

Tony
Thomas – Partner
Tony Thomas is a partner with Syncom Venture Partners,
a venture capital firm based in Silver Spring, Md.,
that has approximately $450 million in capital under
management. Syncom Venture Partners invests in early-stage
media and communications companies primarily in underserved
markets. During the past 30 years Syncom Venture Partners
has generated significant returns through investments
in firms like BET, Radio One, Z Spanish Radio, TV
One and Iridium Satellite. Tony serves as the Director
for a number of Syncom’s portfolio companies,
including Maya Entertainment, Heatwave Interactive,
Simmons Lathan Media Group and now Voyages North America.
Before joining Syncom, Tony served as an Investment
Analyst for the Southern California Edison Retirement
Plan. While he was at Southern California Edison,
Tony was primarily responsible for directing the investment
of a $150 million private equity portfolio and a $500
million international equity allocation. Tony completed
Wells Fargo Bank's Loan Officer Development Program
and was a Credit Analyst in the Los Angeles Regional
Commercial Banking Office of Wells Fargo. Tony holds
a master’s degree from Penn State University
and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting
from Loma Linda University.
Syncom Website: click
here
Stanley Smith –
Partner
Stan Smith is a Principal with Syncom Venture Partners
and currently serves as a director for a several of
Syncom’s portfolio companies, including Heatwave
Interactive and Voyage North America. Before joining
Syncom, Stan served as a Director of Corporate Development
for Yahoo!'s Search Marketing Group, where he was
responsible for co-leading the strategic corporate
development efforts for Yahoo!’s advertiser
and publisher marketplaces. He also served as Director
of Mergers and Acquisitions for Overture Inc.
Before that Stan worked for Vivendi Universal as Director
of Strategic Business Development for Universal Music
Group’s eLabs and Manager of Corporate Development
for Universal Corporate. His broad experience at Vivendi
extended across film, television (production and cable),
music, theme parks, interactive gaming and concerts.
Stan started his professional career working in investment
banking for Paine Webber and Merrill Lynch after graduating
from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree
in history.
Syncom Website: click
here
Bill La Macchia Jr.
– Partner
Since 2001, Bill La Macchia, Jr. has been serving
as Chief Operating Officer of La Macchia Enterprises
and The Mark Travel Corporation, but the travel business
has always been in his blood. Bill's grandfather Edmund
La Macchia started a travel agency in 1931 in Kenosha,
Wis., that was dedicated to helping Italian families
immigrate to the United States and get established
in America. As a child Bill helped out in the family
agency, stamping brochures and learning about the
business from the ground floor up. In 1974 Bill's
father, Bill La Macchia, formed a travel company of
his own, Funway Holidays, which is today known as
Funjet Vacations and is the flagship brand for The
Mark Travel Corporation. Bill has made his own mark
in the tourism industry, with senior management positions
at leading Las Vegas hoteliers, an airline, and recently
returns to La Macchia Enterprises and The Mark Travel
Corporation.
Mark Travel Website: click here
Lee deBoer – Partner
Founder and Managing Partner of Propeller Partners,
LLC, Lee deBoer is a media veteran with broad experience
in television, cable and new media with a unique focus
on developing new products and brands. From 1976 to
1995 Lee served at Time-Warner's Home Box Office,
where he was one of the principal architects of the
company's expansion and growth. Lee was responsible
for the development and launch of Cinemax, Comedy
Central, HBO Multiplex, HBO Ole, HBO Hungary and HBO
Asia. He was Executive Vice President of HBO, President
of HBO International and President of Time-Warner
International Broadcasting before he established Media
Futures, a multimedia consultancy, in 1995.
In
1997 Lee was recruited to be the CEO of New Century
Network, the venture established by the nine largest
newspaper companies to build a national network on
the Internet. He also served as CEO of Automatic Media,
an Internet media and software company. In 2003 Lee
co-founded Propeller Partners LLC, a boutique strategic
advisory services firm serving a wide range of media
and entertainment companies. From 2005 to 2007 Lee
served as Chairman of the Board of Life Balance Media.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Americas for
the Digital Rights Group, an international television
distribution company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
In addition, Lee is a director of Stockgroup Information
Systems, Inc., and Priva Technologies
Ana Mims – Partner
Born in Havana, Ana Mollinedo Mims is a seasoned corporate
executive with expertise in numerous industries, including
pharmaceuticals and health care, hospitality and travel,
telecommunications, cement, manufacturing, agrichemical,
media and retail. She has worked for Fortune 500 and
FTSE companies for almost 25 years at a senior level
and has built a solid track record of working with
CEOs, boards and executive teams to increase market
share using innovative strategies, build strategic
partnerships and alliances, develop e-commerce strategies
and increase emerging market presence. Ana has worked
with Monsanto, Eli Lilly, CEMEX, Starwood Hotels &
Resorts and Cable & Wireless.
Ana is currently Managing Director for The Hunting
Ridge Group, a corporate communication consulting
firm based in the United States and London. She has
appeared on the Today show and has been widely quoted
and featured in esteemed publications, including The
Wall Street Journal, Crain’s New York Business,
Fortune, Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity,
Inc., Catalina magazine, Workforce magazine, Latina
Style magazine and Black Enterprise magazine. Ana
holds two bachelor’s degrees from Barry University
as well as a master’s degree in finance from
Nova Southeastern University. Ana is a published author
and sits on several philanthropic boards.
Michael
McNabb – Chairman/CEO
Michael McNabb has a demonstrated record of achievement
as an entrepreneur, senior executive in a corporate
environment and as a senior partner in a management-consulting
firm. His experience includes managing the turnaround
of TVSN, the Australian home shopping channel; the
restructuring of the Asian operations of Bacardi Martini,
the international premium spirits company; and the
development of China’s leading management-consulting
resource. In addition to his management experience,
Michael has been actively involved in a number of
venture and early stage investments as a founder or
director. A graduate of Stanford University, he speaks
Mandarin Chinese and Tagalog.
John Pasmore - President
John Pasmore has been creating content across platforms
and managing media enterprises for more than a decade.
Before joining Voyage, John served as the Managing
Director of The Run Group, an experiential marketing
agency based in New York, creating custom on and off-line
activations for an array of marketing objectives serving
clients such as Anheuser Busch, Scion and Cingular/AT&T.
From 1995 to 2004, John partnered with Russell Simmons
of Def Jam Records to create Oneworld Media Inc. and
served as President of the Company. The company published
Oneworld magazine, which garnered awards for its art
direction and groundbreaking content, and secured
a lucrative co-production partnership with Hearst
Magazines.
John
created and served as Executive in Charge of Production
for Russell Simmons Oneworld Music Beat, a television
series that was co-produced with Warner Brothers Television,
and serves as Executive Producer of nContrast, a weekly
entertainment program that currently airs in more
than 15 million homes. John, 44, is married with one
child. He studied business administration at the State
University of New York and attended Columbia University’s
School of General Studies with a focus in English.
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