Joe Gustafson, CEO
Joe is an experienced leader in the IT and technology-based training industry. Prior to founding Brainshark, Joe was the founder and CEO of Relational Courseware, Inc. (RCI), a privately held company that produced and marketed self-paced, technology-delivered training products for IT audiences. RCI's OEM partners included Oracle Corp, Powersoft, NCR, Sybase and others. RCI was recognized for its visionary approach of employing object-oriented techniques to training delivery.
Joe's favorite feature: Guest authoring. Provides ability to reach experts to contribute without any knowledge of Brainshark - at their convenience.
Most valuable advice: Preparation. Put the effort into a well thought-out communication. Slides should use relevant images and limit unnecessary text. In most cases a well scripted dialogue will communicate a clear message in the shortest time.
Greg Flynn, VP Products and Services
As vice president of products and services, Greg is responsible for the direction and planning of all technology and service offerings as well as customer support. A member of the leadership team since the inception of the company, Greg has been instrumental in building and solidifying Brainshark's reputation as the leading provider of on-demand presentations solutions and a top-tier software-as-a-service provider. He is responsible for each new version release of the Brainshark platform and new products; staying at the forefront of customer needs and technology trends. Greg holds a BS from the University of New Hampshire.
Andy Zimmerman, Vice President of Business Development
Andy is responsible for the development and management of Brainshark's strategic partnerships. Andy is also responsible for international programs and developing new markets for Brainshark solutions. In 2009, Andy helped launch "myBrainshark," Brainshark free edition of the solution and e-learning content marketplace, and he currently drives the efforts to establish partnerships with leading associations and websites to promote the service. Andy holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Andy's Favorite Feature: Embedding. It's so easy to enrich existing websites and blogs with multi-media. Just grab the embed code on a Brainshark presentation and include it in the HTML for your page. You can even do this for free with myBrainshark.
Most Valuable Advice: Scripting. You can take liberties when presenting live, but when it's pre-recorded, it's always best to write out what you want to say and how you want to say it.
Kristin Somol, Senior Product Manager
As Senior Product Manager, Kristin retains responsibility for the Brainshark Presentations core platform, as well as the Rapid Learning and Marketing Campaigns modules. Kristin works closely with Brainshark customers to understand their needs and translate those into requirements for development.
Kristin brings ten years of experience working with SaaS and installed software solutions. She joined Brainshark from Deploy Solutions, where she was responsible for their hourly applicant tracking solution. Prior to working with Deploy she held product roles at StreamServe, Salary.com and Webhire, Inc. She holds a BS from Northeastern University.
Kristin's favorite feature: Background Audio
Most valuable advice: Animate! Animate! Animate! A static presentation will not capture your viewer's attention as well as one that is animated and uses quality audio and graphics. Use timings in PowerPoint® to create smooth transitions.
Pat Kelly, Director of Customer Success and Professional Services
As Director of Customer Success and Professional Services, Pat is responsible for making sure that customers have all the resources they need to be successful in using Brainshark for their business communications. This means on-boarding, implementation and on-going consulting, which is provided by the Customer Success Group and it means assistance with audio, video, slide content, product integration and email campaigns by the Professional Services Group. Pat works closely with closely with Brainshark customers to understand their needs and translate those into services that will help ensure their success.
Pat has been with Brainshark since before the release of Version 1 of the product in 2000. He developed our customer resource area Customer Connection Online and launched the Brainshark Certification Program. Pat specializes in Best Practices for on-demand multimedia including slide content, scripting, use of animations, use of video, project management and strategy and email marketing. Pat holds a masters degree from the University of San Francisco and a BA from Boston College.
Pat's favorite feature: Add/Replace Slides
Most valuable advice: The way to provide an efficient and effective transfer of knowledge is to make sure the content is valuable to the audience. Value is the key. From the first slide to the last, every slide should bring value to the viewer. Your viewing rates will skyrocket if you stick to this guideline. If the slide (and audio) adds value then keep it, but when in doubt take it out!
David Klein, Product Director
David hails from the interactive media world, with 10+ years' launching websites and businesses throughout the world. David is currently focused on managing myBrainshark, Brainshark's content marketing arena and marketplace, as well as developing corporate-facing content portal products.
David thrives on the evolution of the internet, holds a Board seat on the Boston Product Management Association, and has been involved in many web-based startups: as a member of the pre-launch team at Eons, an online social media startup lead by the founder of Monster.com; to being employee number 21 at Monster focusing on international expansion, with his later years based in London; as well as working to improve the technology presence of Houghton Mifflin's college market of educational publishing. David holds a BA from the University at Albany, NY.