Our Team

Jason founded Blockgraph, building it from an industry initiative within Comcast Advertising into the platform it is today. Previously, he held strategy and operations roles at FreeWheel, AOL, and Viacom Media Networks, and began his career as a management consultant at Accenture.

Utpal leads engineering, product development, and the technical architecture behind the platform. He brings more than 20 years of ad tech and video technology experience from leadership roles at DoubleClick (now Google), Tremor Video, Xaxis, and Eyeview Digital.

Aleck leads commercial strategy, sales, and partner growth across the TV ecosystem. He brings more than two decades of experience in digital and advanced TV advertising, with previous leadership roles at Amobee, Videology, and Forbes.

Nate oversees financial planning, strategic operations, and business infrastructure at Blockgraph. Previously, he held director-level roles in product management and strategic planning at FreeWheel and product development positions at American Express.

What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Be prepared to get thrown into the deep end. The amount of information you learn can get overwhelming but you have a really good support system here to keep you afloat.

‍Who is someone you admire and why? I’ll do better, I’ll name 3: David Goggins, Kobe Bryant, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. These 3 people dedicated their life towards their craft and have so much of my respect. They persevered through the inner battle and on a daily basis inspire me to become the best version of myself.

‍Name the best TV series of all time. Euphoria

‍What is your self-proclaimed superpower? I’m REALLY stubborn when it comes to achieving my goals – I think it gives life meaning so where most people would quit I push harder.

What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team?

Come with a high degree of curiosity and an eagerness to learn; you will thrive and grow right along with the company.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about?

Outside of product management, I love the precision of baking and spend my free time decorating cakes and exploring dessert recipes from around the world."

Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…”

…recharging and staying active at the gym.

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Who is someone you admire and why? I admire Mob from Mob Psycho 100. There’s a saying that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Mob is someone who possesses great power yet stays true to himself.

‍What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? “Our ordinary life that pass us day by day may actually be a series of wonderful miracles.” -- Nichijou

‍Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about? Origami

‍Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" …in my dreams.

What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Cheering for my kids at their sports events.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? There is a virtue in work and there is a virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.

What's your go-to TV show to play in the background? Grey's Anatomy. I'm so sick of it, but I can't stop watching.

If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? I would run a dog/animal rescue somewhere in Central America.

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What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Cooking and exploring new restaurants and bars in the city

What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Be ready to have a ton of autonomy and see results quickly.

Name the best TV series of all time. A few all-timers for me are Breaking Bad, Freaks and Geeks, and Arrested Development. A few recent ones have been White Lotus, Succession, and The Rehearsal.

What is your self-proclaimed superpower? Growing up in Colorado, I would say my superpower is I am fearless when driving in the snow. Alternatively, I am an absolute master at hunting down a good apartment. I’ve always gone to the ends of the earth to find a great space at a good price everywhere I’ve lived.

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of. Recently it was that I designed and built a piece of furniture for my apartment. I even went as far as to get some custom glass cut from a factory up in Queens.

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What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Spending time with my husband, son and dog, preferably outdoors!

What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Be prepared to learn a lot from a great group of people.

Name the best TV series of all time. Lost

If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? Skiing in France or Switzerland

Name the best TV series of all time. If I had to pick a single best TV series of all time I'd go with "Cooked", it's short, well produced, and interesting. Definite runner up would have to be "Ugly Delicious" or "Batman Beyond".

‍What are you happiest doing when you're not working? When I'm not working, I'm happiest wandering around and exploring new places.

‍What's your go-to TV show to play in the background? My go-to TV show to play in the background is anything tagged cooking/documentary. They're great because there's no real plot to miss if you're not paying attention. I wouldn’t complain if “Explained” or “Abbot elementary” was playing, though.

‍If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do?  If I ran away today, I'd probably try my luck as a tropical boat captain, spend all day hunting for lobster or showing fish to tourists.

‍Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" Making the breakfast I've been dreaming about all week.

What are you happiest doing when you're not working? When I'm not working, I'm happiest spending time with my family and friends.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about? I have a talent for making puns and wordplay(mostly in Chinese).

Tell me a little bit about your professional background and experience. I am an ex-FreeWheeler; BCHIP(now known as Blockgraph) was my first big project in FreeWheel. I was once a Ph.D. candidate (but quit with fear 😊).. but then I joined FreeWheel! I have several years of research and development in distributed systems and storage systems at the Institute of High Performance Computing of Tsinghua University as a research associate.

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of. I'm most proud of my accomplishment of completing a 100 mile round trip bike ride in one day. I had to push myself to my physical and mental limits, but I was able to make it through the entire ride and feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

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What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Try every food at least twice. You never know if the first time is a fluke.

Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" At Pilates….followed by the Farmer’s Market.

Name the best TV series of all time. Dark.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? Wherever you find yourself at work or in your personal life, do the very best you can do.

Name 3 words that best describe you. Organized, Optimistic and Sensitive

What's your go-to TV show to play in the background? Big Bang Theory

If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? I want to do some social service to help people in need.

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Finish this sentence: “On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…”: Watching Premier League (Soccer) on TV or at a brunch place in Manhattan.

‍What’s your go-to TV show to play in the background? The Office, Friends, Modern Family. Any light-hearted TV show!

‍What are you happiest doing when you’re not working? Watching a TV show, cooking breakfast, playing badminton, hanging out with friends and family, and exploring new places.

‍Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about? I play badminton. This is one sport I feel I’m good at :). I recently started learning Ukelele. I have started getting good at making Indian dishes.

What are you happiest doing when you're not working? I am happiest on long road trips, visiting national parks & historical sites, and watching sitcoms; my three year-old became another source of happiness after he was born.

What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Be creative – one of the best things about a startup is that “creative thinking” is realized and recognized faster than in any other environment. Be collaborative – being so not only helps you brainstorm ideas but also it helps break down the silos and solve problems. Be hungry – the more you want, the more you have! There is never a dearth of things to build, solve, and improve!

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about? I am a Typeracer and hold an average of 102 wpm (words per minute) from the past 50 races. I am sure my average is way above the typical average 😊

What is your self-proclaimed superpower? Authenticity is my superpower. I strive to resolve any conflicting situations I am in and navigate smoothly.

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What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Watching a soccer game.

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about? I can play the trumpet

Name the best TV series of all time. Big Bang Theory

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of. Raising my kids.

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What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Spending time with my 3 year old son, Chase, and researching new technology.

‍What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Bring your thoughts and ideas to the table. This company isn't built on one person's mindset.

‍Name the best TV series of all time. Breaking Bad

‍If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? Italy – sip espressos and wine and never look back.

What are you happiest doing when you're not working? Being in nature - hiking, backpacking, camping.

‍If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? Hawaii. Farmer.

‍What's your go-to TV show to play in the background? Planet Earth.

‍Do you have any skills or talents that most people don't know about? I make great udon / soba noodles!

Who is someone you admire and why? Hans Zimmer – he is a brilliant composer who isn’t afraid to be bold but is also humble.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? The best way to learn is by doing, so don’t shy away from adverse situations but embrace them and keep moving forward

Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" Searching for brunch in Brooklyn

What's your go-to TV show to play in the background? Scrubs, Community, or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

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What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Get ready to learn a lot and be welcomed into the Blockgraph family. 

Tell me a little bit about your professional background and experience. I’m a Marketing professional with more than 20 years of global leadership experience building and executing transformative, integrated programs that raise awareness, increase revenue, and drive business growth.

Name the best TV series of all time. Twin Peaks

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Who is someone you admire and why? Hayao Miyazaki. I really admire how he incorporates themes of nature and environmentalism into kid-friendly movies.

‍Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" Deep in sleep because I probably stayed up late. I’m a night owl.  

‍If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? I would travel around the world to visit all of the prettiest hot springs and hiking trails.

‍Name the best TV series of all time. Beyond Evil. So many plot twists.

‍What is your self-proclaimedsuperpower? I can always find amazing hidden gem restaurants whenever I’m on a road trip/traveling. The best Thai food I had in the USA was in New Mexico.

What are you happiest doing when you're not working? During my free time I enjoy pursuing my hobbies such as basketball, board games, and watching movies.

Finish this sentence: "On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…" ...getting my weekly bagels. It’s something that's become routine for me and my go-to is the classic BEC on an everything bagel.

If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? I would want to go to Japan. I’m a huge sushi and ramen fan, those would be the first things I try in Japan. Also, I would prefer to go during the cherry blossom season because I’ve heard it’s an amazing experience.

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What advice would you give to a candidate who wants to join our team? Stay humble stay hungry

Name the best TV series of all time. Breaking Bad or Friends

If you could run away today and go anywhere and do anything you liked, where would you go and what would you do? I’ll go to moon and find out if the footprint is still there.

What is your self-proclaimed superpower? Daydreaming and hardworking