Todd Myers is a Consultant at Mercurius Media Capital.
Todd Myers is the COO of Willow TV, the premier broadcaster of cricket in the United States and Canada. Willow operates two TV networks (Willow TV & Willow Xtra) along with the world’s leading portal for live streaming of cricket events, www.willow.tv, which is also available on iOS, Android, and CTV devices (i.e., Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung, etc.). An experienced negotiator Todd oversees all of Willow’s affiliate negotiations, rights/content negotiations, and business development. Todd also created the first ever cricket esports tournament.
Prior to joining Willow, Todd was Senior Manager at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. He worked closely with the NBA to stage the inaugural Junior NBA World Championships at the EWWS. He also brought several esports events to the complex, headlined by Electronic Gaming Federation’s High School National Championship.
Todd previously worked for 16+ years at ESPN. He started as a producer on ESPNEWS and Sportscenter and won two national Emmy’s for his work. In 2004 Todd transitioned to ESPN’s programming department. He ran ESPN Outdoors, horse racing, and rodeo for a number of years before moving over to the digital side. On ESPN3 he created the college production initiative while also managing global acquisitions for sports such as cricket, rugby, and the CrossFit Games.
He serves as a strategic advisor for non-profits and is an Independent Director on the board of the USA National Karate Federation. He holds a Master’s in Communications from the University of Hartford and two Bachelor’s (Broadcast Journalism & Psychology) from Syracuse University. Todd resides in Connecticut with his wife and two sons.
Eric Fischer is a Consultant at Mercurius Media Capital.
He is a media and marketing professional with 30+ years’ expertise in media strategy, planning and execution. His senior management experience within media agencies (Universal McCann), media sales groups (Disney, FOX, iHeart, MGM, NBA and Tribune) and client positions (LifeLock and GoDaddy), has provided a unique knowledge set allowing him to start his own media strategy practice, HJA Strategic Marketing in 2010.
Eric understands the needs of clients, from Fortune 100s to startups, and brings a deep understanding of attribution and media mix modeling allowing his clients to optimize on the fly and look at media spend holistically within a company’s overall acquisition framework.
In addition to being a featured guest speaker at prominent industry events, Eric has been an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism teaching sports marketing and holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
Pat Ruta is a Consultant at Mercurius Media Capital.
Pat Ruta is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience in the advertising and media industries. As a cofounder of Visible World, Pat played a pivotal role in the company’s growth and success, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Comcast in 2015. At Visible World, Pat was directly responsible for mergers and acquisitions, spearheaded business development, and led all enterprise deals, showcasing a robust ability to drive strategic initiatives and foster significant business growth. Following this, Pat served as a senior advisor to Shareablee, a leading social media analytics company, guiding its successful sale to Comscore. This role further solidified Pat’s reputation as a trusted advisor in high-stakes M&A scenarios.
Currently, Pat owns and operates a boutique M&A and consulting practice specializing in the media sector. This practice leverages Pat’s extensive industry knowledge and strategic acumen to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients.
Among Pat’s notable portfolio companies are AdGreetz and Teleos Media, where he serves as a senior advisor for M&A and enterprise sales. Additionally, Pat owns intellectual properties in the rapidly evolving eCommerce live stream shopping space and is one of the founders of NYCe, a pioneering cannabis-infused ice cream company. Pat’s career is marked by a deep understanding of the advertising landscape, a proven track record of successful business transactions, and a commitment to driving growth and innovation in the media industry.
Chris Guenther is Chief Operating Officer, ArcSpan Technologies, a next-gen audience monetization company. Throughout his career, Chris has focused on collaboratively driving positive change in the media ecosystem, ranging from global media companies to board roles at the IAB US and TechLab industry organizations. Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Global Head of Programmatic for News Corp and GM of NewsIQ, focused on driving programmatic and ad tech innovation across the company’s global properties. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Business Operations for Hearst Magazines International, working on sales operations and programmatic advertising across the global Hearst footprint. Mr. Guenther also served as VP, Digital Operations & Monetization at Conde Nast. Earlier roles were at Dow Jones as well as the Jordan Edmiston Group.
In addition to his professional experiences, Chris is a board member at the Partnership for After School Education (PASE), as well as a mentor to the nonprofit New York Fashion Tech Lab (supporting female entrepreneurs) and American Corporate Partners (helping veterans transition into the private sector).
As a seasoned global communications and marketing leader, Heather excels at the intersection of brand strategy and social purpose, particularly within consumer technology. She has a history of crafting innovative campaigns that not only drive growth but also advance meaningful social missions.
As the recent Chief Communications Officer and Head of Social Impact at Chegg, the leading student-first digital learning platform, she was responsible for all internal and external communications and social responsibility initiatives. Previously, as Vice President of Marketing, Heather was instrumental in building the brand narrative as Chegg successfully transitioned from a physical textbook rental business to a digital subscription model, with a range of online products and services. Through creative narrative development, strategic influencer partnerships, and impactful cause-marketing efforts, she cultivated brand affinity and loyalty, accelerating the business and driving growth.
Heather’s commitment to social good is a cornerstone of her career. In 2013, she was instrumental in launching the Chegg Foundation and led it as President of the Board of Directors for six years. She continued to shape the company’s philanthropic direction as an Advisory Board member for the relaunched Chegg.org for four years.
With a diverse background that includes roles at Activision, Comergent, and in private equity, Heather brings a multifaceted perspective to her work. She continues to leverage her expertise as an investor and advisor for several early-stage companies and is an active participant in her community. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Teledramatic Arts and Technology from California State University, Monterey Bay.
