Executive Team

Jon Niermann

Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder, Director

With over 30 years of media and technology industry experience working with teams at both the corporate and startup level, he is uniquely and consistently able to bring vision, expertise and innovation to every endeavor. Niermann’s 15 years with The Walt Disney Company (TWC) saw his rise from a marketing representative for the Disney Channel to Managing Director & President, Walt Disney Asia, where he managed teams and offices over 16 countries and oversaw the fastest growing sector of Disney’s global empire. Following a successful run with TWC, Niermann spent seven years as President, Electronic Arts Asia, where he helped convert the company’s business from a packaged goods to digital model.

During his time with EA Asia, his team created the company’s first mobile games business as well as their first online gaming platform with FIFA Online in Korea that had record-breaking numbers of simultaneous users across multiple countries and further enriched his cultural and business understanding of the Asia Pacific region. After sitting at the helm of two of the largest corporate entities in Asia, Niermann left the corporate world to found FarWest Entertainment. With FarWest, Niermann bridged the region with the rest of the world via pan-Asian original productions like Asia Uncut on Fox’s Star World network (reaching 53 countries and 250 million homes), the region’s only late night English talk show which he hosted and won the Asian Television Award for Best Entertainment Host after his first year. The show featured interviews with top Asian and Western celebrities including Jackie Chan, Edward Norton, Donnie Yen, Maggie Q, Aaron Eckhart and many more.

Niermann co-founded Loop Media in 2016, shortly after moving back to CA after 15 years in Asia. Loop acquired Screenplay Entertainment in 2018 and is preparing for expansion in 2021. Niermann is based in Loop’s Glendale, CA headquarters.

Liam McCallum

Chief Product Officer | Co-Founder

Liam is an experienced Mediatech executive with 20 years experience leading international product development teams. Enjoying a career foundation at Electronic Arts Asia, Liam, as Director of Online Technology, built the online platforms that powered the world's most successful online games — "Liam has a unique ability to foresee upcoming trends, then build the supporting technology for millions of users." - Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, Forbes' 2015 most Powerful American CEO's Under 40. After 10 years with Electronic Arts, Liam left to found QVIVO, an enterprise cloud media platform with lead investment from the SingTel Group who serve over 550 million mobile customers around the world. In addition, Liam is board member and advisor to the Hong Kong charity Lizzie Bee, a foundation dedicated to bringing art projects to the underprivileged of all ages. McCallum is based in Loop's Glendale, CA headquarters.

Shawn Driscoll

Head of Business Development | Co-Founder

Shawn Driscoll is Co-Founder and part of Investor Relations at Loop Media Inc. Driscoll co-owned and operated Legends Studio in Burbank, a storied recording environment that has hosted some of the greatest performers in musical history including: Frank Sinatra, Radiohead, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Dr. Dre, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand and Quincy Jones. With his music and film production background, along with his deep industry connections, Driscoll is an integral part of Loop’s content expansion strategy.

Bob Gruters

Chief Revenue Officer

Bob is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with over 25 years of experience in tech and marketing. He has held key leadership positions that span television, digital, print and OOH media. His diverse work experiences include time at Sony, Viacom, Univision, Revolt, Facebook, Digital Trends Media Group along with agency giants such as Publicis and Saatchi & Saatchi, publishing giants Hearst & Conde Nast, and global out-of-home advertising firms like JC Decaux & Gannett.

Most recently, Bob was the Chief Revenue Officer at Digital Trends, a publisher focused on tech & innovation that attracts a millennial audience. Prior to that, he led a rapid growth initiative at Facebook and Instagram as their US Group Lead – focusing primarily on Entertainment, Technology, Telecon and Restaurant industries.

In 2013, Bob served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at REVOLT Media with Sean “Diddy” Combs. Today, with the addition of 100% of DirecTV /AT&T homes, and heavy social media engagement, REVOLT is the only profitable independent cable network, and one of the fastest growing music and television brands in America.

Bob serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Loop Media.

Neil Watanabe

Chief Financial Officer

Neil Watanabe was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Loop Media in September of 2021. Mr. Watanabe has over 30 years of finance, accounting and operational experience and has served as the Chief Financial Officer for both public and private national retail and consumer product companies.

Prior to joining Loop, Neil was most recently Principal of Watanabe Associates where he provided senior financial and accounting leadership to various companies, including Value Village Inc. (d.b.a. “Savers”) and High Times Holding Corp. From 2015 to 2019 Neil was Chief Financial Officer of CarParts.com, Inc., (NASDAQ), a publicly traded American online retailer of automotive parts and accessories for cars, vans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles, which reported over $440 million in net sales in its fiscal year ended January 2021. Neil also spent three years as PetSmart Inc.’s (NASDAQ) Chief Financial Officer, a company with over $2 billion in net sales during his tenure as CFO. He also worked in various financial and operational leadership roles at National Stores, Inc., Anna’s Linens, Shoe Pavilion (previously listed while Neil was there, NASDAQ), and Mac Frugal’s Bargains – Closeouts Inc. (d.b.a. “Pic N’ Sav”), (previously listed, while Neil was there, NYSE). Neil is currently a Board member of the National Corvette Museum and Reality Venture International.

Neil is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts and received his CPA certification in the State of Illinois.

Justis Kao

Chief of Staff

Justis creates Loop’s internal, client and consumer-facing communication strategies and oversees its digital media and press efforts. A creative at heart, Kao is an entrepreneur who has carved out global success in every aspect of the traditional music industry and is conquering music tech with Loop. Kao’s love of music gained him entry to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he graduated with a degree in Contemporary Writing & Production.

His skills brought him to Los Angeles, where he quickly found success as a live vocalist on season 1 of “The X Factor USA,” and worked with friend and songwriter Claude Kelly and artists including Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Alanis Morissette. His network and expertise led Kao to become Creative Director at FarWest Entertainment, managing all aspects of global appearances for Quincy Jones’ first Pan-Asian girl group, BLUSH. While at FarWest, Kao eventually rose through the ranks to oversee branding, communications and operations across all global partners and offices. Kao is based in Loop’s Glendale, CA headquarters in the heart of the entertainment industry, where he also runs AIM Foundation, a non-profit empowering young people to create a groundswell movement to do good, give back and affect change in their communities.

Andy Schuon

Head of Loop Studios

Andy Schuon is a uniquely experienced media and entertainment executive currently serving as Head of Loop Media Studios. With a career spanning radio, music, television and digital, Andy has created and managed numerous name brands to deliver content and experiences at the center of the zeitgeist and pop culture. As former co-founder and CEO of Spkr. pronounced “speaker” (newly acquired by Loop Media, Inc.) which Apple calls “one of the apps we love right now,” Schuon focused his attention on giving podcasters the same kind of advantage he has provided music artists historically through his platforms in connecting with audiences. Prior to Spkr., Schuon built the vertically integrated all-screen media company Every Day Networks as CEO with a group of acquisitions including Fox’s Fuel TV network, and OTT channels in the travel, weather, and entrepreneur/startup categories. Schuon and investors continue to hold a position in the assets, but sold majority interest. At the end of 2017 Schuon helped music festival streaming service LiveXLive launch its IPO fundraising, and the acquisition of Slacker Radio serving as its president for an interim period.

As co-founder and president of REVOLT TV with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Schuon led the development and rollout of the network, from its brand image to its programming slate across cable TV, social media, website and app platforms. He was instrumental in negotiating long term distribution deals with Comcast and Time Warner Cable. He developed strategic partnerships with iHeart Media, Snapchat, and others, and steered the consumer marketing for the company. REVOLT TV had the third biggest launch in cable TV history through its landmark distribution agreements. Today, with the addition of 100% of DirecTV/AT&T homes, and heavy social media engagement, REVOLT is the only profitable independent cable network, and one of the fastest growing music and television brands in America. Schuon continues to be an investor in REVOLT.

Prior to REVOLT, Schuon was chief digital officer and president, artist services for Live Nation/Ticketmaster responsible for investments and strategic alliances with companies like Spotify, and oversight of experiential ticketing operations. Schuon was founder/president/CEO of International Music Feed (IMF), a global pop-music television network that was the flagship channel for Universal Music Group until its merger with Ovation TV. Prior to IMF, he was president of Viacom’s 185-station CBS Radio group.Schuon helped bring music to the Internet as founder/CEO of the Sony/ Universal joint-venture Pressplay. A predecessor to Spotify and iTunes, it was the first music subscription service (subsequently renamed Napster). He partnered with Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris to create the pioneering Vivendi-Universal multi-platform media company Farmclub.com, and served as president for what was a record company, website, and a weekly highly rated television show on USA Network. Artist profile pages, customizable streaming video and radio, and the talent showcase for unsigned artists foreshadowed Myspace, Pandora, and American Idol. Schuon served as executive vice president and general manager of Warner Bros. Records, shepherding a turnaround at the label and successful album releases for Madonna, Cher, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others. As executive vice president, programming and production, Schuon guided the pop culture phenomenon MTV. He introduced innovative programming such as “MTV Beach House,” “The 10 Spot,” “Beavis and Butthead,” “Alternative Nation,” “MTV Jams,” served as executive producer of MTV’s VMAs: Video Music Awards and Movie Awards, launched MTV2 and the company’s Times Square Studio, and later added oversight of VH1 where he worked to position the network as a destination for passionate music-loving adults. Schuon also created the first celebrity reality show ever, “Rodman World Tour” starring Dennis Rodman. While at MTV he discovered talent such as Carson Daly, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Kennedy Montgomery, Adam Carolla and Jenny McCarthy. Earlier, Schuon was program director of America’s number one music station KROQ-FM in L.A. where he found, and developed the most successful morning show in L.A. radio history “Kevin & Bean”, and made a home for Dr. Drew’s "Loveline," "The Acoustic Christmas” and many other well known franchises. He held a similar post at KAZY-FM, which he pushed to #1 in the Denver market. Straight out of high school he worked as an on-air personality at legendary Seattle rock station KISW-FM, where he was known as “Boy Wonder”, the youngest major-market radio personality in America. He got an even earlier start after mailing a postcard to the program director of his hometown rock station KOZZ-FM Reno, and then showed up for a job interview...without an appointment. After a quick unofficial internship Schuon got his big break and became one of the station’s most popular DJs at age 16.

Schuon is on the boards of Business Rockstars and Teach For America’s Southern California region, and has served on the boards of Hot Topic Stores, Premiere Radio Networks, iLike.com, National Media, Cinedigm, and Coinstar/RedBox new ventures. He has a long history of advising companies on their media strategies including Conde Nast, XM Radio, IMG, Hard Rock Hotel-Las Vegas, and Vivendi. Schuon lives in Beverly Hills California with his wife and two daughters.

Patrick Sheil

General Counsel | SVP Business Affairs

Jim Cerna

Head of Capital Markets

James J. Cerna, Jr. brings 30 years’ experience in public companies and over 20 years in the C-suite. Most recently he was CEO of FogChain Inc., a publicly traded software company headquartered in the Silicon Valley. From 2014 to 2017, he was CEO and CFO of SauceLabs Inc, one of the largest software testing companies in the world. His prior C-suite roles include President and CEO of Armada Oil, Inc.; President and CEO of the privately held Lucas Energy Resources; and Founder and CEO of NetCurrents, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCS).