Wikia:Press: Gil Penchina, VP and General Manager from eBay, to Join Wikia as CEO

Wikia - creating communities

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 5

Wikia, Inc., the leading site for developing and hosting community-based wikis, today announced that Gil Penchina, an eight-year veteran of eBay, has agreed to join the company as chief executive officer, to help Wikia build the richest guides and content around topics in which internet users are passionately interested. Currently Wikia's guides cover areas as diverse as technology product reviews, movie guides, pet care and popular video game content.

"Gil brings to Wikia a deep understanding of consumer internet business and respect for the power of human online communities," said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and chairman of Wikia. "We look forward to working with Gil as we expand the company, enhance our online community offerings, and guide Wikia through this explosive growth phase."

Mr. Penchina comes to Wikia from eBay where he served in a number of executive positions, including regional VP roles in Europe and Asia and as a general manager in the US. A native of Amherst, Massachusetts, Penchina holds a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business.

"Gil's experience from the early days of eBay, one of the world's most thriving Internet communities, gives him a unique understanding of the key ingredients for online community success," said Jeremy Levine, Wikia's board member from Bessemer Venture Partners. "We are excited about the leadership and vision he brings to Wikia, its employees, customers and online communities."

[edit] About Wikia, Inc.

Since the site's launch in November 2004, over 1,200 Wikia have been created and edited by over 30,000 registered users. Wikia are already available in over 40 languages. A list of Wikia can be seen at http://www.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Wikia. Wikia already hosts some of the world's largest wikis outside of Wikipedia including: lost.wikia.com, a fan site for the Lost TV show; starwars.wikia.com, a community devoted to Star Wars fans, and hundreds more including topics ranging from politics to pets.

Wikia enables groups to share information, news, stories, media and opinions that fall outside the scope of an encyclopedia. Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley launched Wikia in 2004 to provide community-based wikis inspired by the model of Wikipedia -- the free, open source encyclopedia founded by Jimmy Wales.

Wikia is committed to openness, inviting anyone to contribute web content. Authors retain their own copyrights and allow others to freely reuse their content under the GNU Free Documentation License, allowing widespread distribution of knowledge and ideas.

Website: http://www.wikia.com/