We Are Yolk.tv

Yolk is the uninhibited, authentic expression of Asian American identity — the power, the revealing backstories, the hidden talents, and the sometimes irreverent and politically incorrect analysis. It is the tension where the two Asian Americas (old vs. new) intersect. It is also the place where Asians and “near Asians” coexist. It’s the end of doing what is expected (end of the model minority), and finding all the color in (or around) yellow.

Jonathan Sposato

CEO

A serial entrepreneur and investor in many startups, Jonathan is Chairman and co-founder of Geekwire.com, one of the tech sector’s top news sites, and Chairman and Founder of PicMonkey, the world’s most fun and popular photo-editor. He also has the distinct honor of being the first person to sell 2 companies to Google.

Francine Strickwerda

Co-Founder and President

Francine is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and a managing partner in Hullabaloo.tv, a Seattle-based creative video agency. Her independent feature films have screened on Showtime, Netflix, Amazon, and PBS, and her work has been supported by MacArthur Foundation, Independent Television Service (ITVS), and many others. In addition to executive editing PBS websites, Francine was a senior podcast producer at HealthTalk.com. She began her career in journalism as a newspaper reporter.

Tracy Dethlefs

Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer

Tracy is an Emmy-award winning editor and director of commercials and television series. Tracy’s delivered top shows and documentaries to PBS, MTV, VH-1, BBC and National Geographic. An industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, he got his start in reality tv and music videos and has for the last 15 plus years, been the creative director and partner in Hullabaloo.tv, a Seattle-based creative video agency, serving corporate clients such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Dell and Zillow. Other notable collaborations include working with Bill Nye the Science Guy and “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Ben Press

Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO)

Ben Press, a seasoned veteran of over 25 years in the entertainment business, guided the careers of a number of Hollywood’s biggest film and television stars. In segueing to the entertainment-tech sector, Ben was Head of Business Development for the Russell Wilson-founded social media startup, TraceMe, that was acquired by Nike. Ben has been a Senior Talent Relations Executive for startup Cameo and is Yolk.tv’s Chief Business Development Officer.

Robinick Fernandez

Design Director

For nearly two decades, Robinick has been a transformer within the state of design, directing daring brand strategies for major tech companies, boutique hospitality experiences, and global fashion retailers. Up and down the West Coast, throughout Europe, and several posts in Asia, the lives of thousands of movers and shakers, in very important roles (who he is avoiding disclosing by name because of numerous NDAs), have in some form or another been impacted by his innovative workplace designs. As a Fil-Am artist, he’s committed to sustainability, ecological resiliency, and restoration.

Bob Thordarson

CTO

Bob Thordarson is a serial entrepreneur with a strong history of building and scaling technology businesses. Bob was the co-founder in two previous successful exits including Consumerware (2004) and Cequint (2011). Bob is founder and CEO of Rivet Hammer, a boutique software development agency that partners with entrepreneurs to design, develop and scale the company's core software platform through launch and rapid growth.

Heather Lowenthal

Senior Editor

Heather Lowenthal is a Yolk Senior Editor and columnist writing about the cultural blind spots in her white perception, revealed only after she married her Asian American husband. She is also an award-winning video producer who has successfully produced creative marketing videos from script through to delivery for fortune 100 companies for over 15 years. She co-founded Seattle based video production company, Integrated Talent, LLC in 2005.