Jason Heller
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Jason Heller (born 1974 in The Bronx, New York) is a digital agency entrepreneur, niche publisher, blogger, author, public speaker, and a professional photographer. The agency he started during the dot-com boom era in 1998, was sold in 2005 to the largest independent media agency in the world. He now trains and consults some of the largest agencies in the industry for Laredo Group [1]. Heller also runs the digital marketing blog TheDigitalBlur.com.
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[edit] Mass Transit Interactive
Leaving the music industry after admiring the potential of the internet, in 1998 Heller co-founded New York based digital media agency Mass Transit Interactive [2]. Being very active in the Silicon Alley scene in New York, Mass Transit worked with some of the early successful dot-com companies such as AltaVista, Shopping.com, Doubleclick (where Heller still sits on the client advisory board), and Priceline.com. The agency team of 27 people also helped blue chip companies transition their marketing onto the web, including Hertz, and Citibank.
As the Dot-com bubble burst in mid 2001, Mass Transit was forced to layoff the majority of its staff, but its retained key management. After rebuilding the company, the agency was sold [3] to Horizon Media in 2005.
[edit] Horizon Interactive
After selling Mass Transit to Horizon Media, the agency was merged and renamed Horizon Interactive, becoming the digital arm of the largest independent media agency in the world. [4]
Horizon Interactive is headquartered in Horizon Media's New York offices. Shortly after the acquisition Heller expanded the group to Los Angeles and internationally through collaboration with Columbus Media International, an agency network consisting of the largest independent agencies in 20 different countries (as of this entry)[5] , [6].
Horizon Interactive still operates today under the same name.
[edit] Underwater Holdings, Inc.
Shortly before selling Mass Transit to Horizon Media, and after several years of providing digital marketing seminars and consulting to the Scuba Diving industry's major stakeholders, Heller launched Underwater Holdings in 2004 to officially work with the scuba diving and adventure travel industries in the US [7], and in Asia [8].
Underwater Holdings also operates a media arm within a very narrow vertical niche in the travel and tourism market. Properties owned and operated by Underwater Holdings include DivePhotoGuide.com [12] and UnderwaterCompetition.com [13], and are geared towards the growing global underwater photography and underwater videography markets.
Heller also provides specialized underwater and travel photography for advertising and editorial. While on vacation in Phuket Thailand in December 2004, Heller and his wife ended up scuba diving through the Boxing Day Tsunami. This unfortunate disaster became Heller's first professional photojournalism assignment. His first person recount of the events were published along with his images as a six page spread in Asian Geographic Magazine [14]. Heller's images were also published along with an interview originally published in Newsday [15] and then syndicated internationally by The Associated Press. Heller now co-writes the photography column for Sport Diver Magazine.
[edit] DivePhotoGuide.com
A modern day case study of successful niche online publishing, DivePhotoGuide provides content and social media/web2.0 tools to a globally disbursed community of affluent professional and amateur enthusiasts of underwater photography and video. The website is the flagship consumer product of Underwater Holdings. It provides daily news in a blog-like format, featured articles, reviews, PRO and amateur photo & video galleries, event calendars, RSS Feeds, Custom Widgets and a weekly email newsletter. Members can comment and share all content.
[edit] UnderwaterCompetition.com
Together with Wetpixel, DivePhotoGuide hosts a series of international underwater photography and video competitions in association with large scale consumer dive expos in the US and internationally, including Our World Underwater in Chicago [9] , the SCUBA Show in Long Beach California [10], and DEEP Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia [11].
[edit] The Digital Blur
After departing Horizon Interactive in 2007, Heller launched The Digital Blur [16], a marketing blog that focuses on the blurring lines between digital media, marketing and technology, and what it means for marketers. The blog interplays with his regular column in MediaPost [17].
[edit] Media Appearances
Heller has been featured or quoted in many business and marketing publications, from The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, to Advertising Age, Media Week and ClickZ. He authors a regular column for MediaPost, a popular trade publication for the internet marketing industry and speaks at many industry conferences including OMMA [18], [19] and AdTech [20],.
Heller also co-authors the 'Images' column for Sport Diver Magazine [21], focused on techniques of underwater photography.
Examples of the wide array of press coverage:
Marketing Vox, "Mass Transit Bought By Horizon" May 18, 2005 [22]
MediaPost Publications, "Horizon Interactive Chief Bolts Amid Agency's Transformation", July 26, 2007 [23]
Corporate Board Member Magazine, Jan 2002 [24]
C|Net News.com, May 25, 2004 "Net Advertising on a Road Revisted" [25]
Celebrate The Sea Underwater Imagery Festival 2001 - 2007 [26]
[edit] References
- ^ Laredo Group Press Release, July 25, 2007 [1]
- ^ Media Magazine Profile: Mass Transit, Jan 2001 [2]
- ^ iMedia Connection, May 18, 2005 "Horizon Buys Mass Transit" [3]
- ^ RECMA Global Agency Rankings Report 2006[4]
- ^ Mediaweek July 10, 2006 [5]
- ^ Brand Republic, July 12, 2006 [6]
- ^ DEMA (Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) 2001 - 2007 [7]
- ^ ADEX (Asia Dive Expo) 2001 - 2007[8]
- ^ Our World Underwater, Chicago USA [9]
- ^ SCUBA Show, California USA [10]
- ^ DEEP Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia [11]
[edit] External Links
Jason Heller Photography [27]
The Laredo Group [28]
DivePhotoGuide [29]
UnderwaterCompetition [30]
The Digital Blur [31]
