It’s official! After my last post about the challenging business environment in Vancouver, I am thrilled to announce that I have taken on the role of CEO for a top-notch startup called BookRiff! So, Vancouver, like it or not, you are stuck with me for a little more time 
I am extremely excited by BookRiff because they have developed a solution to a very important (and fundamental) issue facing media today, namely: How can consumers use media as they wish, while also ensuring that content owners get paid?! BookRiff answers this question quite elegantly and simply.
Essentially, BookRiff is a technology platform that allows consumers to mix content from virtually any source–published books, websites, and their own files–to build custom compilations called Riffs. Think of Riffs as “Mixtapes of Text”. Each time a Riff is distributed, all content owners and contributors get paid. BookRiff’s technology manages the authoring, bundling, licensing, attribution, and payment details for each of these custom compilations. That’s pretty powerful!
To provide a little history, BookRiff was initially incubated within Vancouver-based D&M Publishers, one of Canada’s largest independent publishers, and was recently spun-off as an independent venture. I have been “dating” the company for a couple of months and we mutually decided it was finally time to “go steady”! I am thrilled that President of D&M Publishers and founder of Bookriff, Mark Scott, has entrusted me to drive BookRiff’s future success! We already have some great partners and plans in place and we are building a phenomenal team! Do stay tuned for more exciting announcements in the very near future!
Last week, I was interviewed by the Vancouver Province for my thoughts on the Vancouver Tech scene. They wrote up a great article (and there’s even a nice picture of me ).
However, beyond what’s mentioned in the article, I firmly believe Vancouver has the huge potential of becoming a major vortex for Digital Media and naturally, technology is an essential component of that! With its unique combination of technology, culture and entertainment (games, film & TV), Vancouver has the talent and expertise to bring all these industries under one magnificent umbrella and really position itself as the Digital Media center of the future!
There are lots of people contributing to this vision and all I can say is that it’s an exciting time to be part of this phenomenal Vancouver team! I’m doing my part to make this happen and I truly look forward to seeing this vision realized!! Stay tuned…
Many thanks to Kris Krug and the Raincity Studios crew for including me in their list of Vancouver Tech Women to Watch in 2008! I’m truly honored and flattered to be in such amazing company!
Now the pressure’s really on…people are watching!
Hi and thanks for coming by to check out my web site! You got here, so clearly you know my name already – Rochelle Grayson 
And, here’s what I look like…yes, even online, it’s nice to put a face to a name!
Who am I? Well, for starters check out my About page…but, beyond what’s there, I’m a curious and dynamic lover of all things technology, entertainment, and business. Interesting mix, huh? What really turns my crank are tools and experiences that let people play with one another in the here and now. Still not sure what I mean? Think about the crazy collision course of mobile, web, social communities and entertainment and I’m at the heart of that impact and it feels really good!
I’m also a huge fan of bold (some might say loud) colors…just like this website
Want to start a conversation or do you have something really interesting to share? Drop me line! I look forward to hearing what you have to say…believe me, I certainly can’t keep up with everything that’s going on!
I’m looking forward to 2008 and all of the amazing experiences that will pop up in the “social media” space! (I hear that’s what they’re calling it now !)
Happy New Year!
