About Our Nominees

Jessica Schell bw

Jessica Schell

Jessica Schell is a veteran in the entertainment, technology and retail industries, with extensive experience at the forefront of evolving content distribution and in optimizing content value throughout its lifecycle.

Ms. Schell is the founder of advisory firm, Observatory Group LLC. From 2014-2023, Ms. Schell served as EVP and General Manager of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, leading the over $1 billion global film division of home entertainment, television and originals. Ms. Schell transformed the primarily physical DVD business into a global digital transactional business, driving years of double digit annual digital growth.

Jessica Schell

Jessica Schell is a veteran in the entertainment, technology and retail industries, with extensive experience at the forefront of evolving content distribution and in optimizing content value throughout its lifecycle.

Ms. Schell is the founder of advisory firm, Observatory Group LLC. From 2014-2023, Ms. Schell served as EVP and General Manager of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, leading the over $1 billion global film division of home entertainment, television and originals. Ms. Schell transformed the primarily physical DVD business into a global digital transactional business, driving years of double digit annual digital growth.

From 2010-2014, Ms. Schell worked at Universal Pictures as the EVP of Business Development and Strategic Planning (2010 to 2012) and as EVP, Worldwide New Media and Digital Entertainment (2012 to 2014). She served on the film greenlight committee and was a key member of the studio’s business management team, which oversaw all major operating and financial initiatives. As SVP, Digital Media Strategy and Business Development at NBC Universal (2006-2010), Ms. Schell sourced and executed the company’s first digital partnerships with companies such as Meta Platforms, Inc. and Twitter, Inc., and also worked on the creation of new businesses, including NBCUniversal’s data targeted advertising platform, Hulu, LLC, and the Peacock Equity Fund, for which she served as a board member and key operating liaison. Ms. Schell’s prior experience also includes corporate strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company (1996-1999) and Vice President at Allen & Company LLC investment banking (2001-2006).

Ms. Schell has served on the board of advisors of Teach for America Los Angeles since 2022. She is also a founding member of Dialog Fellows.

Ms. Schell holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and BA with honors in American History and Literature from Harvard College.

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Craig Hatkoff

Craig hatkoff

Craig Hatkoff is an industry leader with extensive leadership, board experience and background in investing, real estate and innovation.

Mr. Hatkoff currently serves on the board of directors of SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE: SLG), a public real estate investment trust and the largest owner of commercial real estate in Manhattan, a position he has held since January 2011, and Captivision Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPT), a Korean developer and manufacturer of architectural media glass, since November 2023. Mr. Hatkoff currently serves as the Chairman of Turtle Pond Publications LLC, a closely held publishing company, where he has served since 2002.

Craig Hatkoff

Craig Hatkoff is an industry leader with extensive leadership, board experience and background in investing, real estate and innovation.

 Mr. Hatkoff currently serves on the board of directors of SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE: SLG), a public real estate investment trust and the largest owner of commercial real estate in Manhattan, a position he has held since January 2011, and Captivision Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPT), a Korean developer and manufacturer of architectural media glass, since November 2023. Mr. Hatkoff currently serves as the Chairman of Turtle Pond Publications LLC, a closely held publishing company, where he has served since 2002.

 Mr. Hatkoff has storied board leadership experience for numerous public and private companies:

  • 2022-2023: Board Member of Jaguar Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. I, a special purpose acquisition company that became Captivision Inc.
  • 2019-2021: Executive Chairperson of LEX Markets, a real estate and alternative asset fintech startup
  • 2019-2021: Director of Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp. (NEO: SVX.U), a Canadian special purpose acquisition company
  • 2019-2021: Director of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBR), a global digital infrastructure investment firm with approximately $75 billion in AUM (as of Sept. 2023)
  • 2004-2019: Director of Taubman Centers Inc., a public real estate investment trust engaged in the development and ownership of regional malls

Mr. Hatkoff began his career in 1978 at Chemical Bank where he became one of the pioneers of the real estate securitization industry and was Co-Head of the Real Estate Investment Banking Unit. In 1990, he co-founded Victor Capital Group, a real estate merchant bank. In 1996, Mr. Hatkoff co-founded Capital Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CT), a NYSE-listed real estate company, along with Sam Zell and John Klopp. Mr. Hatkoff served as Vice Chairman and director of Capital Trust, Inc. from 1997 to 2010.

Mr. Hatkoff also co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002 and is a co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises. In addition, he currently serves as a director of the Mandela Institute for Humanity and has been involved since 2019. He has previously served as director for Sesame Workshop, the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, The Tribeca Film Institute, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Borough of Manhattan Community College Foundation and Richard Leakey’s Wildlife Direct.

Mr. Hatkoff also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School from 1991 to 1995 and from 2017 to 2021. Mr. Hatkoff is a New York Times #1 best-selling children’s author, along with his daughters, of a popular series of non-fiction children’s books published by Scholastic Books. He co-founded the Disruptor Foundation in 2009, formed with Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen, and has curated the annual Disruptor Awards since 2010.

Mr. Hatkoff is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Colgate University.

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Leah Solivan bw

Leah Solivan

Leah Solivan has been at the forefront of consumer technology innovation and has storied experience across the sector.

Ms. Solivan currently is a Managing Director at Fuel Capital L.P., a seed stage venture capital firm investing in consumer, SaaS and infrastructure companies, where she manages three high performing funds, with over seven unicorn companies across the portfolio and has served since July 2017.

Leah Solivan

Leah Solivan has been at the forefront of consumer technology innovation and has storied experience across the sector.

Ms. Solivan currently is a Managing Director at Fuel Capital L.P., a seed stage venture capital firm investing in consumer, SaaS and infrastructure companies, where she manages three high performing funds, with over seven unicorn companies across the portfolio and has served since July 2017.

Ms. Solivan is the creator and founder of TaskRabbit, Inc., a pioneering on-demand marketplace company. As TaskRabbit’s CEO for eight years, she scaled the company into an international business with operations in 44 cities and more than $50 million in venture capital funding. In 2017, she oversaw TaskRabbit’s successful sale to Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ms. Solivan began her career as a software engineer at IBM.

Additionally, Ms. Solivan has an active role in the Young Presidents’ Organization, a worldwide leadership community of chief executives. A member since 2014, she was awarded the Alexander Capello Award, the highest honor in membership, for her work in promoting gender equity. In 2023, she became Chair of the Regional Board, Pacific US; she also serves on a global committee for the YPO International Board. Ms. Solivan has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. She has served as an advisor to children’s apparel brand Monica + Andy since July of 2017 and as a venture advisor to Screendoor Partners since January of 2021.

Ms. Solivan earned a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Sweet Briar College, where she also served on the Board of Directors from July 2015 until August 2018.

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