Kurt Fliegel
1453 Oxford Drive, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 • http://kurt.fliegel.com/
847.910.3474 mobile • email:
Profile
25+ years of successful media strategy and sales experience, including 15 in the interactive industry with senior executive positions at both established companies (Tribune Company, Time Warner, IMG, Yahoo!) and start-ups (Quokka Sports and Sportvision).

Strategy & Development
Creating and executing high-value branding and customer acquisition strategies across digital media products on multiple platforms including Internet, mobile, and emerging iTV and DVR environments. Developing integrated content and commerce sponsorship programs, and multichannel programs synchronized with television, print, and traditional marketing.

Sales & Sales Management
Directing sales initiatives targeting major advertisers and sponsors nationwide. Leading field sales teams as large as 50 and cross-functional enterprise sales programs involving more than 200 people. Superior presentation skills.

Technology
Thorough understanding of core digital technologies and platforms, especially as they apply to generating renewable media value. Broad experience in managing development projects and vendor contract negotiations. Proficient in all major business and communications applications, several graphics and video packages, and basic web programming languages.
Professional Experience
Yahoo! // Chicago // July 2007 to present
(Yahoo! is the Internet's leading brand and top consumer destination with 500 million members worldwide. 12,000 total employees, $7 billion annual revenue.)

Strategic Account Director, Sales

•   Current project is working with a large multi-brand retail company to develop their core digital program and accelerate digital media spend. Wide and deep interaction throughout the organization, from CMOs and division presidents to media planners: media, marketing, planning, and merchant groups; and creative, media buying and search agency partners.

•   Initiating and managing engagement of a team of 50+ Yahoo! employees in sales, marketing, programming, marketing development, product development, data strategy, and engineering, including the most senior level Yahoo! executives.

•   Recommending and managing executions of wide range of products in search and display advertising: large-scale differentiated brand experiences; high-reach placements; behavioral targeting and retargeting across performance networks; nascent ecircular programs; datashare projects including sophisticated matching, modeling and product segmentation; search retargeting and next-generation rich search platforms; consumer insights and analytics.

•   Established leader within Yahoo! sales organization. Platinum MVP Award winner, and featured speaker at Yahoo! National Sales Conferences in 2008 and 2009.

 
AOL // Chicago // August 2006 to July 2007

(At the time, AOL was a leading Internet property movoing its business from a walled-garden application to the open Web. A division of Time Warner.)

Account Director, AOL Media Networks

•   Supervised sales activities of small Midwest-focused account team with $15+ million revenue base. Clients included Anheuser-Busch, Purina, JCPenney, NBC, Allstate, Miller Brewing.

 
Sportvision // Chicago // April 2002 to August 2006

(Sportvision is a start-up company specializing in technology-driven content for broadcast television, and Internet and iTV development. Headquarters in Chicago with offices in Mountain View, CA. 60 employees, privately held.)

Senior Vice-President, Marketing

•   Developed strategies and executions for multichannel advertising and sponsorship programs on traditional and emerging media platforms for media companies, sports leagues, and major brands. Integrated and synchronized elements across broadcast television to interactive applications (Internet, wireless, gaming) to iTV and DVR environments.

•   Media clients included ABC/ESPN, Fox, NBC, and Turner for coverage of MLB, NFL, NCAA, NBA, NASCAR, PGA TOUR and the Olympics. Products included the yellow 1st and Ten line, K|Zone, RACEf/x, Virtual Caddy, and on the Internet, PitCommand and TOURcast. Marketers included Nike, Motorola, and FedEx.

•   Sales development and new business development, including joint initiatives with media clients, sports properties, strategic partners, marketers and investors.

 
IMG/TWI Interactive // Chicago // August 2001 to April 2002

(IMG is the world's leading sports marketing company, engaging in client representation, event management, television production, and, through TWIi, interactive development. 3,000 employees in 300 offices worldwide. Privately held.)

Vice-President, Technology Strategy Group

•   Managed digital sports and entertainment marketing consulting engagements with global consumer brands, rights holders and cultural institutions: analysis and assessment, strategy development, strategy definition, execution planning and execution management.

•   Coordinated new business development initiatives and deal flow with strategic partners, joint ventures, and other IMG divisions.

 
Quokka Sports, Inc. // San Francisco; commuted from Chicago // July 1999 to April 2001

(Publicly held start-up media company producing next-generation sports entertainment programming on the Internet and other emerging digital platforms. $50 million annual revenue and 500 employees. Ceased operations April 2001.)

Vice-President, Sponsor Programming

•   Planned, developed and executed integrated sponsorship and commerce models that generated $50 million of annual revenue for high-profile Internet event sites including NBColympics.com (Sydney 2000), 2001 FinalFour.net (official NCAA site), America’s Cup 2000 (official site), Golf.com, and MountainZone.com.

•   Recruited and led business development, client services, and creative teams (total staff of 24) that produced award-winning programs for clients including adidas, American Express, Anheuser-Busch, Compaq, Computer Associates, Ford, General Electric, General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC), GlobalStar, Intel, Nokia, Qwest, PepsiCo, Sears, VISA.

•   Pioneered sophisticated “brand immersion” storytelling techniques. Developed time-based branding and advertising strategies within live interfaces and multimedia applications, and cross-platform synchronization of brand messaging.

 
Time Warner // New York; commuted from Chicago // September 1998 to June 1999

(At the time, a publicly held information and entertainment company with $27.3 billion in revenues and 70,000 employees; operations in magazine and book publishing, cable television networks, cable systems, filmed entertainment, and music. Time Warner since merged with America Online in 2000 to become AOL Time Warner.)

Vice-President/Publisher, Time Inc. New Media // March 1999 to June 1999

•   Full responsibility for sales and fulfillment of $15 million of annual revenue for online editions of Time, Fortune, Money, People, Entertainment Weekly, and other titles and joint ventures. Directed a team of 50 interactive specialists in sales, sales development, commerce, custom publishing, ad operations, and research.

•   Led strategy to coordinate initiatives with Time Inc. magazine publishers, Time Inc. corporate sales teams, CNN Interactive, and Warner Brothers Online, resulting in higher-value, higher-margin sales programs.

Midwest Regional Sales Director, Time Inc. New Media // Sept. 1998 to February 1999

•   Directed sales in sixteen-state region with diverse client base, including major accounts in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Dallas.

•   Sold first $1+ million interactive media package in Time Warner history.

 
Tribune Company // Chicago // February 1992 to August 1998

(Publicly held media company with $4.9 billion in revenues and 22,000 employees; operations in newspaper publishing, television and radio broadcasting, and interactive media.)

Interactive Advertising Director, Chicago Tribune // January 1995 to August 1998

•   Key member of strategic planning and business development teams for Tribune Company’s Internet start-up operations and partnership negotiations. Consultant to Tribune’s venture group and investor relations team.

•   Recruited, trained and directed sales, creative, production, research and ad systems teams (total staff of 30) responsible for delivering $5 million of national and local revenue on ChicagoTribune.com, Chicago Metromix (entertainment site) and Digital City Chicago.

•   Navigated and managed complex relationships with the editorial, advertising and marketing departments of the Chicago Tribune, other Tribune Company media divisions, industry alliances including New Century Network and AOL’s Digital City network, and a wide range of technology consultants and vendors.

Midwest Sales Director, Tribune Newspaper Network // February 1994 to December 1994
National Account Manager, Chicago Tribune // New York // February 1992 to January 1994

•   Directed national sales activities of six regional newspapers, including coordination of programs with Tribune Broadcasting and ad hoc joint initiatives with other media companies.

•   Revenue responsibilities ranging from $5 million to $27 million.

•   National Salesperson of the Year, 1993, 40% revenue increase.

 
Bergen Record Corporation // Hackensack, NJ // May 1983 to January 1992

(Prestigious privately held suburban newspaper in the affluent North Jersey suburbs just outside of New York City.)

Senior Account Executive, Major Accounts // September 1989 to January 1992
Senior Account Executive, Recruitment Advertising // September 1988 to August 1989
Senior Account Executive, Retail Advertising // April 1985 to August 1988
Account Executive, Retail Advertising // May 1983 to March 1985

•   Increasingly responsible sales assignments, consistently exceeded revenue goals by 10% or more on bases ranging from $2 million to $15 million.

•   Salesperson of the Year, 1986, 1990, 1991.

Education
Columbia University, New York, NY
1974-1978, Comparative Literature
Joseph M. Murphy Scholarship, 4 years. Consulate Prize in German Literature.

Other
Extensive speaking experience at industry functions and trade shows, including @d:tech, Internet World, World Research Group, Newspaper Association of America. Quoted in Advertising Age, AdWeek, WIRED and The Industry Standard; appeared on PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
References
Available upon request.