Andy Batkin

CEO, Social Summits, LLC.

Biography

Andy Batkin is currently the CEO of Social Summits, LLC. (SSL), a strategic consulting company specializing in digital and social media, with a focus on revenue generation. SSL’s interactive publishing and conference division facilitates the growth of Digital/Social Media and Social TV, Online, and in person through events like: The Conference on Time and Attention, The Social TV Summits, The Social TV Thought Leadership Roadshow and The Social TV Awards.

In 1996, Mr. Batkin founded SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing Inc. (SIM) after his company, Interactive Marketing, Inc. (IMI) was bought by SOFTBANK CORPORATION in Japan. Under his guidance as Chairman and CEO the company sold $50 million of interactive media in its first twelve months and grew to be the world’s largest interactive media rep firm.

In early 1995, under Mr. Batkin’s leadership IMI, became the Interactive Marketing Agency of Record, 
for Yahoo! and developed the branding and media strategy to create Yahoo! into a powerhouse Internet media company with a multi-billion dollar valuation. IMI was also the exclusive digital media advertising sales organization for Yahoo! for the first two years of Yahoo’s young life and handed over 1700 sales relationships to the new sales team that was developed by Mr. Batkin. In this time frame, IMI performed similar work for Netscape, ZDNet, Playboy, the National Football League, where Mr. Batkin created SuperBowl.com; NBC, MapQuest, Hollywood.com and many others.

In 1991, he founded The Creative Services Group and was its president and creative director. A year later, the firm was renamed Interactive Marketing Inc. (IMI). During this period, he began to focus the firm’s operations in three core areas: interactive marketing and promotions, interactive advertising sales,
and publishing industry leading magazines and organizing conferences such as: The Conference on Interactive Marketing East & West, Camp Internet and Web Innovation conferences.

Mr. Batkin is recognized as one of the founders of the interactive industry back in 1983, and has over 30 years of experience in creating innovative integrated marketing, digital media and promotional campaigns for Fortune 500 and Media and Entertainment companies. He has a well-known track record of vision of “what’s next” in the digital media space and has great long-term relationships with cable/broadcast television networks and advertising/digital agencies.

Andy has also produced TV shows having been the Creator and Executive Producer of a made for TV golf event called People vs. the Pros. This program was broadcast on ESPN for five years. In addition in 2006, Mr. Batkin, created The Trump Million Dollar Invitational. He was also the Executive Producer and sold the title sponsorship to Donald Trump, who served as the on-air host.

Mr. Batkin has received numerous digital media awards and speaks at many industry conferences. He has been quoted in major publications such as: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Brandweek, Mediapost, Business 2.0, and many others, on the evolution of digital and social media.

Andy is a graduate of Boston University with a B.S. in Public Communications. He has served as treasurer of the National Association of Interactive Services and on the board of directors of the ISA (Interactive Services Association). He was also a founding member of the Internet Advertising Bureau (the IAB).
Mr. Batkin was the Chairman of the Interactive Promotion Marketing Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the Promotion Marketing Association. He also served on the Board of Directors for the OVAB (now the Digital Place-based Advertising Association) and was co-Chair of the Conference Committee and Chair of the Media Operations Committee.

Mr. Batkin currently sits on the Advisory Board for the following companies:

iPowow – the leader in Participation TV

IZEA (NASDAQ: IZEA) – Connecting Influential Content Creators With the Worlds Biggest Brands

Andy resides in Marina del Rey, CA with his wife of 24 years, Bridget, and their daughter Samantha, a recent graduate of Purdue University.

All sessions by Andy Batkin