About Us
MEET THE VET Tv TEAM
MEET THE TEAM
We are a mission driven brand utilizing entertainment as a vehicle to create community, connection and improve the mental health for those who served.
We’re a team of veterans working hard to deliver the best military streaming service on the planet. We’ve lived the life, fought the battles, and are dedicated to bringing the best and worst of the military life directly to your screen.
Donny O'Malley
Donny O’Malley
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
US Marines, 2009-2015
Captain Danny Maher (aka Donny O’Malley), retired from the Marine Corps and began his career as an activist for the veteran community in 2015 when he wrote “Embarrassing Confessions of a Marine Lieutenant” and started the Non-profit, Irreverent Warriors. After seeing the impact humor had on improving mental health in veterans, he founded VET Tv and has spearheaded the content and creative team since inception.
Jessica Mandala
Jessica Mandala
Head of Development
Bastard child of two Navy veterans
A Navy brat of two sailors. She started out with VET Tv as an actress in Department of Offense and Kill Die Laugh eventually joining the staff full time in 2018. Jessica is now a writer, director, producer and Head of Development. She wrote and starred in one of VET Tv’s most popular shows, Devil Docs, now streaming on Amazon Prime. She directed V for Valor, Noncommissioned News, our stand up comedy specials, and the Grunt Style production, Tun Tavern.
Donny O'Malley
Waco Hoover
CEO
US Marines, 1999-2003
Mr. Hoover is an entrepreneur and investor with over 18 years of experience in venture capital, M&A, entertainment, media and live events. He is currently the CEO of VET Tv; an advisor at Founders Factory, a London based venture capital firm; and serves on the board of Irreverent Warriors, a non-profit preventing veteran suicide. He has advised global brands including MGM Resorts, Informa, Vivendi, and Las Vegas Sands Corp. He was a co-founder and investor in businesses sold to Informa, Emerald, Endeavor Business Media and Onstream Media. Mr. Hoover lives in Southern California with his wife and two yellow labs, Tucker and Winnie. He is a former U.S. Marine, graduated from New York University, cum laude and completed Harvard Business School executive education programs. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, diving, and mountaineering as often as possible.
Donny O'Malley
John Acevedo
Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
US Marines, 2012 – 2016
John Acevedo, former Marine Corps Captain and graduate from Vanderbilt University as a Biomedical Engineer, joined VET Tv at its inception in 2016 and has built the marketing and operations department from the ground up. John also sits on the board for VET Tv’s sister non-profit, Irreverent Warriors.
Mike Lavigne
Mike Lavigne
Chief Communications Officer
Sergeant Major, US Army Retired
Mike Lavigne is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major and former infantryman turned award-winning military broadcast journalist and senior public affairs advisor, Mike began reporting from the Korean demilitarized zone and the post 9/11 battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, he served as a senior communications adviser at the the joint task force headquarters for operations in Afghanistan, in Iraq during the fight against ISIS, and helped lead communications efforts in the early days of COVID-19.
Justin Szerletich
Justin Szerletich
Chief Marketing Officer
US MARINES, 2006-2010
Justin Szerletich is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran. A former infantryman being deployed to Ramadi, Iraq and again on the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Justin is now an award-winning creative strategist and marketer. Working for the government until 2017, Justin then founded and helmed a digital marketing agency in San Diego that serviced Veteran businesses and non-profits until it was acquired in 2020. His passion, innovation, and creativity has seen him involved in amazingly creative projects with the likes of ESPN Radio, We Are The Mighty, Blumhouse Productions, KnuckleHead Media Group and more.
Justice F. W. Pelton
Justice F. W. Pelton
Vice President of Production
US MARINES, 1996-2020
As a former Aviation Logistics Officer who performed psychological operations in Afghanistan and accompanied Chuck Norris on his first USO tour of Iraq, his career encompassed working with the highest levels of military leadership at the Pentagon and inspecting the security measures at every embassy in East Asia and Pacific. Justice is a member of the Veterans of Media and Entertainment (VME) and the Producers Guild of America (p.g.a) and has produced over 100 episodes of streaming episodic television.
Donny O'Malley
Nick Betts
Creative Director
US Army, 2005-2013
Nick Betts served from 2005-2013 in the Army as a recon sniper with multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. After he left the military, Nick did executive protection for celebrities in Los Angeles before contracting for the government overseas as a sniper.
Nick started his career in marketing, quickly working his way up and attending Los Angeles Film School with a degree in graphic design. He has earned a pedigree in the veteran community as a published writer, photographer and videographer.
Donny O'Malley
Todd Brockman
Chairman of the Board
Todd Brockman is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist with an extensive track record of founding, advising and investing in disruptive businesses. He’s credited with pioneering the market for legal technology while in school at The University of Southern California and founded a successful tech startup. He was a co-founder and investor in businesses sold to Informa, Emerald, Endeavor Business Media and Onstream Media.
Donny O'Malley
Larry Charles
Advisory Board Member
Larry Charles is an American comedian, screenwriter, director, actor, and producer. He was a staff writer for the sitcom Seinfeld for its first five seasons. He has also directed the documentary film Religulous and the mockumentary comedy films Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator.
Donny O'Malley
Peter Morris
Advisory Board Member
A strategic operator and results oriented executive with an expertise in building, marketing, and driving revenue for media companies, Peter is the CEO of PodcastOne, a leading advertiser supported podcast network featuring a roster of more than 300 of today’s most popular podcasts including Adam Carolla, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Austin, Kaitlyn Bristowe, A&E’s Cold Case Files, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Court Junkies, 22 Hours: An American Nightmare, The Ladygang, Mike Tyson, Dr. Drew, Chael Sonnen, Rich Eisen, Jordan Harbinger, and hundreds more.
Donny O'Malley
Jonathan Stern
Advisory Board Member
Jonathan is the COO at XTR, the non-fiction studio behind projects such as Oscar nominated doc Ascension and Apple’s They Call Me Magic. Prior to founding Media Advisory Group, Stern was SVP, Strategic Development at Bunim/Murray Productions and has worked for Red Bull Media House and Fusion Media Group.
Donny O'Malley
Tim Jensen
Advisory Board Member
US marine, 1997-2005
Tim Jensen is the Co-Owner and Chief Strategy Officer of Grunt Style, LLC. A man of many hats, he is also President of the Board of Directors for the Grunt Style Foundation as well as President of G3 Dynamics. A genuine bottom-to-top success story, Jensen started at Grunt Style folding shirts. He credits his rise through the company to the values of honor, courage and commitment that he learned as a Marine.
Advisory Board
