David Graff

Prior to forming SunGate, Graff was Senior Vice President, Hearst Magazines International, and General Manager, Hearst Magazines Brand Development. In eleven years at Hearst, he founded and developed the largest magazine brand extension and licensing group in the world, resulting in retail sales topping $850 million annually, and the sector’s largest home video business. His accomplishments include initiating Wal-Mart’s first-ever licensing programs, applied to Sports Afield, Popular Mechanics and House Beautiful; licensing Esquire (ESQ) to Movado; opening Cosmopolitan fashion boutiques in Europe and Japan; creating and launching Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover; producing and distributing Popular Mechanics for Kids television show; licensing Country Living to QVC; and the partnering Good Housekeeping and Marie Claire with The Home Shopping Network. Graff also negotiated publishing licenses for international editions of Esquire in Italy, Holland and Japan.

Prior to Hearst, Graff was an account director at the American Consulting Corporation. His primary clients included Quaker Oats’ Gatorade, Oscar Meyer, Chesebrough-Pond’s, and Citicorp’s Information Services Group. Earlier, he was a product manager at General Foods on Birds Eye, Ronzoni, Crystal Light, and Tang and was honored with the President’s Award for his creating and managing the Tang March Across America for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Graff received his MBA from the Wharton School in 1984 and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He is also a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute. Graff is chairman of the University of Pennsylvania Gazette and serves as a board member of the university’s alumni society. In addition, he is 2nd Vice Chairman of the Vision Fund of America and serves on the advisory committee of The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

Alex Weiner

Alex Weiner focuses on brand strategy and business development for SunGate Partners Inc. His expertise is in the consumer packaged goods industry. Weiner was a Brand Manager at Reckitt Benckiser, where he spent seven years. While there, he launched major brand extensions for the Lysol, Woolite and French’s brands. His experience is in leading project teams to write and test concepts, develop packaging and graphics, manufacture according to cost and performance requirements, build retail distribution, and to create and execute marketing plans. He worked on domestic and international teams and has conducted product research and positioning in the U.S. and abroad. He also owns West End Electronics, a wholesale business that brokers deals for major cellular telephone suppliers such as Nokia, Kyocera, and Brightpoint. Weiner has an MBA in Marketing from the Kelley School at Indiana University and a BA in Political Science from Indiana University. Prior to receiving his MBA, Weiner worked for Dewey Ballantine in its DC based International Trade Group helping advance policy initiatives for clients including the Semiconductor Industry Association and U.S. Steel.