Playing Field

• John Callahan joined ActiveVideo Networks as CTO. Most recently he was SVP of software engineering for the Time Warner Cable Advanced Technology Group. He was a significant contributor to the creation of the TWC Pegasus digital TV system architecture, as well as to such interactive digital TV technologies as the Interactive Services Architecture (ISA), VOD, OCAP (tru2way) and CableLabs' emerging EBIF ETV standard. A principal developer of Time Warner's MystroTV project, Callahan also led teams in the development of several TWC services, including StartOver, Caller ID on TV and cable's first OCAP (tru2way) set-top navigator.
• Concurrent appointed Emory Berry as CFO and EVP of operations. Berry had been serving as Concurrent's CFO since March 2007 through a contract with TechCFO, where he was serving as a partner.
• OpenTV recently hired Kishore Shirekar. Formerly with NDS, he joins OpenTV as its GM, India and sales director, subcontinent, and will lead OpenTV's growing presence in India.
• Optimum Lightpath, a division of Cablevision, appointed Christopher Rabii as SVP of technical operations and Julia McGrath as VP of strategic integration. Most recently, Rabii was VP of engineering at AboveNet. McGrath spent the last five years with Cablevision in various senior level operations management positions including VP of customer service operations and SVP of fulfillment operations.
• The SCTE Foundation awarded a major grant to Society member Chris Gutel of Cox. A technical trainer in Oklahoma City, OK, Gutel will apply the major grant toward a bachelor of science in network management from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, OK.