Whether you've seen him in the SlingCommunity forums or stopped by his personal blog, Sling Media newcomer Dave Zatz has already made quite an impression on the folks here in the community.

Dave's role is all about online communication, helping bloggers and such learn more about the latest news, information, and happenings at Sling Media. Well, we got Dave on the phone for a little Q and A session of our own... about him.

The Sling Employee Spotlight Returns!

Dave, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.

My pleasure, Matt.

Can you give us a description of what you do?

Sure. My main focus here at Sling Media is to head up our online communication. You know, interacting with folks on the SlingCommunity and handling blogger PR. But I'm also representing Sling at trade shows, getting involved in our betas, and working on some other projects we've been cooking up.

We know you recently took this new position at Sling Media. Can you give us a rundown of how you ended up there?

Well I've been active online in the digital media space for some time now, both the forums and blogs. I struck up a friendship with Blake [Krikorian - CEO and Founder of Sling Media] Summer 2005 on AVS and have had close ties to Sling ever since. This is definitely a career change for me, since I spent the better part of the last 7 years doing network engineering for government clients.

You've been a blogger for a while now. What's the name of your blog? Has your experience there helped you in your current position.

Yeah, I've covered digital media and consumer electronics for myself on Zatz Not Funny and I've also done a little writing for others like Engadget. The relationships I've established as a blogger with other writers and industry folks have really helped me transition into my new role. Now I get to interact with many of those same good people on a more regular basis and have already done the hard work of hopefully earning their respect.

Do you have a family at home? Can you tell us a little about them?

My fiancée and I live in Maryland, just a few blocks outside Washington, DC. Melissa is a child welfare social worker helping out young adults who find themselves in the kind of situations that give me nightmares. We don't have any kids or pets of our own... though we do have the occasional dust bunny. Coincidentally, Melissa and I are both originally from Florida which makes coordinating out-of-town family visits pretty easy.

What do you like to do when you're not working? Do you have any hobbies or other interests?

My profession and my digital media hobby have kinda collided here at Sling. I feel fortunate to be in this situation, but maybe I need to find a new pasttime. What do you know about ice fishing? [LAUGHS] I did turn Melissa into a football fan, so we hit the University of Maryland home games each fall. Lately, I've been spending free time struggling to keep up with the notes in Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360.

What types of television programs do you like to watch?

My television tastes are all over the map. Right now I really dig Jericho, Heroes, and Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. Hm, the Girls Next Door are surprisingly entertaining. During football season, we watch a ton of games. I think there's something in that Florida water that pushes us towards college football.

When did you get your first Slingbox? What did you think about it? How many do you have now?

I picked up my first Slingbox shortly after the 2005 launch. This was after I had convinced Blake he needed to support Windows 2000 so I could use the SlingPlayer at work. The Slingbox was one of the coolest devices I'd come across. Heck, it still is. I currently have three Slingboxes here: A Slingbox Pro connected to my TiVo Series3, an AV connected to the bedroom Series2 TiVo, and a Tuner connected to analog cable.

Since joining Sling I also seem to have lucked into quite a few mobile devices, you know, for testing purposes. [LAUGHS] Over the last few weeks I've had a 6700, a Blackjack, a Dash, and a bunch of Palm Treos like the 700w, 700p, and 750 in the den. If I disclosed the phones I get to play with in the office, I'd have to kill you. Sorry, bud!

If you could pick one feature of the Slingboxes or SlingPlayer as your favorite, what would it be?

Remote viewing! I guess that's too broad, huh? Actually, I like to work on the computer with a small video window in the upper right area of the screen. If you look around the forums prior to me joining Sling, I probably mentioned that I'd really appreciate having a skinless video window. And now I do.

If there were one thing about the Slingbox you could change, what would it be?

That sounds like a trick question, Matt. And I know better than most how bloggers like to cut and paste employee quotes. But seriously, you and I both know the Slingbox is perfect. [LAUGHS] Let's just say that I'm now in a position to speak for our customers and provide feedback to the executives and the dev teams.

Besides the Slingbox, do you have any other favorite gadgets?

The Xbox 360 is one of my favorite devices. The new Sansa Connect sure looks interesting, though I'd prefer that functionality built into a phone I already carry. Oh yeah, I'm also a big fan of Harmony remotes and I never travel without my Shure noise-isolating ear buds.

Do you have a memorable experience in your short time at Sling Media that you could share?

You mean like that I day came into work without my pants? Just kidding, you know I do some work from home where pants are always optional. [LAUGHS] Seriously, I don't have one distinct moment to share yet. But in my short time with Sling I've pretty much confirmed what I had sensed all along: This group has a great vibe, a great mission, folks really pushing the envelope as a team to produce kick butt products and functionality for the consumer. And I'm down with that.

Part of your routine these days is to see what users are saying in the SlingCommunity. What do you think of the site and the rabid base of Slingers?

It's great to see so many folks participating in the forums, sharing tips and experiences, seeking peer assistance. I also expect some of these new forum topics you've introduced, like movie and TV shows, will be a fun place to expand discussion.

My role in the forum isn't limited to sharing news or answering questions. I'm also in there to get a sense of what people dig or how we might do things differently to provide the best possible customer experience. For example, I've seen there's some interest in us offering up the Windows Mobile SlingPlayer directly in the UK. That sure sounds reasonable to me. So I've taken it to the executive team and we'll see what happens.

I'd like to give a big thanks to Dave for all the time he spent answering questions and sharing more about himself with the community. Fortunately, I get the opportunity to speak with Dave on a fairly regular basis, and honestly say he's a great guy that's fun to talk to. It makes me wonder why he named his personal blog "Zatz Not Funny"... he's actually quite amusing from time to time. Thanks again Dave!

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