INDIANAPOLIS, IN - June 14, 2010 - ChaCha, the popular free answers service that has delivered quick, accurate answers to over half a billion questions, today announced that it has expanded its West Coast sales operations by adding three new members. Michael Klein has been named Director of Sales, while Tiffany Ashland and Kevin Blaine have been named Senior Account Executives. All are newly created positions. They will be based in Los Angeles and report to Steve Goldstein, ChaCha’s New York-based Chief Revenue Officer.
“ChaCha has gained significant momentum with major brands leveraging our platforms and unique relationships with teens and young adults,” says Mr. Goldstein. “With these new members, we have expanded our depth in the digital and entertainment arenas, and are ready to escalate sales operations on the West Coast.”
Mr. Klein has been named Director of Sales for ChaCha’s West Coast team. Before joining ChaCha, he was VP, Sales at NationalLampoon.com in West Hollywood, where he was the driving force in attracting entertainment advertisers to their Humor Network. He is responsible for bringing in new business from G4 and E! Entertainment and category leaders including NBC, Fox, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures and Home Entertainment and Warner Brothers Home Video. Mr. Klein received a B.S. in Broadcasting from the College at Brockport (New York).
Prior to joining ChaCha, Ms. Ashland was a top Sales Executive for YuMe, a leading video advertising technology company based in Redwood City, California that represents over 500 premium publishers including MSN, NBC and Fox News. Ms. Ashland has been a top Senior Account Executive on the West Coast for over 7 years and received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Blaine brings over eight years of experience in the digital advertising space. Before joining ChaCha, Blaine was an Account Executive for C&A Advertising in Los Angeles, and earlier, for the Travel Ad Network in Los Angeles. He holds degrees in Psychology and Business from East Carolina University.
ChaCha (www.chacha.com) has emerged as the #1 way for advertisers and marketers to engage teens and young adults. Through its unique “smart friend” platform, ChaCha has answered over 400 million questions since launch from over 12 million unique users per month via SMS text (242-242™), online, Twitter (@chacha), Facebook, iPhone app, and voice (1-800-2-ChaCha™). Working with major brands such as Paramount, AT&T, Palm, Johnson&Johnson, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Presidential political campaigns, ChaCha.com is one of the fastest growing mobile and online publishers according to Nielsen and Quantcast.
ChaCha was founded by proven innovator and entrepreneur, Scott Jones, and is funded by Bezos Expeditions, Morton Meyerson, former President and Vice Chairman of EDS as well as Chairman and CEO of Perot Systems; Rod Canion, founding CEO of Compaq Computer; the Simon family; and Jack Gill, Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
