Angelo Sotira
Projects
"Every time we launch a feature, people yell at us!"
Pending ...
June 2023
L....
That feeling of a chasing a new idea ...
2023 - Present
Expa
I joined Expa as an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) in January of 2023. Expa is a startup incubator that distinguishes itself through its design-first approach, it's experienced founders & team, and it's holistic support of startups.
2023 - Present
Pellegrino & Friends
My wife Kelsey and I love animals, and in our travels we've encountered animals that need help. Pellegrino & Friends started when we adopted a donkey in need (Pellegrino). As a pending 501(c)3, we aim to help organizations we work with to help animals internationally.
2018 - Present
Tequila Komos
I co-founded Komos with Richard Betts, Joe Marchese, and Alexia Bonatsos in 2018. Komos is a luxury tequila brand known for its unique approach to crafting tequila, often involving wine-making techniques and aging processes that are not typical in the tequila industry.
2000 - 2022
DeviantArt
1999-2001
Artists Management Group
In 1999 I sold Dimension Music, PureMP3, WinAMP Facelift, etc. to Michael Ovitz' Lynx Technology Group, and simultaneously joined Artists Management Group as a "Manager." I was treated as some sort of young Internet Wiz kid, advising our A-List talent roster on how to think about the Internet for their careers. And at the same time, I helped the AMG Music Group to identify talent through DMusic, like The Ataris!
2000-2003
PureMP3.org
PureMP3 helped to "clean up" a muddied digital music scene, riddled with inappropriate advertising. It led to over 2500 MP3 related sites removing inappropriate advertising from their sites, paving the way just a little bit more for digital music to prosper.
1999-2001
WinAMP Facelift
A short lived but potent little project. WinAMP Facelift was home to a few hundred artists making and publishing "skins" for the ever popular WinAMP Media player. It was shut down once we launched DeviantArt, a community for all sorts of deviations for your computer.
1999-2002
DMusic Network
I founded The DMusic Network in 1999 and served as a young CEO. The DMN was a consolidated network of sites, including Dimension Music, Cybertropix, PureMP3, DeviantArt.com, WastedYouth.org, LoudFactory, etc. that came together to serve the online digital music community. Most notably, DeviantArt resulted from this effort.
1997-2002
Dimension Music
Dimension Music began as a band archive, and evolved into a hub for news, links, and information for the MP3 community. After that, it became home to many thousands of bands to host and serve their MP3's and a top 20 music site on the Internet. It was acquired in 1999 by Michael Ovitz' Lynx Technology Group.