Chris Cresswell used to launch three-pointers for the University of Nebraska basketball team.

But now the 40-year-old father of three has a new passion: a company called Goldmail in which he is part owner.

"I wake up every day fired up to go to work," said the former Husker shooting guard, who now goes by Chris Carmichael.

The concept behind Goldmail is simple: Add voiceover audio to video slides to create an audio-visual e-mail.

The product has been described by technology publication CNET as "drop-dead easy."

So easy that even a technophobe like Carmichael can use it.

Living in the San Francisco Bay area, he was perfectly happy running his own firm that dealt with the sporting goods industry.

Then one day last year, a chance encounter changed everything.

Carmichael was heading home after playing in a basketball game and offered a ride to a teammate he barely knew.

During the car trip, he learned the man was the sole sales rep for Goldmail.

Shortly thereafter, Carmichael decided to sell his company and invest in Goldmail. He now is a consultant and travels to help sell the product.

His travels have taken him to meet with former NBA player and now Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr and to the home of NBA great Bill Walton.

He was in Lincoln to play in the Doc Sadler Classic golf tournament Friday, but he also found time to pitch Goldmail to University of Nebraska Athletic officials Thursday afternoon.

When Goldmail first hit the market, it was targeted at businesses as a sales tool.

Instead of making a sales call and spending hours showing prospective clients charts or a Powerpoint presentation, a person could put the pertinent slides into Goldmail, add a few minutes of audio sales presentation and then send it off in an e-mail to dozens or hundreds of people.

"Instead of taking four hours, it takes four minutes," Carmichael said.

The company was doing well, with dozens of customers willing to pay several thousand dollars to use the product.

But it decided to get to the masses. In addition to being a good tool for sales pitches, Goldmail also works well as a tool for non-profits seeking donations. And it also works as a social application as well.

For instance, Carmichael said he used Goldmail to put together a birth notice to announce the arrival of his daughter.

That led to Goldmail offered as a subscription service. For $10 a month, or $99 a year, anyone with a PC and a high-speed Internet connection can use Goldmail.

Carmichael said that has led to explosive growth for the company.

"A year ago we were in one country," he said, "now we're in 44, and we haven't marketed outside the U.S."

Carmichael said he doesn't know of any business customers in Nebraska, although the company does have a couple of Nebraska investors. He's hoping to get the NU athletic department to at least try out the service - they could use it for recruiting, he says, (though they couldn't send a Goldmail directly to a recruit, they could send one to coaches).

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or at molberding@journalstar.com

On the Web

www.goldmail.com