Steve Machin

Co-CEO

Steve leads the Ticketing Strategy, Business Intelligence, and Client Services teams at FanDragon. He is a pioneer of the live entertainment and ticketing sectors, bringing decades of ticketing industry expertise to FanDragon. Throughout his career, Steve has focused on projects, solutions, and services that use new technology to enhance how consumers and providers connect through live entertainment.

Following senior corporate roles at both Ticketmaster Europe and Live Nation, Steve has worked in the independent sector as an entrepreneur and co-founder of a number of businesses ranging from data analysis of what was a nascent secondary ticketing sector—to a live event streaming company that brought the category of “Event Cinema” to the mass-market across Europe. 

More recently, Steve has moved towards an infrastructure approach to the ticket sector. To that end, Steve in 2012 successfully applied to the internet regulator, ICANN, to operate a high-integrity domain name registry for the ticketing sector under the .tickets top level domain. Steve has joined FanDragon to bring his deep industry experience to bear on the next phase of ticketing technology being delivered by the blockchain.

When not collaborating with the FanDragon teams in Los Angeles and London, Steve often speaks about ticketing, technology, and live entertainment at conferences worldwide, including the International Live Music Conference where he chairs the New Technology Panel. Steve received his B.S. in Psychology with Honours from The University of Manchester.

Dragon Superpower: Connecting dots no one else can see – and a firm belief that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Alan Rakov

Co-CEO

Alan is responsible for helping lead the team that creates and expands new business and monetization opportunities for FanDragon. A respected ticketing industry veteran, Alan has more than 20 years of expertise under his belt. He most recently ran Working Bear Productions, which provided revenue and business development services to companies including Ticketmaster—helping industry leaders explore new strategic directions and spearheading fan-driven ticketing innovations that created new revenue streams for artists.

Prior to leading Working Bear Productions, Alan served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Revenue Officer for Live Nation Entertainment’s US Concerts Division. While at Live Nation, he was instrumental in launching new revenue management products and services including Platinum Tickets, GrouponLive, and the industry’s leading dynamic pricing system, Pricemaster. Earlier in his career, Alan worked with Ticketmaster in several roles, including Vice President of TicketExchange, Ticketmaster’s secondary market solution, and General Manager of Ticketmaster, Northern California and Nevada.

Alan holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management at UCLA, an MFA in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a BA in Music from Stanford University. A former professional violinist, Alan currently plays the fiddle in the Jim Bob and the Buzzards Band and counts Vassar Clements, Stephane Grappelli, and Andrew Bird as his violin idols. When not working or playing the fiddle, Alan spends time with his wife and kids.

Dragon Superpower: 20/4 Vision—the ability to see macro paths and micro tasks and execute with effectual enthusiasm.

Shawn Asuncion

Director of Product

Shawn is responsible for FanDragon’s product operations, development, and innovation. A seasoned product management professional, Shawn has spent six years building tech solutions that scale across mobile and desktop. Prior to FanDragon, he was Director of Product at Hopscotch, where he led a cross-functional team to build mobile apps as well as the platform which powered USA Today Sports Media Group, CBS Sports Colleges, T-mobile Arena, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and other venue and live event clients.

Previous to Hopscotch, Shawn launched an influencer marketing platform creating content for clients including Zipcar and the NBA. He has a strong background in SaaS, affiliate shopping,  mobile rewards, and loyalty programs.  

Born and raised in Hawaii, Shawn moved to the mainland to pursue a career in start-ups, working at companies at the ground level and using his skills to build products that solve problems. He is passionate about using technology to connect people with the experiences they love. When he is not working, Shawn enjoys traveling and trying out new restaurants. 

Dragon Superpower: Being an active listener.

Gillian Raikes

Director of Business Development & Partnerships

Gillian is responsible for building the FanDragon’s partnership and customer pipeline and identifying additional strategic growth initiatives. Prior to joining FanDragon, Gillian was a fellow at Stanford University’s Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative, where she created tools and resources to aid high-net-worth donors in developing philanthropic strategies. She has also previously worked with KPMG East Africa and McKinsey & Company on large-scale public health and food security innovation projects in Kenya. 

Gillian received her degree in Human Biology and African & African-American studies from Stanford University. A recent Los Angeles transplant, when she is not in the office, you can find Gillian exploring everything LA has to offer—from hikes to museums.

Dragon Superpower: Herding. She always makes sure her team is in the right place with the right resources.