Geraldine Laybourne: Other Work

^{Links herein are via archive.is where possible}

From ("Gerry") Geraldine Laybourne wiki: https://archive.is/1Tns4

Laybourne sits on the Symantec Board,[7] Betaworks, and 9 Story, a Canadian production and distribution company. She serves as Chairman of the Board of Alloy Inc. and Katapult. Previously, she served on the boards of JC Penney, Electronic Arts, Move.com, Defy Media, and Kindercare.

Laybourne has been on the Board of Vassar College (since 1998). She is an advisor to Springboard, Vital Voices and Acumen Fund. Laybourne sat on the boards or advisory committees of The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, The National Council for Families and Television, New York Women in Film & Television (Advisory Board), and Cable Positive (Honorary Chair), and The White House Project.

Laybourne started the mentoring program, Global Women's Mentoring Walks, which pairs established and emerging women professionals to engage in mentoring partnerships in communities across the globe.[8]

Symantec

Gerry was on the Board of Directors for Symantec ^(wiki) for approximately 9.75 years, from Jan 1, 2008 through to Sep, 2018.

Betaworks

Gerry joined the Board at Betaworks ^(wiki) on, between or around Feb 1st - 5th, 2014. She appears to still be a member.

Gerry is a serial entrepreneur in media and technology. Currently she is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Kandu, a technology company for kids.

Kandu

I haven't determined when Kandu was founded or if Gerry is still involved, but, this March 31, 2014 article contains some pertinent info and a mention of Gerry being a co-founder and that it is funded in-part by Betaworks.

Exceprt:

Kandu helps kids learn to code, but don't call it an education app

What makes Kandu, an until-now stealth iPad app funded by Betaworks and operating in closed beta, different is that its makers don't want you to think of it as an education app. With a team that includes an ex-President of MTV and an ex-President at Nickelodeon, Kandu is being pushed as pure entertainment, designed to compete against YouTube videos and Angry Birds for children's precious time, not other learning apps.

Although the game doesn't teach programming languages, it does show kids the fundamentals of object-oriented programming where different classes of actions and attributes are applied to images and concepts. A blue monster might explode when it comes into contact with a octopus. Or gameplay might end after a user drags a ball into a hoop. It also teaches kids how to organize all of these actions in a clean way, promoting best coding practices before even teaching a line of code, says Kandu CEO David Bennahum.

 

Again though, the educational benefits of the app are secondary to the team's mission statement, which is to build a fun entertainment product tailored to children's digital tablet-friendly consumption habits that also encourages self-expression and connectivity. At Nickelodeon, Kandu co-founder Gerry Laybourne put shows like "You Can't Do That on Television" and "Double Dare" on TV, spending a great deal of time with kids and thinking about their consumption habits. Later she worked on Disney Imagineering to imagine "what an interactive world would be for kids."

 

"Disney didn't get it," she said, adding that the company thought porting Mickey Mouse to a website was all it took to engage kids online. But with games, TV shows, and YouTube videos all attracting kids' attention on their iPads, it takes more than talking Disney princesses to keep youngsters interested. According to Common Sense Media, 3/4 of all US children have access to a mobile device at home, and 10 percent of kids under two have used a smartphone or tablet. "They love these devices," Laybourne says. The trick is "to convert that usage into actual creation."

 

To determine how to make this creative "hacker"-style of building fun, they recruited young testers from anywhere they could, including public schools, nonprofits like Girls Who Code, and the team's own family and friends. Board member Sara Levinson, ex-President of MTV, says she was riding in a cab one day and recruited the driver's child to be part of the test group.

 

So far, Kandu has raised a $2.4 million seed round led by Betaworks. Other investors include ex-Discovery president and former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and Akamai chairman George Conrades. It's also in early talks to possibly raise a Series A round.

Katapult

Gerry is a Co-Founder and Chairman of Katapult. Betaworks is among the investors. Katapult is the current iteration of the previously discussed Kandu.

_Description

Operator of a digital entertainment platform designed to develop and create games. The company's platform offers sandbox game where one can create life block by block, enabling users to create online games and applications without knowing how to code in an enhanced way.

_{Formerly Known As}

Kandu

9 Story Media Group

Gerry joined the Board of Directors of 9 Story Media Group ^(wiki) on or around Nov 10, 2015. She appears to still be a member.

Laybourne’s appointment follows 9 Story’s recent acquisition of the award winning studio Brown Bag Films and is part of the company’s strategy to become a first choice destination for creators and show runners.

https://archive.is/NABM9

Laybourne has made an investment in the private equity fund headed by her longtime business associate and media investor Strauss Zelnick that controls 9 Story. Laybourne is set to play an active role in guiding the company’s expansion of its TV programming and digital endeavors.

Alloy Inc. / Defy Media

Alloy Inc. is a predecessor/parent to Defy Media ^(wiki). Gerry has been a member of the Board for both entities, from at least June 25, 2010. She appears to still be involved, though may not be - verification required.

History

Alloy, Inc.

Alloy, Inc. (also known as Alloy Online) was founded in 1996 by James K. Johnson and Matthew Diamond as a holding company for Alloy, a teen-oriented magazine and website. By the time the company went public in May 1999, the website earned $15.5 million in monthly revenue and 1.3 million registered users. In January 2000, they purchased book publisher 17th Street Productions, renaming it Alloy Entertainment.[10]

Alloy's additional early assets included Delia's (acquired 2003, spun-off in 2005), CCS.com (acquired 2000, sold to Foot Locker in 2008), and Channel One News (acquired 2007, sold to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2014).[11]

Alloy Digital

In 2009, Alloy created a division called Alloy Digital Networks to hold its online properties.

Alloy was then made private through acquisition by an investment group led by Zelnick Media Capital in 2010, and was re-incorporated as Alloy Digital in 2011. Within the next two years, Alloy Digital acquired Smosh,[12] Themis Media (parent company of The Escapist and WarCry Network),[13] Generate LA-NY, and Clevver Media.[14] Zelnick also sold Alloy Entertainment to Warner Bros. Television in 2012.

Merger and investment

In October 2013, Alloy Digital and Break Media merged to become Defy Media. The deal was brokered by RBC Capital Markets, and the resulting entity was owned in part by Zelnick Media, ABS Capital Partners, and Lionsgate.[15]

Viacom purchased a stake of Defy Media in 2014, in exchange for ownership of GameTrailers, Addicting Games, and Shockwave.[16] In 2016, Defy settled a $70MM investment by Wellington Management Company, and Zelnick Media exited from investment in 2017.

Move.com

Gerry joined the Board of Directors for Move, Inc.(Owner of Move.com) ^(wiki) on or around June 27, 2006 and, according to Bloomberg, left on Dec 31, 2010 (See bottom for profile - much more info available; READ).

KinderCare

Between 1990 and 1995, Gerry served on the Board of Directors of Kinder Care Learning Centers, owned by KinderCare ^(wiki).

Geraldine B. Laybourne Bloomberg Profile

link: https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=597832&privcapId=24625

screenshot: https://imgoat.com/uploads/74ad4786c3/203788.png

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