Hi. I'm Ro.
Welcome to RoMade, a collection of recipes I wrote for family and friends.
Welcome to RoMade, a collection of recipes I wrote for family and friends.
I am a digital business and marketing executive with a passion for storytelling through content. I am entrepreneurial by nature and have grown digital businesses in various forms for the past 20 years. On the side, I love to cook and eat with family and friends.
1998-2000
Almost 20 years ago I set up the databases for Barnes & Noble.com so we could communicate with our customers and find out who they were, what they read and sell them more products including books, movies and experiences. We practically invented email marketing.
2000-2004
Jumping at the chance to learn something new, I joined two former bn.com colleagues at the boutique investment bank, Gruppo, Levey & Co. where I leveraged my contacts and learned the art of M&A. In this role, I saw the business through the eyes of the CEO and gained a better appreciation for the "bigger picture" and long term needs of a company.
2004-2007
I missed the operational side and took a leadership position at the Reader's Digest Association where I was named the General Manager of the Digital Business Group. I oversaw the digital operations including editorial, marketing, technology, and project management. During this tenure, I was part of our first ever multi media product launch, Every Day with Rachael Ray.
2007-2014
Rachael Ray and I entered a business partnership and I created her digital business, Rachael Ray Digital LLC, which included her website, rachaelray.com. I brokered a partnership with Scripps Networks to represent the ad inventory of the site and I launched an ecommerce solution to sell Ms Ray's pots, pans and pantry items. The business was almost immediately profitable. While there, I also launched the website for her charity, Yum-o!, and produced her popular music-meets-food event, Feedback.
2014-2017
For four years I held the title of General Manager, Digital for Crain's New York Business, the premiere news source for New York City businesses. This was my first experience in a true b to b environment and a real news organization, both of which I loved. I presided over the digital operations for the company and had full P&L responsibility including the digital ad sales and ecommerce revenue. My most recent project was integrating artificial intelligence into our content management and ad serving tools.
After 6 months I was promoted to oversee marketing and branding, mainly because one of the first things I did upon joining the company was to rebrand the site and create a consistent brand experience. I created the visual style guide, media kit and proposal templates used by the sales reps.
While at Crain's, thinking of the business and how to reach new audiences, I created and inked a distribution partnership for a TV show, called Crain's New York Stories which aired for 6 seasons. We interviewed business owners in the 5 boroughs of NYC. You can watch the sizzle reel here. I also created a b to b trade show called Made in New York, in partnership with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets featuring business in NY State in the food and beverage industries.
2018-Present
I am currently the Chief Operating Officer and Publisher of TheaterMania.com and WhatsOnStage.com. These media brands bring theater news, reviews, videos and other information to consumers globally. We also host a comprehensive listing of shows in N America and the UK and for the ultimate theater nerds, we have a Membership Club.
I oversee these businesses and manage the NYC office. I run the P&L which includes advertising, memberships and affiliate revenue while operating with a profit. We are proudly owned by the Canadian ticketing company, AudienceView, which has experienced massive growth in the last 12 months and is now the third largest ticketing company in the world.
Connect with me on LinkedIn.