About Us

Michael is Founder and CEO of Big Spaceship. Since launching the agency in 2000, he has been integral in acquiring and serving its high profile clients, including 20th Century Fox, A&E, ABC, Adobe, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Glaceau, Google, Gucci, HBO, Linden Lab, Microsoft, MoMA, NBC Universal, Nike, OfficeMax, Royal Caribbean, Sony Pictures, Target, Victoria's Secret and Wrigley.

Over the past decade, Michael has led Big Spaceship to attain countless awards of high distinction. This includes a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the agency’s work with HBO Voyeur, Cannes Lions, Clios and One Show Interactive Pencils, as well as numerous Webby, FWA, Communication Arts, W3 and Pixel Awards. Michael was also named among the 2010 Creativity 50 and the 2008 OMMA Online All-Stars.

Michael is a founder and was an inaugural board member of SoDA, the Society of Digital Agencies. He is also a member of AIGA’s Visionary Design Council and the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. In addition, he serves as an IAB Agency Advisory Board Member. Speaking on creativity, innovation and the evolution of digital communications, Michael participates in and leads seminars across the globe and has engaged audiences at AIGA, SXSW, Click:NY, Click:London, ad:tech and CaT: Creativity and Technology, to name a few. As a champion of the digital and creative industries, he frequently chairs and sits on juries for creative awards, including the ANDY Awards, Cannes Lions, Hive Awards, One Show Interactive Awards, Effie Awards, ADC Interactive Awards, Communication Arts Awards and more.

Prior to starting Big Spaceship, Michael spent three years at Thoughtbubble in New York.

Michael is a graduate of Vassar College. He currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife Stacie and two sons, Isaac and Oliver.

Jason oversees daily operations at Big Spaceship. Depending on the day, this ranges from finalizing contracts to implementing procedural standards to exploring new partnerships. He devises and employs the very best of practices for his fellow crew members. Jason's career has frequently fused art with digital marketing. Previous roles include producing interactive and fine art projects for MoMA and the Guggenheim. He is well versed in art history, thanks to studies at Connecticut College and the University of Bologna, Italy. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Cinzia.

Ranae leads the talented team of producers who keep the collaborative gears shifting smoothly. That means topnotch work delivered on time and within budget. Prior to joining Big Spaceship, she worked at Organic, Wunderman and JWT managing digital programs for Bank of America, Martha Stewart, Unilever, Chrysler, Ford and others. Being from Detroit, much of her background is in automotive – and while her Motor City ties are strong, she found liberation by giving up her car and moving to New York. Ranae is also a true foodie, the kind that equally appreciates molecular gastronomy and bacon.

Shortly after retiring from rock stardom, Joshua became Big Spaceship's Minister of Technology in 2002. Once the agency's sole coder, he is now a mentor and leader of the development team responsible for building numerous award-winning digital projects. Overseeing R&D efforts, he is a continual supplier of technical solutions and innovations. Josh is a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences and a long-standing adviser on Adobe product launches. He shares his expertise at industry conferences, instructional workshops and awards panels throughout the world. He is also a video game aficionado.

Ivan Askwith leads Big Spaceship's strategic practice, where he works to help clients navigate the digital landscape and understand emerging behaviors. Building upon his time as a media analyst in MIT’s Convergence Culture Consortium, Ivan specializes in generating deep cross-platform audience engagement and helping brands build meaningful, relevant relationships with consumers. Recent projects include work for NBC, A&E, HBO, EPIX, Second Life and Wrigley.

He holds a Master’s degree from MIT’s Program in Comparative Media Studies, where his work focused on modern television’s increasing emphasis on transmedia narrative in creating and sustaining audience engagement. In addition, Ivan has published chapters on audience behavior and franchise development in several books and encyclopedias. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on digital strategy and online communities at both academic and business conferences, and an occasional contributor to magazines like Slate and Salon.