Justine Bateman

“I’ve been waiting for this my entire life,” the actress, technologist and entrepreneur Justine Bateman confessed to me when we spoke recently over Skype. But Bateman – best known probably for her role as Mallory Keaton in the Eighties cult sitcom “Family Ties” – wasn’t talking about Hollywood parties, stretch limos or any other supposedly glamorous frill of old media.

No, Bateman was talking about the Internet. For Bateman, the co-founder of the online production company fm78.tvand an outspoken pro Network Neutrality activist, the Internet is “spectacularly different” from old media and she feels really lucky to be participating in what she calls a “pioneering moment” in media history.

I have to confess that I’ve been waiting my entire life to interview Bateman, who was the only reason why I religiously watched “Family Ties” throughout the Eighties. And she didn’t disappoint. From explaining why HTML coding is “sexy” to her remarks about women in technology, Bateman is smart, passionate and totally committed to the triumph of innovation over the inefficiencies of the old system.