Former AOL Vice President Matt Prohaska Tapped as CEO of Smartclip

NEW YORK, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Supporting the growth of its online video advertising network in North America, Smartclip LLC (www.smartclip.com) has appointed media veteran Matt Prohaska as its first chief executive officer.

A pioneer in the growth of online advertising since its commercial inception, Mr. Prohaska, 38, has 17 years of experience in online media and broadcast television.  He is tasked with expanding Smartclip's network throughout North America and cultivating strategic partnerships for the company.  

"Aside from managing five different sales teams and consulting for a dozen online media companies, Matt has led early-stage developments in behavioral targeting, social media and ad exchanges," said Jay Drago, COO, Smartclip. "Matt's entrepreneurial and national television background makes him the ideal candidate for leading the next digital media revolution and shaping Smartclip as a second-generation online video advertising network."

Mostly recently, Mr. Prohaska served as vice president of North American sales, account management, for AOL, where he led a 150-person sales team that worked with North American advertisers, handling over $1 billion in total annual revenue.  He also drove many company-wide business initiatives improving process, systems, policy and structure across a number of departments. Mr. Prohaska was part of the AOL team that was ranked as the number one "quality sales organization" by more than 200 agency and advertising executives in the 2009 Jack Myers Media Business Report Survey.

"Throughout the more than 15 years I've worked with Matt, from the inception of the online ad industry, he has been passionately driving innovation," said Sean Finnegan, president and chief digital officer at Starcom MediaVest Group. "With him now leading an online video ad network, I look forward to experiencing the application of his abilities within this high growth space."

Early in his career, Mr. Prohaska was the first online media buyer at BBDO (now part of OMG) and later became regional sales manager for CNET after opening offices in New York.  He also held various sales leadership and consulting positions at Hulu, Claria, Listen.com, Internet Appliance Network, Sesame Workshop and Turner Broadcasting Sales.

Mr. Prohaska received his Bachelor of Science in communications and management from Syracuse University.

About Smartclip

Smartclip LLC (www.smartclip.com) is a second-generation, premium online video advertising network. The company offers advertisers a blend of innovative ad formats, exclusive inventory including social media, reach partnerships and extensive tracking resources. Smartclip is part of Smartclip AG, the largest video advertising network in Europe. Together, they provide international marketers with an efficient pan-European/American delivery network.

This release is available online in the Feintuch Communications media room located at www.feintuchcommunications.com.

SOURCE Smartclip LLC