Sideways Appoints Eliza Wing as President and COO

CLEVELAND, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Sideways today announced Eliza Wing as its president and COO. Wing was most recently president and CEO of cleveland.com, Northeast Ohio's preeminent news and information website affiliated with The Plain Dealer.

Sideways is a new software company that is developing a publishing platform to leverage the multi-user, multi-media, multi-touch capabilities of the iPad and other mobile devices. This platform transforms media into a new, immersive and deeply engaging experience. The company works with publishers and authors to produce original books that leverage the functionality of Apple and other mobile devices. Sideways is based in downtown Cleveland and was founded by CEO Charles Stack, who started the first online bookstore – Books.com – which was acquired in 1996 and is now part of Barnes and Noble. Wing worked alongside Stack at Books.com serving as editorial director.

"The iPad and other new devices from Apple, Google and Microsoft will totally transform the existing media landscape. This disruption will be on a scale with that brought on by the Internet in the 1990's.  Sideways will lead that transformation with innovative technology, extensive partnerships, and compelling new content," said Stack. "Eliza brings an extensive media background and understanding of new media to Sideways. We will benefit immensely from her deep expertise in both the old and new media worlds as the company launches at the upcoming BookExpo America conference."

Wing was hired as editor-in-chief for Plain Dealer New Media in 1996 to work on the development of a news and information site for Cleveland and was tasked with building cleveland.com from the ground up. She was named president and CEO in 1997 and the site was soon named "Best World Wide Web Site" by the Northeast Ohio Software Association, the "Best Local Web Site" by Cleveland Magazine and was awarded for "Most Innovative Use of the Online Medium" from the Newspaper Association of America's New Media Federation. Today the site enjoys more than 2.3 million unique users each month and the company employs more than 30 full-time staff members.

Wing held positions at Houghton-Mifflin, Rolling Stone and New York Woman, and in the film industry with Universal Pictures.

Wing is on various boards in the Cleveland area including the United Way, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and the U.S. Bank Advisory Board. She previously served as president of The New Media Federation of the Newspaper Association of America and is a member of In Counsel With Women and the 2001 Leadership Cleveland class. In 2007 Wing was named one of Northern Ohio Live Rainmakers and in 2008 she was awarded the first annual Riot Girl Award by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

About Sideways

Sideways transforms books into immersive experiences on digital tablets and mobile devices. Leveraging unique multi-media capabilities, Sideways goes beyond e-book functionality, changing storytelling and the way we consume books. Developing original content with forward-thinking book publishers and authors, the company's M3 publishing platform augments text with rich media, adds multiple levels of reference, and enhances reading with mobile features and social media. Sideways takes advantage of interactivity to enrich both the solitary and social experience of reading – from fiction and non-fiction to "how to" and guides. Additionally, Sideways is the creator of Author App, a mobile application for authors designed to build their brands, engage their fans and expand their presence, and on-device magazines TapTilt for the iPhone, iPadia for the iPad and Droid Review for the Android. Based in Cleveland, Sideways was founded in 2010 by Charles Stack who started the first online bookstore in 1992 – Books.com – which was later acquired by Barnes and Noble. For more information, visit www.sideways.com.

SOURCE Sideways