Mobile Media Storm

By Leslie A. Rodriguez,  Contributing Writer

As the marketplace for mobile technology continues to grow, one Pittsburgh based company cannot go unnoticed. MoGoes, formally known as Mobile Media Ventures, LLC (MMV) is a mobile media company that creates, distributes and markets customized informational, as well as educational, mobile video and audio tours, vignettes, coupons, maps and other content that is accessible at the touch of a button.

In addition to being unique in the services which they provide to businesses, MoGoes also has the distinction of being a business that has women in the roles of both president and vice president. Though having two women lead the forefront of a mobile technology company may seem out of the ordinary to some onlookers, these women are part of a rapidly emerging group of women owned and operated businesses.

Christa Humphrey Ross, president of MoGoes has helped fuel the company’s development with more than 22 years experience in the video production area. Acting as a catalyst for the maturation of MoGoes, Ross has garnered equity participation from private shareholders and secured PMI as a partner for the company.

“PMI, a downtown production company has given us access to their facilities and incubated us in their space. We couldn’t have made this happen without the support of David Case and the other principals at PMI,” said Ross.

Left to right: Melissa Lucciola, VP/Chief Technology Officer; Christa Humphrey Ross, President

According to Ross, the concept behind MoGoes was not simply a light bulb moment, but rather a realization that mobile devices were making great strides in technology. She then wanted to figure out what kind of programs could be useful on them - and what kind of company could provide them.

“Mobile media is changing so fast and we are daily trying to figure out what’s next and second guessing ourselves if we are moving in the right direction. It’s like trying to ride on an avalanche,” said Ross.

Along with Ross, Melissa Lucciola, vice president and chief technology officer for MoGoes is a strong driving force behind this developing company. No stranger to the technology market, Lucciola has over 17 years of consulting and system development experience along with three technology start-ups. According to Lucciola the migration to the mobile industry was a logical progression. She is currently working to achieve the company’s goal of creating and distributing mobile content across all carrier networks to anyone with a video-enabled mobile device.

 “Our business is based in technology.  Mobile technology is responsible for the lifestyle changes we are seeing today.  Each generation is affected by technology advancements and I believe the mobile ‘on-demand’ generation is just being defined as a target demographic for marketers,” said Lucciola.

The work of Ross and Lucciola to spearhead MoGoes into the mainstream media market has not gone un-noticed. MoGoes is already being recognized throughout the Pittsburgh community for their innovative ideas and was recently named a Phase I award winner in the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s EnterPrize Business Plan Competition. The company has also signed its first major contract with Visit Pittsburgh, the lead tourist promotion agency for Allegheny County.

Several groups are working with MoGoes to create relevant city and area tours, so visitors can learn what there is to do and see around Pittsburgh and Western Pa. The genius behind MoGoes is that the tours are viewed on mobile devices such as iPods, MP3 players and mobile phones. Content can be downloaded to a computer and then onto the device, or delivered directly to the mobile device wirelessly.

“Our initial market entry is targeting three niche industries where we have identified high value and a practical use for mobile content and marketing. These target markets are Travel and Tourism, Higher Education and Real Estate,” said Lucciola.

MoGoes is going to be part of a billion dollar industry within in the next few years. According to current projections by analysts, in 2011, U.S. mobile revenues alone will be more than $11.2 billion and nearly 75 percent of mobile devices will be video-enabled. Lucciola has hopes that in ten years MoGoes will have grown internationally and will be a well known brand providing mobile content around the world.

April 2007