Meet the Team
Founder/ CEO
Melissa ROTH
A former editor and contributor to outlets including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post, Melissa also worked in a variety of content, marketing, and revenue-driving roles for IMDb, Cox Digital Media, Amazon, and HBO. She founded The Watercooler to create more relevant ways for people to discover films and original series, and to help foster more connection and community around entertainment.
TECH Advisor
GUTHRIE COLLIN
A tech-triple-threat with an MBA, Guthrie’s proven expertise in data science, ad technology, and digital product strategy has delivered four patented inventions and new revenue streams for Amazon, Nielsen, The Associated Press, and Dow Jones. Currently VP of Product for Roundel, Guthrie has led product, engineering and data science teams to create innovative digital media and ads experiences for CTV, e-commerce, and news audiences, along with machine learning capabilities and analytics tools to increase B2C and B2B product sales.
STRATEGIC ADVISOR
KERI PUTNAM
An award-winning media executive and producer and the CEO of Sundance Institute from 2010-2021, Keri Putnam has supported, developed, and produced bold original content from new and established talent throughout her career. At Sundance, Putnam and her team significantly increased the reach and scale of the Sundance Film Festival and its community, grew revenue by 300% with an array of new partnerships and products, expanded into new storytelling disciplines and global programming, built pioneering digital products, launched the Catalyst program – which raised $50M in film financing for independent productions – and significantly invested in equity and inclusion.
PRODUCT STRATEGIST
STEVE SUSI
An Amazon Inventor Award winner for patented innovation, Steve Susi served as the first NYC creative director for Amazon Advertising, and went on to lead creative operations across Europe, Asia, and Canada, where his teams would deliver original brand experiences on behalf of hundreds of advertisers and millions of customers worldwide. Prior to Amazon, Steve led agency teams handling Mercedes-Benz, American Express, AT&T, and many more. His book Brand Currency: A Former Amazon Exec on Money, Information, Loyalty, and Time, is a category bestseller.
Managing Editor
Cindy White
Cindy White has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry for outlets including IGN, Collider, SyFy Channel, GeekMom, and more. Her published work also includes a romance novel set in Hollywood. She lives in the wild suburbs of Los Angeles with her husband and twin daughters.
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Antonia Santoro
Antonia Santoro is a Digital Marketing and Audience Development professional with 10+ years of experience working in the media and publishing industries. Most notably, Antonia has worked at The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, setting their digital audience growth and retention strategies across distribution platforms. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and a proud cat-mom to Tina Purrner, the hardest-working paws in show business.
Music Editor
STEVE BALTIN
From B.B. King, Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin to Adele, Tom Petty, and Stevie Wonder, author/music journalist Steve Baltin has interviewed or met most of the biggest names in music history. He has written for Rolling Stone, FORBES, the L.A. Times and every major music publication, and hosted Riffing With (on Amazon Prime) and the podcasts People Have The Power and the current My Turning Point. He recently authored Anthems We Love: 29 Iconic Artists On The Songs That Shaped Our Lives.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JOSH EISENMAN
A veteran Creative Executive Producer with The New York Times and Amazon Advertising, Josh has led innovative, story-based marketing for hundreds of leading brands, from AmEx and Unilever to Paramount and Google. As a senior partner to Clients, Sales, Product, Data and Ad Tech teams, he’s helped transform clients’ business problems into actionable solutions, curating teams and orchestrating end-to-end execution and optimization of campaigns.
COMMUNITIES PRODUCER
KANENE AYO HOLDER
A writer, events moderator, and two-time National Endowment for the Humanities award-winning educator and diversity trainer, Kanene Ayo Holder’s clients have included The New York Times School, the Apollo Theater, and Columbia University, among many others. She is also a comedian who has performed at Joe’s Pub.
DEVELOPER & DESIGNER
Morgan Cline
A seasoned developer and web designer with extensive experience building and integrating custom CMS platforms and recommendation engines, Morgan is certified in Python, ASP, Javascript, Toolset, and other programming languages.
