Ethan Jacks began his career in media technology in 1999 at digital media pioneer Avid Technology, serving in several senior executive positions, including EVP of corporate development, chief legal officer, and acting chief financial officer. In that period, Avid’s market valuation grew from $400 million to $2.5 billion. Jacks helped drive Avid’s strategy to grow both organically and through strategic M&A, leading a total of 15 acquisitions of private and publicly held companies that fueled Avid’s growth across its film, video, and audio sectors.
Jacks co-founded MediaBridge Capital Advisors in 2012 with partner John Bowen. In film and video, transactions include the sale of DaVinci Systems to Blackmagic; the sale of Teradek to The Vitec Group; and the sale of Final Draft to Cast & Crew. In pro audio, transactions include the sales of Euphonix to Avid, Solid State Logic (SSL) to Audiotonix, Minnetonka Audio Software to Telos Alliance, Sound Devices to Audiotonix, Audix Microphones to Vitec Group, and the PE financing of audio software innovator iZotope.
Jacks practiced corporate law for 10 years, including as a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery, with a focus on complex corporate transactions. He holds a B.S. and MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Jacks has lectured on entrepreneurship at MIT and spoken on M&A at many industry events.
Featured in: Tuesday Tech Talks (T3) (12/17)