OUR TEAM
Betsy Morgan is the Co-Founder of Magnet Companies, a private equity-backed company focused on media and commerce, and an Associate Professor at Columbia Business School and Columbia College. Magnet has built and invested in consumer-facing companies including: Dear Media, Togethxr and LoveSeen. Prior to Magnet, Ms. Morgan served as an Executive in Residence of LionTree, an advisory and merchant bank firm specializing in technology and media. Ms. Morgan was the CEO of TheBlaze, an early multi-platform and direct-to-consumer news and entertainment company. Prior to TheBlaze, Ms. Morgan was the first CEO of The Huffington Post.
Brett Bouttier was most recently the President of Awesomeness, a leading multi-platform media company serving the global Gen Z audience, including the biggest teen brand on YouTube and many social video platforms, as well as a full-fledged studio producing digital, television and feature film content. He joined the business and partnered with founder Brian Robbins in 2012, shortly after its launch and Series-A funding. Awesomeness was acquired by DreamWorks Animation in 2013. ​ Prior to Awesomeness, Bouttier was SVP/GM of Digital at the Warner Bros Television Group, overseeing all WBTVG digital initiatives as well as original digital content and led the digital distribution of WBTVG’s programming. Bouttier negotiated the joint venture agreement with AOL that became TMZ and was a key member of the team that developed, launched and ran the business, which quickly became the number-one entertainment news destination on the Internet and ultimately expanded into television. ​ Bouttier graduated from UCLA with a degree in Economics. As a junior in college, he began working as a TV Research Analyst at Universal Television, rising to Vice President, Cable Distribution and Strategy before joining Warner Bros in 2004. In addition to his professional life, Brett lives in Los Angeles and is a proud dad of his two children.
Jeff Berman has had the kind of career that lends itself to the game Two Truths And A Lie. After starting as a public defender representing children facing life in prison, he moved to Capitol Hill where he served as Chief Counsel to US Senator Chuck Schumer. Jeff entered the private sector at MySpace overseeing policy before moving to the business side where he ultimately led the content, marketing, and sales teams. Jeff has run digital media at the NFL, been part of the first and only team ever to simultaneously chart 7 of the top 10 App Store apps, and most recently co-founded Magnet Companies where he helped launch TOGETHXR and LoveSeen along with leading the Series A investment in Dear Media. ​ After the 2016 election, Jeff helped start and continues to serve on the board of Protect Democracy, a non-partisan organization whose mission is as urgent as it is self-evident. He has been CEO and a re-founder of WaitWhat since September 2023.