Management Team

Jirka Rysavy

Executive Chairman

Jirka Rysavy, Founder and Executive Chairman of Gaia, has been Chairman since inception and has served as Chief Executive Officer until December 2023 (except from March 2009 to July 2016). In 1986, Mr. Rysavy founded Corporate Express, Inc., which, under his leadership as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, grew to become a Fortune 500 company with $4.7 billion of revenue. Mr. Rysavy also founded and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Market, a health foods concept, which was sold in 1987 to become the concept and first Wild Oats Markets store. Mr. Rysavy was also Chairman of Real Goods Solar, Inc., founded within Gaiam in 1999 and brought public in 2009. Mr. Rysavy resigned from the board of Real Goods Solar in June 2013 after Gaiam sold its investment.

James Colquhoun

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Mr. Colquhoun is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Food Matters, a digital media and production company he founded in 2008. He also founded and was Chief Executive Officer of Food Matters TV (FMTV), a health and wellness subscription video on demand company, until its acquisition by Gaia in June 2019. During Mr. Colquhoun’s tenure the Food Matters group has grown to reach over 120 countries. He is also the producer of the feature documentary films Food Matters, Hungry For Change, the Transcendence docu-series and Love Over Money. Mr. Colquhoun has served on the board of directors since May 2020, joined the executive team as Chief Operating Officer in June 2023 and was appointed CEO in December of 2023. 

Kiersten Medvedich

President

Ms. Medvedich became Gaia's Executive Vice President of Content in June 2020, joined the Office of President in November 2020 and was promoted to President in June 2023. Prior to this, Ms. Medvedich was Senior Vice President of Content since November 2016 when she joined Gaia. Ms. Medvedich's experience has been firmly rooted in all facets of production and brings a level of national broadcast experience to Gaia by way of her long-standing tenure with Sony Pictures Television. From 1995  to 2009, Ms. Medvedich worked in daily syndication out of New York City, where she led nationally syndicated production efforts for some of the most widely viewed programming at the time.

Ned Preston

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Preston joined Gaia as Chief Financial Officer in June 2023. Mr. Preston previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Tive Inc. from May 2022 to September 2022. Prior to that he served as Chief Financial Officer of Motional Inc. from April 2020 until April 2022. He was Senior Vice President of Finance at PTC Inc. from November 2016 until December 2019. Prior to this he served in various senior finance roles for several Fortune 500 technology companies during his career including Akamai Technologies, Inc. and Oracle Corporation.