Erik Kellener

Born: Dec. 31, 1969 (29)

Chief Technology Officer

Hollywood Online Inc.

A dusty, unused computer lured Erik Kellener to the back of his classroom when he was 12. His math teacher got so excited about the youngster teaching himself to program his first computer that Kellener’s regular homework was waived for the rest of the term.

Being excused from homework may no longer be an incentive, but Kellener’s fascination has never flagged. He now heads up the technology division of Hollywood Online Inc., an Internet company that runs a leading Web site for film-related news and entertainment.

As one of the youngest tech chiefs in town, Kellener can’t remember a job that hasn’t involved computers. At 17, he was hired to work as a credit report analyst for a local company. Within weeks he grew bored and informed the company’s president that the computer system was “under-utilizing” and that he would be happy to get it up to speed.

From there, he worked briefly as a software engineer for an auto insurance-rating company, then moved to a consulting company called Area Locations Systems. There, he developed software systems on a project basis for such clients as Wells Fargo and AT & T.;

ALS was conceived by several professors at Cal State Northridge, who introduced Kellener to what became his second passion, academia. “It was a good transition for me, and the professors made it very clear to me that my first priority was to be school,” he recalled.

Kellener took the message to heart and worked at ALS while he got both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science at CSUN. In 1996, with degrees in hand, he was soon hired at Warner Bros. Online to manage the technical development group, just as the division was taking off.

For two years, he managed the e-commerce systems development, advertising technology and most technical development of the massive site. He also served as technical producer for several of Warner Bros.’ online endeavors, including its studio store and animation Web site.

“After two years of working in this really charged, intense start-up environment, the pace necessarily started to slow down,” Kellener said. “So I started looking for the next challenge.”

Kellener chose a fresh opportunity at Hollywood Online. Now, a year into the job, he loves riding the crest of the online development wave spending about 70 hours a week, plus some weekends and late nights. Kellener laughingly says that it’s fortunate his wife Denise works long hours as well.

“There are other things in life besides work that keep me going,” he said. “I just need to constantly remind myself of that and preserve a balance.”

Sara Fisher