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David Fudge

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:31:19 -0400

David Fudge is the Director of Brand Marketing for Bonobos, the largest Internet-launched apparel brand in the U.S. He leads the brand’s marketing efforts across all consumer touch points from social media to emails and brand campaigns developing new and innovative marketing practices that engage customers. Prior to Bonobos, Fudge worked as a marketing consultant for brands such as Armani Exchange and Lufthansa and served as a Marketing Director at Esquire magazine overseeing all fashion marketing and promotions, as well as social media and mobile marketing.

Videos

What do you recommend as best practices for reaching out to my fans and followers to promote my business?

What skills should a potential social media director have in order to thrive in the position?

What do you recommend in terms of social media strategy?

Clips From David's Live Chats

Do you think social platforms are a good fit for sweepstakes and contests?

How do you mix a personal element with the fact that you need to spread a message or sell something?

What advice would you give a b2b business, and what are your feelings on having an intern be in charge of your social media presence?

James Wahba

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:30:26 -0400

James Wahba is the co-founder and CEO of Projective Space, an entrepreneurial community and coworking space for over 60 tech startups, with two New York City locations. Mr. Wahba’s background includes real estate development, business investments and launching tech startups. He is currently an investor in the Brooklyn-based restaurant, ISA.

James is originally from Greenwich, Connecticut, and a graduate of Skidmore College. He has lived and worked in New York City since 1997.

Videos

Do you recommend using a coworking space for late stage startups?

How should I start the process of setting up a shared working space?

Clips From James' Live Chats

In terms of physical design, what components do you recommend for developing a coworking space?

What trends do you see emerging for coworking spaces?

What size companies and locations work best for coworking spaces?

What advice would you give a business looking to set up a non-coworking space?

Jennifer Berrent

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:25:15 -0400

Jennifer Berrent is a partner at WilmerHale in the Corporate Practice and Emerging Company Group. She has been working with emerging companies in particular for more than 15 years and is focused on serving as trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and the NYC entrepreneurial community. She represents first-time and serial entrepreneurs, as well as early stage investors and venture capital funds. She spearheaded the firm's involvement with WeWork Labs, one of the leading start-up incubator programs, offering accessible legal counsel and programming for early stage entrepreneurs.

Videos

If I plan on going public in a few years, is there anything I should be careful to do now?

Lawsuits between cofounders often seem to revolve around ownership of an idea, what can you do in the early stages before you know if an idea is worth anything, to avoid those disputes?

What mistakes do startups make when signing a term sheet with investors?

Clips From Jennifer's Live Chats

Do I need to be a C corp in order to attract VC funds?

What are the pros and cons of incorporating in New York State?

Two IP legal issues to remember before you launch.

Jonny Bauer

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:33:37 -0400

Jonny Bauer is Chief Strategy Officer at global advertising agency Droga5, a three-time Agency of the Year winner and one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for 2013. He is responsible for building and overseeing the strategic function at Droga5, including all brand, digital, media and IP thinking for the agency.

With a career spanning four continents, Jonny has helped create some of the most effective and innovative marketing of the past decade. Successes include work for PUMA, LVMH, Kraft Foods Group, Mondelez International, The New York City Department of Education, Newcastle Brown Ale, Prudential, Microsoft, Axe, Johnnie Walker and Dyson.

Jonny’s recent recognition has included a gold Effie for Droga5’s Approved by Yiayia campaign for Kraft Foods Group’s Athenos brand and gold and bronze Effies for its Decode Jay-Z with Bing campaign in 2012. The agency was also named one of the top five most effective independent agencies in North America.

In 2011, Jonny was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Advertising Hall of Achievement.

Jonny lives in Brooklyn New York with his wife Jill, their son Linus and Marco the cat.

Videos

What are some best practices for developing a branding campaign?

We are just starting up and are trying to determine whether to allocate the resources in our marketing budget towards a PR strategy or a branding strategy. What would you recommend for an early stage company?

It sometimes seems like everyone's just one hijacked hashtag away from disaster. How can brands best face the anarchy of the Internet?

Clips From Jonny's Live Chats

What is the best way to distinguish our brand versus our competitors?

Can your strategy be too simple?

Our portfolio encompasses a number of different products, how can we best distinguish ourselves in the marketplace?

As Tech Blogs Turn: Will AOL Sell Engadget and TechCrunch?

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:22:58 -0400

When it comes to tech blogs, your granny's favorite dial-up provider, AOL, is always good for some surprising news. Tonight Sarah Lacy's PandoDaily is reporting possible new drama in the offing. According to Ms. Lacy, "two independent sources" have confirmed that AOL is considering selling off both Engadget and TechCrunch. "The two would likely be sold together as AOL Tech," writes Ms. Lacy, "possibly including smaller assets like TUAW and Joystiq."

The asking price is said to be between $70 and $100 million--a clear indication to Ms. Lacy (a former TechCrunch editor) that "AOL is hoping to make something off the drama of the past couple of years:

$70 million would net the struggling Internet company about $10 million profit on what AOL originally paid for both TechCrunch and Engadget’s original parent Weblogs Inc. According to one source, AOL management has been seriously considering the move since early this year. The news also sheds light on why Arianna Huffington was so relaxed about relinquishing responsibility for the division last month, according to reports."

All that said, Ms. Lacy acknowledges that her sources know of no "serious bidders" at the moment. Michael Arrington certainly isn't interested. "I don’t know anything," he told PandoDaily, "No one tells me anything. I am not in the least bit interested [in buying back TechCrunch]. I was Team Pando all the way until Sarah Lacy fired me. That does not change my position on TechCrunch."

What will happen next? Will Vox Media, owner of The Verge, pony up such a substantial sum? Has the seemingly neverending TechCrunch drama poisoned the well for potential buyers in spite of its huge name recognition? Will J.R. emerge from his coma? Why was Bobby also The Man From Atlantis?

We'll surely have these answers and more very soon. Or not.

Google Exec Strategizes Way Into $4.1 M Pad On Central Park West

Kim Velsey — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:44:18 -0400

We bet that Laura Nissenbaum Slabin googled 239 Central Park West as soon as she saw the listing for the Upper West Side co-op.

The head of global brand strategy and commercialization for the benevolent internet behemoth must have liked what she found, because she and her husband Andrew Slabin, who works at hedge fund GLG Partners, just bought an 8-room co-op from Leigh Butler for $4.17 million, according to city records. Read More

Seth Meyers Gets Animated During Hulu’s Upfronts

Drew Grant — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:38:10 -0400

As an increasing segment of the population cancel their cable subscription and subsist on a diet of television and films streamed through their laptops, Internet video sites like Hulu and Netflix have hastily bid on a slew of original series in the hopes that one day soon, nobody will use their televisions unless Roku is involved.

While Netflix is funding series that appeal to a cult fan base–a new season of Arrested Development, House of Cards, Lilyhammer (already renewed for a second season), and Hemlock Grove– Hulu’s recent acquisitions point to a wide-net marketing strategy: accessible shows for an audience of TV viewers who want more of the same.

Today, during Hulu’s upfronts, viewers got a brief glimpse of The Awesomes, an animated series by Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers. Read More

Appssavvy Doubles in Size at 594 Broadway

Daniel Geiger — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:31:26 -0400

The online advertising company Appssavvy has doubled its space at 594 Broadway The Commercial Observer has learned.

A source with knowledge of the lease said that Appssavvy took about 10,000 square feet on the second floor of the roughly 210,000 square foot building. Asking rents at the property are in the mid $40s per square foot.
Read More

Francis Bean Cobain on Supposed Dave Grohl Seduction: ‘Twitter Should Ban My Mother’

Foster Kamer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:15:29 -0400

In a barrage of barely legible Tweets, Courtney Love recently (hysterically, sadly) told followers of her locked Twitter account that former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl had "hit on" her 19 year-old daughter, Francis Bean Cobain. This is scandalous because Grohl was once the drummer in a band you may have heard of (Nirvana) with Ms. Cobain's deceased father (Kurt Cobain).

In statement emailed by her representatives, Ms. Cobain—an artist who shows under the name Fiddle Tim—has denied her mother's accusation, explaining: Read More

eBay, Hunch, Take 35,000 Square Feet Office at 625 Avenue of the Americas

Daniel Geiger — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:30:06 -0400

eBay has completed a deal to take the entire third floor of 625 Avenue of the Americas, a 35,156-square-foot space.

The online auction and shopping company plans to use the office as an outpost for the online information-sharing website Hunch it recently acquired.

eBay signed a deal to take the space for 10 years for rents in the low $50s per square foot. The company was able to secure about seven months of free rent in the deal and a $45 per square foot contribution from the landlord, Chelsea Green Associates, to help cover the cost of outfitting the space with an office installation.