Speaker Bios Steve Schaffer
Steve Schaffer is an accomplished Internet strategy and product marketing professional with a 20 year track-record of successfully growing start-ups and established Internet and consumer software companies. Steve founded Vertive, Inc. in 2003 to provide search engine marketing services. In 2004 he shifted the company’s focus to performance marketing and moved it to Austin from Palo Alto. Vertive is now a leading performance marketing company that builds websites that connect consumers with the online information, products and resources they want. Steve has been involved in the Internet industry since 1995. Before launching Vertive, he founded a successful, award-winning online entertainment network and community. He previously spent 10 years in various product management/marketing roles at companies including eRegCard, DayMaker, Power Up and Symantec. Steve is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor of business administration in finance.
Alex Schultz
Alex Schultz leads the Internet marketing team at Facebook as a principal in the growth department. Alex is responsible for all aspects of Facebook’s outbound ROI based Internet marketing. Alex joined Facebook from eBay, where he managed international best practice sharing and coordination for affiliate and paid search. Alex holds an MA Msc in experimental and theoretical physics from Cambridge University which he paid for through being a paid search arbitrage affiliate.
Peter Shankman
Anik Singal
Anik Singal is the Founder and CEO of The Affiliate Classroom, a virtual training center for affiliate marketers of all experience levels. The Affiliate Classroom provides up-to-date training materials for affiliate marketers and affiliate managers to help them attract more traffic and convert higher. Affiliate Classroom launched the first industry accredited certification program for affiliate managers in March 2008 as it continues to become the central location for all industry education.
Joshua Sloan
Joshua Sloan is the Director of Online Marketing at 1&1 Internet, Inc. 1&1 is a true giant in the web hosting and domain industry. 1&1 has registered over 10 million domains, hosts over 5 million websites, and has a global customer base of over 7.7 million. Since 2004, Joshua has overseen the online media planning at 1&1. Like 1&1, Joshua is truly dedicated to CPA performance based marketing. First online in 1987, he describes himself as a proud “second generation geek.” Engaged in online marketing for several companies since 1994, Joshua has seen and experienced the various changes in online marketing practices and ecommerce landscape. His speaking activities range from private tutoring and public events, to teaching ecommerce and web marketing to college students. Next to online marketing, Joshua’s next favorite activities are mineral collecting and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in those around him. Favorite mantra: ‘Everything is possible’.
Kevin Smith
Peter is the founder and CEO of The Geek Factory, a marketing and PR firm. He launched HelpAReporter.com to connect journalists with sources via social media. He launched AirTroductions, which was acquired and relaunched as TripLife. He is the author of “Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them.”
With nearly 10 years in the online space, Kevin Smith has seen industries succeed and fail and what works and doesn’t in affiliate marketing. Having spent 7 years in the online gambling space, he saw that sector grown from an early-stage revenue maker to a $12 billion a year industry, and saw the role affiliates played in its growth. Now with Shoes.com he is growing the affiliate network for one of the largest online shoe stores.
Carolyn Shelby
Ernie St. Gelais
Carolyn Shelby has been involved in Internet technology since 1994, when she was the managing partner of an Internet Service Provider start-up near Purdue University. She has been professionally designing and developing Web sites for businesses and not-for-profit groups of all sizes since 1995. She is an advocate of holistic SEO, and specializes in rehabbing underperforming/ out-dated Web sites and helping larger corporations adjust their structure and focus to make the most of new media. Carolyn currently co-hosts “SEO 101” on WebmasterRadio.fm, writes about search industry related news and SEO-focused web design on her blog (cshel.com), and is the Director of Natural Search at Chicagobased BeFoundLocal.com/The Krull Group.
56 | JANUARY 2009 | FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE
With nearly 10 years in the online space, Kevin Smith has seen industries succeed and fail and what works and doesn’t in affiliate marketing. Having spent 7 years in the online gambling space, he saw that sector grown from an early-stage revenue maker to a $12 billion a year industry, and saw the role affiliates played in its growth. Now with Shoes.com he is growing the affiliate network for one of the largest online shoe stores.
Jonathan Stefansky
Jonathan is the EVP of Sales and Marketing for Qoof, where he is responsible for all revenue generating activities of the firm. His background which combines years of service in both sales and technology give him a unique perspective that has enabled him
to create strong partnerships with leading companies across numerous verticals. Under Jonathan’s leadership Qoof’s roster of clients includes companies like: Ice.com, TheKnot.com, Buy. com, Gaiam, Favor Affairs and Geeks.com. Before joining Qoof, Jonathan served as EVP of Sales and Marketing for IDT Global Services, a professional services firm and global call center. Prior to IDT, Jonathan worked at Akamai Technologies as VP of Strategic Accounts working with major client accounts. Before this position, Jonathan was VP of Network Infrastructure and Architecture, where he was responsible for the company’s global network deployment. Jonathan is also a former analyst and VP of Global Internet Infrastructure at Goldman Sachs and Co.
Dave Synder
David Snyder is a search and social strategist who has worked on both the agency and enterprise level. He currently co-owns his own consulting group, Search & Social, LLC. He writes for several web publications including MarketingPilgrim.com, SnydeySense.com, and contributes a column on online reputation management at SportsAgentsBlog.com.
Dave Taylor
Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and has launched four startups, published twenty books, and currently runs three popular blogs, notably including Ask Dave Taylor.com. He’s internationally renowned as a top expert in the field and awardwinning public speaker.
Jonathan Treiber
Mr. Treiber has been at the helm since RevTrax’s inception in June 2006, leading the company through its initial product launch, several rounds of capital raising, team expansion and several key business partnerships. Jonathan led the execution of new product development and marketing, and continues to recruit a growing list of marquis advertising clients and promotional distribution channels with significant consumer purchasing power. Jonathan has been actively involved in the affiliate space since June 2006 with a variety of businesses on the affiliate side, particularly in the online loyalty space. Besides an active role in the affiliate marketing business, Jonathan has also had previous speaking roles at industry events, including leading a roundtable discussion at the Affiliate Summit Las Vegas last year on offline affiliate marketing. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, from Cornell University.
Michael Vorel
Michael Vorel is president and founder of Vastplanet Corporation, a dynamic firm specializing in e-Commerce Web Development and Internet Marketing Management for a variety of top brands since 1998. Prior to Vastplanet, Michael worked within the computer industry for ten years in international product marketing,
purchasing, sales management, pricing and strategic analysis. He has expertise in affiliate marketing and management, e-commerce web design, social networking strategy, video, ppc, search, email marketing and competitive analysis. As an affiliate marketer and outsourced affiliate program manager, he is actively involved in creating niche and coupon sites in addition to managing programs for clients. Based in Tampa, Florida, Michael is a member of the Affiliate Summit Advisory Board and recently helped with the formation of the Performance Marketing Association.
Andrew Wee
Andrew Wee is an Asia-based Internet Marketer. Formerly a tech journalist and web content developer for Singapore Press Holdings, one of Asia’s largest media groups, Andrew has covered the dotcom boom and subsequent crash. As a business consultant and trainer, he has worked with brick-and-mortar businesses establishing an online presence. Andrew’s background in psychology includes a specialization in personality theory and social/organizational psychology. He is also a NLP (neuro linguistic programming) certified practitioner. An active affiliate marketer, Andrew also blogs at WhoIsAndrewWee.com. His blog content is syndicated across several networks, including WebProNews, 9Rules and IM Newswatch. He also serves as a member of the Yahoo! MyBlogLog Advisory Group.
Alan Weissman
Alan Weissman, President of Young Lion, Inc. and owner and operator of MyNursingUniforms.com, the #1 Dickies Scrubs online seller. MyNursingUniforms.com runs affiliate programs on Google Affiliate Network and AvantLink.
Linda Woods
Linda Woods is a sought-after consultant and recognized expert in the areas of e-commerce and affiliate marketing who has helped scores of companies find success in the competitive, ever-changing Internet landscape. Linda has been involved with affiliate marketing since its inception. After gaining experience that included working at then-startup Commission Junction in 1999, Linda started her own Internet marketing consultancy - PartnerCentric - in 2000. Today PartnerCentric manages more than 30 of the top affiliate programs and has expanded to become a full-service Internet marketing agency that offers media buying, e-mail marketing, social media management and all creative services from banners to web design. Linda is a frequent speaker at affiliate-related events and has been featured in many publications, including Revenue magazine. She lives in Santa Barbara, California, along with her son.
FEEDFRONT MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2009 | 57