Hermione Way, Founder
It was during her journalism degree, Hermione came up with the idea for Newspepper.com. She was frustrated at being taught newspaper journalism only, at a time, when newspapers are dying. She wonderered why she wasn't being taught about video journalism and writing for the Internet when even at local newspaper level journalists are having to video blog and learn a range of other skills to adapt to the rapidly changing profession.
She was also frustrated; Despite searching long and hard for organizations that could give her paid work experience in her field of journalism, her part-time job during her degree had consisted of massaging strangers in bars for a mobile massage company-A job that was completely irrelevent to her degree.
Her classmates on the video production course were in a similar situation -they were gearing up to work for free for months upon graduating just so they could build their portfolio so it was big enough to break into the media industry and get their first job.
So she set up Newspepper at the begining of her second year of her degree and by the time she had graduated it was making enough revenue for her to run full time.
Besides Newspepper, Hermione loves to travel and is a huge Internet and technology enthusiast, you can catch her blog Techfluff.tv here.
Follow Hermione on Facebook and Twitter
Chloe Nicholls, Project Manager
Chloe Nicholls is Newspepper.com's Project Manager. She is the 'logistics queen' and organises all the film shoots for the clients and liaises with the crew. She has also been known to step in front of the camera and present for Newspepper.com at events and industry meet-ups.
A self-confessed web addict, Chloe was raised in Australia, and fell 'in love' with the internet when she first surfed the web in the late 90s. Since then Chloe has had a passion for new media, technology and social networking.
After completing her university degree in Media and Communication, at Melbourne's Deakin University in 2006, Chloe traveled around Europe, before moving to London working as a PR executive at media specialist Braben PR - assisting clients such as NBC Universal Global Networks, iVillage.co.uk and WhiteLabelDating.com.
Follow Chloe on Twitter here
Michael Acton Smith, Investor
Michael is CEO and founder of interactive entertainment specialists, Mind Candy.
The company recently launched Moshi Monsters, a new virtual world and online game aimed at kids (and big kids!) It’s a bizarre cross between Tamagotchi, Facebook and Big Brain Academy.
Mind Candy’s first project was Perplex City, an Alternate Reality Game played by thousands of people around the world across many different types of media including cell phones, email, billboard advertising, actors at live events and skywriting.
Prior to Mind Candy, Michael co-founded Firebox.com (online retailer of gadgets, games and gifts) and Second Chance Tuesday (events to connect technology investors with entrepreneurs).
Follow Michael on Twitter here
Jim Lawn, Mentor
Jim Lawn is the co-founder of Polecat Ltd and Meerkat CIC, drawing social innovation and social impact from cyberspace. He was previously Microsoft’s Head of Innovation in the UK where he worked with the software development industry, entrepreneurs, investors, academia and the Government to help Microsoft build its role as a key enabler for innovation in the UK.
Before that Jim was responsible for the Public Sector Consultancy Services Business for Microsoft in the UK. He worked with key customers within UK Government on the delivery of innovative solutions and services. Previously, Jim was one of the youngest senior officers in the Royal Air Force. Jim holds a Masters Degree in Information Systems and a Bachelors Degree in Optoelectronics from University College London.
Paul Walsh, Non Executive Director
Paul is the Founder and CEO of Segala, a specialist in content classification and Web based standards compliance certification.
Prior to Segala, Paul was an executive at Eqos, a pioneer in the development of Web technologies for the B2B retail industry.
Paul was one of the first to join AOL as a small startup in the mid 90’. He was a key member of the team developing AOL’s UK presence and assisted with the launch of other AOL European territories.
Paul has international experience within the Telecommunications Industry and has consulted for companies such as Vodafone, O2, Orange, CMG and ADC Metrica.
Paul was reelected Chair of the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA in 2007 after serving as Chair in 2006, and as a member of the Executive in 2005.
Paul is an adviser to the British Council, helping it to build and improve the digital pioneer programme with Hong Kong. He is also advising them on a new 3 year entrepreneurial related project with India.
He is non-Executive Director at Newspepper.com and a mentor to the CEO of 3 Dynamics; one of Hong Kong’s top 5 mobile games companies.
He is also a Partner in a group of award winning, Michelin rated restaurants in Dublin.
Follow Paul on Twitter
Matthew Schönborn, Creative Director
As an Information Design graduate from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, he was quickly snapped up by the country’s leading Direct Marketing agency, Lesoba Difference. There he spent a year cultivating his talent and passion for all things digital.
Matthew then moved to London in 2007 where he met Hermione Way who wanted to change the face of (or rather give a face to) Citizen Journalism on the web. He was given the task of forging Newspepper’s identity and online presence as well as conceptually developing the brand.
Ben Way, Advisor
Ben was one of the first dot com millionaires after developing a search technology called Waysearch.
He won “New Business Millennium Young Entrepreneur Of The Year” in 2000 which was given to him by Gordon Brown.
He was reportedly worth £18.3m in the 2001 Sunday Times Rich List.
He started his first business in 1995 on his 15th birthday making him at that time the youngest company director in the UK.
Follow Ben on Twitter here
