Maker Media Taps Ed Delfs as CRO to Target National Brands, Key Market Segments

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 22, 2015) - Maker Media, Inc. announced the hire of Ed Delfs to the new position of chief revenue officer. In this role, Delfs will head all media sales and sponsorship efforts as the company staffs up to accelerate the growth of the innovative media organization that leads the global Maker movement. Maker Media, a digital media, commerce and events company, publishes Make: magazine, digital and print books, produces the global franchise of over 130 Maker Faires, and operates the Maker Shed, an online retailer of DIY electronics, kits and books.

Prior to joining Maker Media, Delfs was the chief revenue officer for Dynamic Signal, where he developed the go-to-market business model to drive global enterprise revenue for the social and mobile marketing startup. Before his stint at Dynamic Signal, Delfs was senior vice president of global sales and operations at Ustream. He spent 6 years at Real Networks as vice president, global sales, strategy and operations, where he was instrumental in building the team responsible for driving $75 million in annual revenue from Fortune 500 companies in the entertainment, technology, automotive, consumer electronics and CPG. In addition he has held vice president of sales roles at TheStreet.com and iVillage.com, leading the media sales efforts among large consumer brands.

"We're delighted to welcome Ed to the Maker Media team. His experience in building world class sales organizations, developing innovative media sponsorship programs, and identifying new opportunities for big consumer brands, will be critical in this next phase of growth for the company," said Gregg Brockway, Maker Media CEO. "Since the launch of Make: and Maker Faire nearly 10 years ago, the team at Maker Media has been the catalyst for a worldwide maker movement. As a result there is a deep and growing interest among the biggest national brands to carve out a significant foothold in the vibrant Maker community."

"I'm thrilled to join Maker Media and immerse myself in the broader Maker community of passionate tinkerers, designers, inventors, engineers and builders. Whether families with kids focused on STEM education programs, serious Maker enthusiasts or Maker pros looking to create new businesses and industries, I look forward to getting to know them and taking their inspiring stories to the marketplace," said Delfs. "The opportunities are endless to reach and engage the Maker community through the rich ecosystem of content, community and commerce that Maker Media's global platform provides. As I build the team, our focus will be on working with our partners to design deeply engaging customized experiences to activate their brand in a creative and authentic way."

Delfs has a master's degree in Pacific International Affairs from UC, San Diego, and is fluent in Japanese and French. In addition to his new position at Maker Media, he also sits on the advisory boards of Nativo, Feed.fm and Expressible among others. He, his wife and two daughters reside in San Francisco.

About MAKER MEDIA
Maker Media is a global platform for connecting makers with each other, with products and services, and with our partners. Through media, events and ecommerce, Maker Media serves a growing community of makers who bring a DIY mindset to technology. Whether as hobbyists or professionals, makers are creative, resourceful and curious, developing projects that demonstrate how they can interact with the world around them. The launch of Make: magazine in 2005, followed by Maker Faire in 2006, jumpstarted a worldwide Maker Movement, which is transforming innovation, culture and education. Headquartered in San Francisco, Maker Media is the publisher of Make: Magazine and the producer of Maker Faire. It also develops "getting started" kits and books that are sold in its Maker Shed store as well as in retail channels. The Make: brand caters to a universe of more than 25 million makers collectively across its Make: magazine, makezine.com, Maker Faires, and Maker Shed properties.

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