You Slept With Me?.’ He also served as a consulting producer on ‘Hey! Spring of Trivia’ for Spike.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0373651/
Ben Yarrow is a speechwriter and communications consultant based in New York City. Ben Yarrow has more than seven years of communications experience at the highest levels of the political, public, and nonprofit sectors. Ben has helped former heads of state, celebrities, political candidates, and prominent office-holders craft speeches for high-profile events around the world. His work on behalf of national and international figures has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and TIME magazine. Prior to founding Yarrow Communications, Ben was Director of Communications for the William J. Clinton Foundation and the office of former President Bill Clinton. In that capacity, Ben served as speechwriter and spokesperson for the former President, and worked in the intersecting arenas of philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and politics.
Advisory Board
Alexander J. Pasik, Ph.D. is the Chief Information Officer of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Dr. Pasik’s career has focused on research, advisory services, and management of information technology. He has published and presented extensively on trends in IT and their affect on business models, processes, and fundamental industry shifts. He has furthermore applied the results of his research to delivering value to clients and investors. He has been a partner at Ernst & Young, a strategic advisor to the senior management at Bain & Company, the VP and Director of IT Equity Research at Lazard Freres, and VP and Research Director at Gartner Group. He has also served on the Board of Advisors of several early stage and public companies. Dr. Pasik is also Adjunct Associate Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University..
Flora Schnall is a retired partner of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. She has served as president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, as chair of the Real Property Section of the New York State Bar Association, and as chair of the Real Property Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She founded and was the editor of Metes & Bounds, a publication of the Real Property Committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and served on the editorial board of The Practical Lawyer. She has also served on the board of directors of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York and is a director and member of the Executive Committee of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. She has contributed articles to numerous publications, including the ABA Journal, the New York Law Journal, and The Practical Real Estate Lawyer. B.A., Smith College J.D., Harvard Law School
Al Cattabiani is the owner of 1409 Entertainment and Garagista Music. Formerly he was President/CEO of Wellspring Media, a company he co-founded in 1993 and sold in 2004. Wellspring, now controlled by The Weinstein Company, was a leading independent distributor — worldwide, in all media — of arthouse cinema and programming promoting holistic living. Its library of over 700 titles included many Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winners. Before starting Wellspring, Al served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Los Angeles-based Pacific Arts Corporation, where he helped create the PBS Home Video label. He serves on the boards of the Global Film Initiative, a non-profit foundation to assist filmmakers in developing countries; and of Acorn Media Group, a distribution and direct-marketing company based in DC, London and Sydney.
David Gitow was the Chief Marketing Strategist for Barnes and Noble. Previously, he was at Time, Inc. for thirteen years where he founded and was president of Time, Inc. Home Entertainment. He also served as Consumer Marketing Director for Time Magazine. Previous to joining Barnes & Noble, Mr. Gitow was the chief marketing officer for Enews.com Magazine.  He is a graduate of Vassar College and the J.L Kellogg School of Business.
David Parmet is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton¬† and, is a public relations consultant and the owner of Marketing Begins at Home, LLC,. Previously he was Environics Communications, The Austin Lawrence Group, and Brodeur Worldwide. David is a frequently sought after speaker on the subject of social media and its impact on marketing in particular and society in general. He has been interviewed by National Public Radio”s Marketplace, Businessweek, the Austin Chronicle and elsewhere, and has spoken at several conferences including the Public Relations Society of America’s Technology Section Conference, Syndicate, Web 2.0 Expo, South By South West Interactive, BlogOrlando and the New Communications Forum.
David Berkowitz is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton, and is the director of emerging media and client strategy at the digital marketing firm 360i He previously held positions as the director of marketing for iCrossing and Unicast. He is an expert in mobile, online, and interactive marketing as well as blogs and rich media.
Gary Cohen is a graduate of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business Administration. He is the founder and CEO of Speakery, a firm which specializes in business sales and optimization strategies. Previously he was Chief of Staff for Global Institutional Service Sales for Deutsche Bank, and Head of Pension Product Management for Citi, where he was responsible for $600 billion in assets. He also founded the marketying consultant firm Crayon, as well as Hole-in-One Consulting Services. His areas of expertise include digital marketing strategy, strategy formulation, competitive analysis, website optimization, user experience, usability, business plans, sales strategy, consultative selling, solving business issues, and¬† product development.
Myron Kandel is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and was the founding financial editor and economic commentator for CNN. Previously he served as a copy editor and later financial reporter atThe New York Times, as well as business editor of The Washington Star, foreign correspondent for The New York Herald Tribune, and also held the position of editor and president of The New York Law Journal. Before helping to launch CNN he was the financial editor for The New York Post.