Why Brand Advertisers Will Be the Biggest Beneficiaries of Social Media and How You Can Participate

Michael is founder/CEO at Buddy Media, a New York City-based startup that develops and markets applications on leading social networks, and currently has more than 8 million users on Facebook. Buddy Media helps large media companies and brand marketers leverage the social networks, and current clients include People Magazine, Real Simple, InStyle, Priceline, Anheuser Busch and other leading brands.

Michael is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded four successful internet-based media companies and has a passion for creating, managing and growing companies. Before Buddy Media Michael founded GolfServ, the parent company of GOLF.com, purchased by Time Warner’s Time Inc. division in January 2006 for $24 million. Michael led GolfServ from a start-up to a multi-million dollar profitable golf media company, delivering millions of golfers golf content and e-commerce services through its flagship GOLF.com site. He also negotiated and executed successful partnerships on behalf of GolfServ with Time Warner, NBC Sports, MSNBC.com, Yahoo!, AOL, FoxSports.com, Microsoft, New York Times Co., the PGA Tour, USA TODAY, Knight Ridder, Chicago Tribune, and more than 200 other companies.

Before GolfServ, Michael founded University Wire, an network of more than 700 student-run newspapers purchased by CBS in 2005. U-Wire provides the most in-depth coverage of campus news and student issues and is distributed widely through major college newspapers and Internet portals. Michael sold U-Wire to Student Advantage, the nation’s leading student membership organization in May 1997. As a member of the Student Advantage management team, Michael helped grow Student Advantage from a handful of employees into the premier media and marketing company in the college market with more than 300 employees and $80 million in annual revenue.

Michael graduated from Northwestern University with a BS and MS in Journalism in 1996. Michael lives in New York City with his wife, Kass, two sons, Myles and Cole, and daughter Vivian. In addition to investing in private companies and real estate, he enjoys writing for Lazerow.com, live music, golf, tennis, poker, fly-fishing, reading, writing and video editing.

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