The Team

PressPass.me is a self-funded start-up based in Dubai, founded by David Haddad (a product manager and software engineer) and co-founded by Valencio Cardoso (interactive designer) - both of whom are enthusiasts of participatory communication via technology.

David Haddad

“Regardless of social media, journalists are still behind large amounts of information the public is exposed to every day. A big part of their job is to filter and package information sourced from the community around them. We'd like to make that interaction between journalists and their ecosystem more pleasant for everyone involved and the Press Pass directory is our first step in that direction.”

David, who’s worked in Dubai, Stockholm and New York, has conceptualized and built several online payment, social networking, and news/media products – attracting hundreds of thousands to a few million users.

David is a prolific news reader, and is active on both Quora and Twitter (@daveying99). Email him at [email protected]

Valencio Cardoso

“Journalism is penetrating into areas it’s never been before, and has started to invite others to participate in the story-telling process. Through PressPass, I’m hoping that everyone who has a newsworthy story will be able to not only find the right reporters to get their word out, but build trustworthy relationships with them.”

Valencio has worked at some of the top interactive advertising agencies – McCann (Toronto), Organic Inc (Toronto), North55 (Dubai) and TBWA (Dubai), along with some of the larger global and local brands – General Motors, Nissan, Pfizer, Bank of America, Airmiles, Visa, MAF, Eurosport Arabia & Emirates Airlines.

He also created TheSociallyConsciousBlog.org & SociallyConsciousArabia.com – websites aimed at raising awareness for causes & initiatives doing exceptional jobs using the web/social media to make a positive impact on society.

Get in touch with him at [email protected] or on Twitter (@ValencioCardoso)