Michael Weiss (Streamcast)

Michael Weiss is an Internet entrepreneur.

He is a pioneer in the home video industry, having launched one of the very first retail outlets in 1978. In 2005, he was appointed ‘Fellow’ by the U.K. based World Technology Network.

As founding CEO of venture-backed StreamCast Networks, he launched the Morpheus P2P application, and oversaw successful worldwide patent grants and managed a difficult legal environment including 9th Circuit Appellate Court victory in landmark MGM v Grokster copyright case and US Supreme Court defense.

As founder, VP and General Manager of WebRadio.com, a corporate spin-off, he took the company from inception to $441 million market valuation within 5 months of launch on $1.5M budget & staff of 14, exceeding the parent company’s $330 million market cap (GIM-LSE). On April 19, 1999, he made Internet history by video webcasting one of the 1st live music concerts globally with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Berlin & Missing Persons for the WebRadio launch at the NAB Convention in Las Vegas. Radio Ink Magazine proclaimed: “Michael Weiss of WebRadio, Steve Case and Bob Pitman of AOL, Jerry Yang and Mark Cuban of Yahoo! and Bill Gates of Microsoft are the media barons of tomorrow whose companies will become the new media giants that will control the eyes and ears of the world.”

As VP Marketing & Business Development at Sirius Publishing, the #1 ranked independent CD-ROM company, he played a key role in growing annual sales from $100K to $22M and workforce growth from 12 to 80 employees within 9 months. He created the Internet’s 1st product-based social networking website in 1996 around the interactive CD-ROm game, Treasure Quest. Utilizing Sirius’ Motion Pixels video compression technology, he was the 1st to acquire and market major Hollywood movies on CD-ROM under the MovieCD brand, predating the DVD by 2 years.

At J2 Communications, as VP Marketing & Business Development for the home video industry’s leading independent producer, he created the first ever direct-response television campaign and first use of interactive marketing for home videos . He was a member of the start-up team taking company through NASDAQ IPO and acquisition of National Lampoon. He implemented alternative distribution strategies, worldwide licensing of merchandising and distribution rights. He created and negotiated corporate sponsorships with major consumer brands ranging from Michelob Beer to Max Factor Cosmetics and others.

At University of Miami, Weiss was college promotion manager for Columbia Records handling local promotion activities, breaking new acts, obtaining radio airplay and liaison to touring artists. In the 70’s, Weiss was involved in the establishment of the music industry’s first record pool and was one of Chicago’s most popular club DJ’s constantly packing area clubs with his creative beat mixing skills.