CRAIG PALMER NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MAKERSPLACE
—THE PREMIER NFT MARKETPLACE FOR RARE & AUTHENTIC DIGITAL ARTWORKS–
San Francisco, CA (February 24, 2022) — MakersPlace – the premier NFT marketplace for rare and authentic digital artworks– has named Craig Palmer to the position of Chief Executive Officer to lead the company through its next critical growth phase. Company co-founder and former CEO Dannie Chu is now Executive Chairman on MakersPlace’s board.
Craig Palmer joins MakersPlace with over 30 years of broad industry experience – spanning a wide variety b2c and b2b markets, and a successful track record of almost $10B in successful exits. Most recently, Palmer was CEO of Fandom (www.fandom.com), the world’s largest fan platform reaching 315 million unique visitors per month that enables fans to go deeper on their favorite games, entertainment and culture with unique tools, memorable experiences, original content and commerce. Under Craig’s eight years of leadership Fandom enjoyed a dramatic increase in revenue, employee growth, and industry footprint, and was purchased by TPG Capital in 2018.
Prior to Fandom, he was President & CEO of Gracenote (www.gracenote.com), the world’s leading entertainment data and technology company that powers the top music services, consumer electronic companies and cable and satellite operators. Under Palmer’s nine years of leadership Gracenote enjoyed extensive revenue and employee growth, the establishment of market leadership and an international scope of business, and was purchased by Sony in 2008.
Palmer has also held leadership roles in diverse companies such as Aspect Development (Enterprise Software) which had a successful IPO and sale, eWanted (Consumer Auction), Cadence Design (Electronic Design Automation) which had a successful IPO, and Hewlett Packard (Computers), which gave him extensive experience in content, technology, software, hardware and internet markets. He also serves on the University of Wisconsin, College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and has served as board member or advisor for a number of private companies.
“I’m excited about Craig’s new leadership given his proven track record of taking fast growing companies and pouring rocket fuel on them to grow even faster. He brings a unique skill set and experience to MakersPlace,” says Executive Chairman Dannie Chu. Read more here.
“MakersPlace occupies a unique position in the diverse and fast growing NFT market and I am excited to be able to lead the company’s efforts to greatly scale its business, to further establish the company’s brand and market leadership, and to create a highly differentiated offering in a competitive landscape that is a magnet for the best NFT creators and collectors,” says Craig Palmer, CEO. “I couldn’t be more excited to take on these challenges.”
About MakersPlace
MakersPlace (www.makersplace.com) is the premier NFT marketplace for digital art. Launched in 2018, MakersPlace utilizes blockchain technology to facilitate the sale of authentic, original digital artwork, ensuring rarity and ownership for both creators and collectors. MakersPlace has emphasized accessibility since its inception, and has attracted a large mainstream audience as the first NFT marketplace to accept both cryptocurrency (ETH) and non-cryptocurrency (USD) payments, which it facilitates through crypto wallet and credit card transactions, respectively. MakersPlace helped catapult digital art and NFTs onto the global stage, with the historic sale of Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69.3 million in partnership with Christie’s auction house in March 2021 – the record price for any digital artwork. Our mission is simple: to enable a vibrant future for digital creativity.
