Ngmoco Names Current TV Exec Joanna Drake Earl As COO

Major mobile developer and publisher Ngmoco has named Joanna Drake Earl as its new COO, tasking her with managing day-to-day operations and helping to lead the worldwide launch of the Mobage social gaming network. Earl comes to Ngmoco from Current TV, where she served as chief strategy and operations officer, managing marketing, business development, digital products and distribution among other areas. She has also served in executive positions at MOXI and ReacTV. Her background suggests a push to leverage Ngmoco's network in a broader mobile entertainment spectrum. The move comes as Ngmoco, a subsidiary of Japanese mobile giant DeNA, is launching its Mobage mobile social gaming service in beta across English-speaking regions and China. "I’m excited to help shape the future of mobile entertainment with ngmoco," Earl said in a statement. "Games are only the beginning. We’re just starting to harness what’s possible for a truly mobile entertainment network and Mobage is a bold step into the future of how consumers will discover, share and interact with content around the world." "Joanna brings a career’s worth of experience at the crossroads of new media and technology to Ngmoco," Ngmoco CEO Neil Young said in a statement. "Her transformative work in architecting and managing participatory media platforms at Current TV will be central to bringing the Mobage mobile entertainment network to life around the world."