About the event

Pause Commercials, Inc. or “PUCs” is reimagining the commercial experience to deliver customized video and display “pause ads” across all premium over-the-top (OTT) environments. Learn from their scale through partnerships and licensing. CEO Charles Johnson and COO Lauri Baker share their story and insights for our startup community in this virtual fireside chat session. Moderated by Startup Grind Boston directors Jason Kraus and Yev Ioffe.

About the Speakers

PUCs was established in 2017 in Los Angeles, California by Charles Johnson, an African American entrepreneur and writer who understands diversity issues in both Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Teaming with Iranian-American video tech expert Ramin Nadaf, Johnson and Nadaf built a team of experts, consisting of women and people of color with decades of success in technology, advertising, entertainment, and business. Collectively, their professional backgrounds tackle technical and social issues throughout ad tech, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and Madison Avenue.

Charles Johnson, CEO of PUCS
Charles is the former COO of a vMVPD in Los Angeles and Orange County and has worked as a writer, producer, and distributor at Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. Before moving into Ad Tech, he received his MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship at Pepperdine University and his B.A. from Columbia College Chicago.

Lauri Baker, COO of PUCS

For the past 20 years, Lauri has a proven track record of delivering hundred million-dollar+ revenue growth with extensive experience in digital media and over-the-top video (OTT). Most recently, as the SVP of Sales for Discovery’s streaming business, DiscoveryGO became the fastest growing, most profitable business within Discovery’s global portfolio. Previously, Lauri served as a distinguished leader across global organizations such as Verizon Media (AOL/The Huffington Post), Yahoo! and BusinessWeek. Recognized for her work as Co-Founder of HuffPost Partner Studio in 2012, Lauri was named one of NewsCred’s 50 most influential content marketers and pioneers in the world of native advertising and branded content.