About

Rick Parkhill is the founder and Chairman of Poptent. The business concept for Poptent was a result of his many years in the interactive media world and watching his son grow up shooting, editing and producing homemade music videos. Rick recognized early-on that advertisers would have an increasing need for video content and that there was an ever-deepening pool of capable creative talent that was developing outside of agency walls. His vision was to empower that creative community by providing them with real opportunities to demonstrate their skills. Rick gathered friends Neil Perry, Tony Romeo and Richard Bruck to found Poptent in early 2007.

Prior to Poptent, Rick was the founder and CEO of iMedia Communications, the leading information provider and conference producer for interactive media and marketing. iMedia Summits continue to attract leading advertisers, brands, agencies, publishers and vendors throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Rick was a founding executive at Interactive Marketing, Inc. in the mid-‘90s and founded Digitrends Magazine and the popular Camp Interactive events. In 1987, Rick converted a small newsletter he had launched for friends and clients into the first magazine for media and marketing executives. InfoText was a pre-internet publication that covered the emerging Audiotext and Videotext industries.

Rick’s fascination with the evolution of media has driven his career and continues to spark his imagination. An avid surfer, skier, boater and recovering tennis player, Rick loves to spend his time on the water and outdoors with family and friends. He serves on the DMG Worldmedia Board of Governors and is active fundraiser and board member for Pipeline to a Cure, the surfers initiative to end Cystic Fibrosis. He lives in Laguna Niguel with his wife Jeanne, daughter Reilly and nearby children, Andrew and Jennifer.

Nick Pahade is currently serving as Poptent’s CEO. Nick brings two decades of leadership experience across media and digital agencies, eCommerce, and technology platforms with a common focus on unlocking the power of technology as part of an integrated approach to media. As a pioneer of digital marketing with over 17 years’ experience across media and digital agencies, eCommerce and technology platforms - Nick brings a wealth of creative thinking and a long resume of innovative communications solutions. Spearheading Poptent’s efforts to address the surging demand for video content that specifically delivers an authentic voice that is well-produced, Nick provides the vision, experience, and proven leadership needed to accelerate Poptent’s growth while solidifying the company’s role as the industry’s leading social video content community and platform.

Before coming to Poptent, Nick was the President and Chief Executive Officer at Initiative North America, one of the Interpublic Group's (NYSE: IPG) two worldwide media networks and part of the company's Mediabrands unit. At Initiative, Nick’s specific responsibilities were for the agency's U.S. and Canadian operations. Prior to Initiative, Nick was with digital media management platform Traffiq, where he also served as their CEO. Among his many accomplishments, Nick was a driving force behind the success of Traffiq's unique offering that provides media buyers and vendors with a single trading, planning and optimization platform.

Prior to working at Traffiq, Nick was President of TrueAction - part of e-commerce and online tech provider GSI Commerce. During his tenure with TrueAction and GSI he was credited with building the company's digital marketing services division into a leading full-service organization that was later acquired by eBay. Nick also served as President of Denuo, Publicis' digital and futures practice. His impressive career in digital marketing also saw him co-found Beyond Interactive Inc. which he successfully sold to Grey Global Group/WPP. He also led Mediacom Digital as its Managing Director.

Pahade has been recognized by MEDIA Magazine as one of the "Top 50 People to Know in Interactive Marketing". He was also named an Online All-Star by MediaPost and was included in Advertising Age's coveted 40 under 40 list. He is also active in the venture capital area serving in both an advisory role and angel investor to a variety of industry start-ups.

Nick received a Bachelor of Science in Bio-Psychology and Marketing from the University of Michigan. He makes his home in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife, two young girls and a beloved family dog.

Prior to Poptent, Neil was a Vice President of Marketing for Monster.com (Maynard, MA), where he oversaw field marketing, national promotions and sponsorships, and the Small and Medium Business marketing team for this online recruitment company.

Neil is also a 23-year veteran of McDonald’s Corporation (Oak Brook, IL), where he last served as Senior Director of National Marketing, in charge of interactive marketing. Under his leadership, McDonald’s adopted a five-year strategic plan for employing the Internet in its marketing mix, and benefited from Neil’s involvement in a groundbreaking cross-media optimization study.

While at McDonald’s, Neil also led the company’s merchandising, field marketing, and new products marketing units.

An avid motorcyclist, Neil also finds time to play golf... poorly.

Prior to joining Poptent, David served as Manager of Ticket Sales for the Los Angeles Dodgers, advising on strategy and marketing of all ticket packages and revenue offerings. Within the sports and entertainment industry, Mann has also worked with the Anaheim Angeles, Anaheim Ducks, Oakland Raiders and NASCAR. Prior to his sports career he worked in the area of finance. Mann developed a strong background in the finance industry with Lehman Brothers.

When not working David enjoys being outdoors surfing, running & being on the water. He and his wife Joanna reside in Laguna Niguel with their children, Tracy (11) and Joshie (6).

Hi Everyone,
I am Christa Crowe, VP of Sales here at Poptent. My career began in Memphis TN (a long, long, time ago) where I sold radio advertising on SportsPlus 790 WMC, home of the University of Memphis football and basketball radio program. I had a wonderful time selling client sponsorships to our tailgates and "in broadcast" advertising... plus I went to most sporting events for free. Go Tigers! Eventually I was afforded the opportunity to move to SoCal for work, and I have been here ever since. Just prior to Poptent, I spent several years at Careerbuilder.com selling recruitment services and solutions into National Accounts ranging from defense contracts to food service providers. Then I was hit with the Lucky Stick when Poptent found me. I started on my birthday, September 9th, in 2009 and have loved every second of it. Since starting, I have hired 8 new reps across the country and have built an amazing team... the best team. I am a huge animal lover, dogs in particular. I would prefer to do anything and everything outside... especially exercise. I am a big fan of classic rock. To this day, I will often find myself awake at 2am watching Poptent video submissions. We have an amazingly talented community that is constantly impressing me with their creativity... I am happy to be a part of such a wonderful company that cares deeply about both our clients and our community.

Tim most recently served as the Director of Technology for the Philadelphia office of Digitas, Inc. an interactive services company whose fortune 100 clientele demanded both technical and creative excellence. Prior to Digitas, Tim spent time in various Philadelphia interactive agencies helping to define the interactive landscape, working with names such as: Pfizer, Discovery Channel, Universal Studios, AstraZeneca, Merrill Lynch etc.