Creating the Best Video Platform
for Video-Driven Businesses

JWP Connatix pioneered video on the web and continues to create the best video platform for companies whose business relies on video.

 A History of Video Innovation

For over a decade, JWP Connatix has been first to market with key video innovations. As the video industry rapidly evolves, JWP Connatix is your trusted partner in staying ahead of the curve.

Timeline showing key milestones of a company's technological developments and integrations from 2008 to 2024, including AI, video solutions, and strategic partnerships.

Meet The Team Leading The Future of Digital Video

John Nardone

CEO

John Nardone

CEO

John Nardone is the CEO of JWP Connatix.  He is a pioneering digital advertising leader with a rich history of innovation. He placed the first paid internet ads in 1994 and helped build the foundation for the ad-supported internet. He led successful ventures at Modem Media, Aegis [x+1], Flashtalking, and MediaOcean, driving significant growth and exits. Recognized with numerous industry awards, including Ad Age Media Maven and AdWeek Media All Star, he recently received the Marketing Club of New York’s “2023 Silver Apple” award. Nardone holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

David Kashak

Co-Founder & Chairman

David Kashak

Co-Founder & Chairman

David Kashak will lead JWP Connatix as Chairman of its Board of Directors. In 2014, he founded Connatix to help publishers monetize without editorial compromise. Over the years Connatix has rapidly evolved and as CEO David droves the company’s vision to become the largest, most innovative video technology company for publishers and advertisers in the world. Before Connatix, David was the Director of Business Development at Conduit and spent ten years at Verint leading their Americas Business Operations. His previous experience working with customer engagement platforms in the advertising industry helped inform his customer-centric and innovative mindset that guides his strategic decisions at Connatix. David attended Tel Aviv University, and lives in Miami with his family. 

Oren Stern

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Oren Stern

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Oren is the Chief Operating Officer of JWP Connatix. Prior to founding Connatix, Oren was a key leader at AOL for over 8 years, playing an integral role in leading their distribution team. He also managed sales engineering efforts for their video operations. His extensive background in advertising and tech helped guide Connatix to over 10 years of continuous growth. Oren received his BA in Economics from The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo and MA in Law at Bar-Ilan University. 

Jeroen Wijering

Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Jeroen Wijering

Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Jeroen will lead JWP Connatix as its Chief Innovations Officer.  As JW Player’s creator, co-founder, and chief product evangelist, he is a recognized expert in online video and standards who drives innovation and market awareness. He is active in the IAB and W3C standards committees and frequently presents at conferences such as IBC and Streaming Media. He graduated with honors from the Design Academy Eindhoven with a degree in management and communication.

Brian Rifkin

Co-Founder & SVP, Strategic Partnerships

Brian Rifkin

Co-Founder & SVP, Strategic Partnerships

Brian Rifkin is a co-founder and Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships of JWP Connatix. A digital veteran, Brian has over two decades worth of experience working for companies on the cutting edge of technology. Prior to co-founding JW Player, he served as president of A Simple Internet, a media services firm he founded in 2001 specializing in digital marketing. He started his career with About.com serving as senior vice president of business development.  Brian currently serves as a mentor at the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA). He holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jenn Chen

Chief Revenue Officer

Jenn Chen

Chief Revenue Officer

Jenn Chen currently oversees commercial functions at JWPC. Jenn has scaled multiple businesses and business units to over $100M and was an early veteran in digital programmatic advertising. Jenn started her career at Lehman Brothers, was at AppNexus as an early employee, and was the VP/GM of Programmatic at Sizmek, where she held various leadership roles and drove triple-digit growth organically and through several acquisitions. In addition to her accomplishments in the digital space, Jenn is also the Co-Founder and President of Givology.org, a nonprofit platform connecting donors to students in developing countries. Jenn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania from the Huntsman Program, with dual degrees in International Studies and Business. In her free time, she spends time with her 3 kids, cooks, and tries to globetrot. She is a strong advocate for female leadership and diversity in the workplace.

Andrew Iappini

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew Iappini

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew leads the finance team at JWP Connatix and is in charge of executing the company’s business strategy as a successful video platform business. Prior to joining he ran finance for RetailNext where he led the company’s transformation from one-time to recurring revenue. Earlier in his career he had senior roles in private equity and investment banking. Andrew holds a MS and MBA from Georgetown University and a BA from Bates College.

David LaPalomento

Chief Technology Officer

David LaPalomento

Chief Technology Officer

David LaPalomento is an esteemed industry veteran and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at JWP Connatix. With over a decade of invaluable experience in internet video delivery, David has been instrumental in spearheading groundbreaking advancements that have revolutionized the industry. His visionary leadership has paved the way for the widespread adoption of adaptive bitrate streaming technology on the web, empowering content creators and viewers alike. David has been at the forefront of global engineering endeavors, driving innovation in critical areas such as the transition to HTML-based video players, server-side ad insertion, and live streaming. His unwavering commitment to technological excellence continues to shape the landscape of online video, positioning JWPC as a frontrunner in the industry.

Dor Leitman

Chief Product Officer

Dor Leitman

Chief Product Officer

As Chief Product Officer at JWP Connatix, Leitman is responsible for guiding the company’s product strategy and technology development, and plays a key role in enhancing product capabilities and driving strategic innovation across JWPC’s  business objectives. At Connatix, Leitman’s leadership merged product and R&D teams into a single powerhouse delivery organization, enabling seamless integration of product strategy, execution, and market release processes.Leitman brings a wealth of experience to the JWPC  team, having played a pivotal role in Connatix’s technological evolution for the past five years in positions including senior vice president of product and R&D as well as VP of AI and content automation. His journey with Connatix began in 2019 following the acquisition of the AI-powered text-to-storytelling technology he created. Since then, Dor has spearheaded the development of Connatix’s Deep Contextual™ targeting offering, among other industry-leading tools. Deep Contextual™ is a proprietary technology leveraging AI-powered deep learning, advanced computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP) to analyse media content in real time — which has become a pivotal, privacy-safe targeting tool. Dor holds a B.Sc in Computer Software Engineering as well as an MBA.

David Pashman

General Counsel

David Pashman

General Counsel

Nancy Maluso

SVP Marketing

Nancy Maluso

SVP Marketing

Nancy leads all things marketing at JWP Connatix. Nancy brings her passion for building and transforming the revenue engine, honed during her 25 years of experience in technology companies including start ups, mid-market high growth and global multinationals. Her diverse background includes leadership roles in sales, marketing and product management.  She earned her BS in Computer Science from the University of Dayton and her MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Keren Hillman

Chief Human Resources Officer

Keren Hillman

Chief Human Resources Officer

Keren is the Chief Human Resources Officer at JWP Connatix, where she leads people operations and fosters a people-first culture. With over 20 years of experience, she has scaled HR functions at global companies like NICE, JPMorgan, AIG, and ADP, specializing in driving organizational change and improving effectiveness in high-growth, tech-driven environments. Keren is focused on aligning organizational capabilities with business strategy and cultivating an inclusive, empowering culture at JWP Connatix.

Keren holds a BA in Management and Psychology from the Open University of Israel and an MS in Organizational Change Management from the New School University.