Pluggd Expands Management Team With Appointments of Two Industry Veterans

SEATTLE, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Pluggd, a leader in Internet multimedia search and Web 2.0 ad platforms, today announced the appointments of two executives to its senior management team: Alex Alben will serve as vice president of corporate strategy while Fred Tietze has been named as vice president of sales and business development.

"Online video is growing at an exponential rate, and the innovations we're bringing to market for Web publishers and advertisers will enable a new and better consumer experience for video and audio content," said Alex Castro, CEO of Pluggd. "Hiring industry leaders like Alex and Fred, each with their own respective track records for success, will help us achieve Pluggd's vision that much faster. This sector is evolving by the minute and Alex and Fred's collective experience and knowledge will ensure we remain ahead of the trends and top-of-mind with our audiences."

A 15-year Internet industry veteran, Alben most recently worked with Web start-up Wetpaint.com. Prior to that, he spent six years as a vice president at RealNetworks, Inc., managing government affairs, music products and early Internet radio products. Prior to RealNetworks, Alben served as vice president and general counsel at Starwave Corporation, the company that launched ESPN.com, ABC.com and other pioneering web sites. Alben earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University and Stanford Law School.

Tietze, a multi-media veteran, most recently worked as vice president of sales and business development, North America, at Eyeblaster, a leading global rich media and ad serving solutions provider. At Eyeblaster, he worked with diverse customer groups including media and creative agencies, publishers and advertisers. Prior to Eyeblaster, he served as vice president and general manager at Excite@Home.

About Pluggd

Pluggd is changing the way Internet users consume and search for video content. The company's proprietary, patent-pending technology addresses the market's need for relevance from its video and audio search tools. Pluggd's "Search Inside" and "Heat Map" technologies enable publishers to monetize content within audio and video streams thereby driving advertiser revenue. The Seattle-based company, founded in 2006 by current CEO, Alex Castro and Chief Architect, Jonathan Thompson, uses proprietary technology to allow visitors to search for terms and phrases within the content of their video library. To date, Pluggd has received over $7 million in venture funding. For more information and to view a demo, visit pluggd.com.