TINKERCAST NAMES SESAME WORKSHOP EXEC JODI NUSSBAUM COO AND MAGRID LEARNING EXEC ALI PAKSIMA CFO
MONTCLAIR, NJ—Jan. 19, 2022— Tinkercast, the company behind the leading podcasts for kids and families, announces two new senior leadership hires: Children’s Media industry vet Jodi Nussbaum will join as Chief Operating Officer and Ali Paksima, will join as Chief Financial Officer. In these roles, Nussbaum and Paksima will support expansion of flagship franchise Wow in the World and new offerings Who, When, Wow! and Flip & Mozi’s Guide to How to Be an Earthling in U.S. and international markets and spearhead development of content for new platforms including smart speakers, edtech and video. Both Nussbaum and Paksima will report to Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Tinkercast’s co-founder and CEO.
Prior to joining Tinkercast, Nussbaum worked for Sesame Workshop for 26 years, most recently as Vice President Special Project Production. As COO, Nussbaum will use her extensive experience creating digital content, live events, social impact initiatives, and international branded content to lead Tinkercast’s production and operations. Nussbaum will support Tinkercast's ambitious growth plans by nurturing internal team development and building partnerships with creative and production leaders across media, technology, education, and beyond. Together with co-founders Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, Nussbaum will also help launch TinkerLab, a development incubator with internal staff and external “Tinkerers-in-Residence” that will explore new ways to deliver high quality, playful, and meaningful content and experiences to audiences.
“Tinkercast has been ahead of the curve in developing engaging, educational audio-first content for children,” said Nussbaum. “The opportunity for growth is immense and I look forward to supporting this amazing team of tinkerers for many years to come.”
With more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, Paksima earned his MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2021 and serves as GM of Magrid Learning Solutions, an edtech startup focused on improving the development of early visual-spatial and mathematical abilities in children. As CFO, Paksima’s primary responsibility will be the planning, implementation, managing and running of Tinkercast’s finance activities with the goal of driving sustainable growth.
“I am thrilled to join the team at Tinkercast, who WOW and inspire millions of children with their innovative content and experiences. Looking at 2022 and beyond, I am excited to help Tinkercast grow and make a positive impact on the lives of children everywhere. If that isn’t amazing enough, my 8-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter are going to go crazy when I tell them I work with Grandma G-Force, Flip, and Mozi,” said Paksima.
“We are delighted to welcome these two exceptional leaders as Chief Operational Tinkerer and Chief Financial Tinkerer,” said Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Tinkercast’s CEO. “We know that Jodi and Ali will help us expand our impact around the world while building a company that is fueled by and fuels curiosity, playfulness and innovation.”
About Tinkercast
Tinkercast is an independent children’s media company that inspires millions of families each month to keep their “eyes up, screens down and jaws dropped” with their award-winning audio programs, playful learning experiences and New York Times best selling books. With 150 million downloads, Wow in the World, Tinkercast’s flagship podcast created by hosts Guy Raz (NPR’s How I Built This) and Mindy Thomas (SiriusXM’s Absolutely Mindy Show), leads listeners on a creative, humor-filled auditory journey into amazing scientific discoveries. In 2021, Tinkercast launched two new podcasts Who, When, Wow!, an exploration of the lives of unsung heroines and unknown heroes and Flip & Mozi’s Guide to How to be an Earthling, an intergalactic musical journey about animals and conservation. All of Tinkercast’s podcasts are available through Wondery and Wondery Kids. To learn more, connect with us at www.tinkercast.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Contact:
Johanna Weber
johanna@soundcheck.tinkercast.com