Team

Brad Bowers is Founder and Managing Director of BlackInc Ventures and a long-time media executive with over 13 years of experience on both the publisher and agency side of the business. Prior to starting BlackInc Ventures in early 2004, Bowers worked at CNET Networks for eight years where he held various senior positions, including most recently Vice President of Worldwide Business Development and GM of North America for CNET Channel. Bowers spent two years living in Switzerland during his tenure with CNET Channel, and prior to this he served as Vice President of Business Development for CNET's Media Division. Bowers' duties included strategic planning where he generated revenue through commercial partnerships & acquisitions. Bowers successfully negotiated, signed, and oversaw the management of multi-million-dollar, multi-year, global partnerships with industry leaders such as HP, Dell, Yahoo!, Ingram Micro, and Tech Data. Prior to joining CNET, Bowers worked in the advertising industry, most recently for Anderson and Lembke on the Microsoft account, where in 1995 he was involved in the company's first online advertising campaigns including the launch of Windows 95 and of the Internet Explorer browser. Bowers received a BS in Management from Tulane University.

Toby Bryce is a Managing Director of BlackInc Ventures. Prior to BlackInc, Bryce worked for five years at Juno Online Services, Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development. In this role, Bryce was responsible for the company's strategic deal-making and M&A. Deals included broadband agreements with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, AT&T Broadband, and Hughes; wireless partnerships with Palm, Sprint PCS, and Metricom; and acquisitions of two ISPs. Before this, Bryce was Senior Vice President, Billable Services, where he oversaw the launch and general management of Juno's ISP, achieving growth from zero to 550,000 billable subscribers and annualized revenue of $52 million. He also led the development of Juno's web portal and negotiated technology and content partnerships with AOL, Microsoft, News Corporation, and Lycos. Prior to Juno, Bryce served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. He attended the University of Virginia where he earned Phi Beta Kappa honors and a BA with Highest Distinction.

Kaye Nilson brings to BlackInc more than a decade of experience in business development, corporate strategy and marketing in the communications and media industries. Nilson has been instrumental in growing three startup ventures, most recently including a family-owned investment business for which Nilson led the business development effort. Previously, Nilson worked as a Director of Business Development at the leading Internet backbone provider, Level 3 Communications. In that role, she negotiated complex multi-million dollar deals with carriers, led the development of a new sales channel focused on universities and research institutions and developed segment-specific marketing strategies. Nilson joined Level 3 as Senior Manager of Corporate Development Asia during the company’s initial expansion into Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Prior to this, Nilson was a management consultant within Booz Allen & Hamilton’s Communications, Media and Technology Practice, and began her career as a policy analyst and consultant to wireless communications companies seeking spectrum licenses from the Federal Communications Commission. Nilson earned a M.B.A. in Management and Finance from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Economics and Public Policy from Michigan State University.


Elizabeth Ames is an accomplished professional with over 20 years of technology marketing experience. She has previously held senior marketing and general management positions with Netcentives, Apple Computer and Verifone, and consulted for a broad range of well-known and emerging companies, including Excite, Netscape, Sony, Sun Microsystems, Podbridge, Rojo Networks, TriCipher, and Vidient. Ames is very knowledgeable in product marketing as well as marketing communications, and brings a strategic capability combined with a can-do practical approach. She has served as interim VP of Marketing at several companies, where she has had responsibility for corporate and product positioning, competitive analysis, product vision and management, support for fundraising, and development and implementation of all marketing communications. Early in her career, Ames worked at Apple Computer and led companywide cross-functional teams developing and launching computer and peripherals products, and also handled business and channel development, and licensing responsibilities. As an early participant in the emergence of the Internet, she led teams at Netscape that launched the first fully online developer program, assessed the capabilities and strategies of early directory and search engine start-ups, and consulted with Sun’s Java group on software licensing models. Later experiences focused on enabling ecommerce through the development, sales and marketing of online payment products at Verifone and the development of the first Internet based loyalty programs at Netcentives. 

Fred Sotherland created the successful CNET logo and brand identity that remains an Internet leader today. As Senior Vice President, Creative Director for CNET Networks, Sotherland was responsible for creating the look and feel of CNET Networks and its family of brands - including the design and interface for all of CNET's websites, television programs and print advertising. In Fred's eight years at CNET Networks, he led the creative services staff of 25 to design and promote CNET's expanding brand properties, and served on CNET's executive committee. Before CNET, Fred spent six years in television. He worked in Los Angeles as the Design Director for Kevin Wendle Productions, directing such projects as "Special Report Television hosted by Joan Lunden," ABC's "Before They Were Stars" and several pilots. Sotherland also designed the brand and launch promotion for The Warner Bros. television network, The WB. Prior to KWP, Sotherland was the television Art Director at Crawford DESIGNefx. He brought in clients such as NBC, TNT, Channel 4-England, Tribune Entertainment, and Turner Broadcasting. During his tenure at DESIGNefx Fred worked extensively with CNN Promotions across all creative areas. In the early stages of Sotherland's career, he worked as a television designer at CNN. And also, Television by Design, a boutique specializing in branding news and promotion packages for local market TV stations. Sotherland has received numerous design awards from top industry associations, including an International Interactive MILA Award, Emmy Awards, a Clio Award, International Monitor Awards, and International Broadcast Design Association Gold Medallion Awards.

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