EXPLORE Community List from Jason Falls Explore Events

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Jason Falls is an author, keynote speaker and CEO. He continues to be a name that surfaces at or near the top of conversations and lists of thought leaders and top thinkers in the emerging world of social media marketing. And for good reason. He is one of the few industry professionals with awards for social media strategy under his belt, having won a 2009 Sammy Award for his work on the Jim Beam “Remake” project. A public relations professional by trade and prodigious content producer, Falls has advised Fortune 100 brands, regional corporations and technology startups since the “early days” of social media marketing in the mid-2000s.

Prior to joining Edelman as Vice President of Digital Strategy, Zena Weist was the Director of Social Media with H&R Block. She led an award winning team who received national acclaim for integrated online marketing communication programs. In the spring of 2011, the H&R Block Corporate Twitter Account was chosen as one of only ten brands for Time Magazine’s Top 140 Twitter Feeds because of their consumer-relevant online content strategy. Her social media strategy work has been featured in four business books and highlighted in the Harvard Business Review. Zena is an integrated media strategist with over 17 years of online marketing experience including executive leadership in digital start-ups, account management with interactive agencies and client-side roles with Hallmark, Sprint, Embarq and H&R Block in online brand engagement, digital strategy, integrated marketing communications and web site project management.

Kevin leads the strategic sales efforts for Expion and has been an instrumental part of the leadership team since joining in early 2011.  Expion is rapidly growing its client base and Kevin’s two decades of enterprise sales, management and marketing experience is put to good use every day. In the World Before Social Kevin led global, national and regional sales efforts for companies in the packaging industry, where he was responsible for teams that won and serviced multi-million dollar accounts like P&G, Revlon and Sony Ericsson. This tenure gives Kevin unique insight into the needs of the large-scale organizations that Expion serves. When not chasing hashtags, Kevin enjoys a good trail run, playing ice hockey and college hoops. (Ask him about the Krispy Kreme Challenge)

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Scott Gulbransen knows how to get the stash on social. CLICK PIN for more >>

Tom Webster, VP of Strategy of Marketing of Edison Research shares mind-blowing stats on today's trends >> CLICK PIN >>

Jay Baer is a hype-free, tequila-loving social media speaker, author, and strategist. He is co-author of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social (Wiley, 2011) (www.nowrevolutionbook.com), the leading book on how companies are embracing social media and changing fundamentally as a result.

The Ad Contrarian is Bob Hoffman, ceo of Hoffman/Lewis advertising in San Francisco and St. Louis. Bob is former ceo of MOJO USA and ex-president and creative director of Allen & Dorward. He has served as president of the SF Ad Club and been on the board of AMIN, the Advertising and Marketing International Network. Bob was also a middle school science teacher. Bob has created advertising for McDonald’s, Toyota, Shell, Nestle, Blue Cross, Chevrolet, Pepsico, Bank of America, Seagrams, and more companies than he cares to remember. Bob is author of the books, The Ad Contrarian, and 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising. He also writes The Ad Contrarian blog.

Nichole Kelly is the president of SME Digital, a leading digital and social media marketing agency and a division of Social Media Explorer. She is a social media pioneer who innovated the marketing industry by measuring social media results to core business objectives: sales, revenue and costs. As a respected national speaker, she has provided insight and training with leading marketing organizations including the American Marketing Association, Public Relations Society of America, Forrester Research, Marketing Profs, Radian 6 and HootSuite. Nichole’s systematic approach to social media ROI and case studies are highlighted in books such as The Executives Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy by David B. Thomas and No Bullshit Social Media by Jason Falls. Prior to joining SME Digital, Nichole worked for major brands such as The Sherwin-Williams Company, The Federal Reserve Bank, Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown, Caliber Learning Networks (a Sylvan company), and Signs By Tomorrow, a national franchise. Nichole is one of the nation’s leading experts in building measurable social media strategies that are designed to deliver on your company’s business objectives.

Tom Webster is Vice President, Strategy and Marketing of Edison Research with nearly 20 years of experience in media research, marketing strategy and product development. Webster’s duties at Edison also include strategic development and leading Edison’s new media research efforts. An expert in qualitative and quantitative research techniques, Webster has directed hundreds of studies in nearly every major U.S. market and worldwide. Webster has developed several innovative new research products and applications, including a pioneering digital focus group methodology for testing and evaluating talent. Webster also has experience in consumer research and new product development, and has worked with leading companies in the pharmaceutical, high technology and financial services sectors to provide key competitive intelligence, customer requirements and marketing strategies.

With past leadership roles in interactive marketing, entertainment, and media consulting, Tim helps 44Doors’ clients develop innovative strategies that integrate mainstream media, retail and events with the mobile web and social media across multiple online and offline customer touch points.

DJ Waldow is the founder of Waldow Social, a company that grows your lukewarm audience into raving lunatic fans with proven event, email and social marketing strategies.  DJ has spent nearly 7 years in the email, social and community building world most recently at Blue Sky Factory – an email marketing company – as their Director of Community. DJ is an alumnus of the University of Michigan (Go Blue), a knowledge craver, a sponge, and a lover of beer, coffee, & people (in no particular order).

Previously Kipp was Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard Merrell & Partners, a full service marketing and advertising firm in Raleigh, NC. During his career Kipp has successfully developed and implemented social media campaigns and plans for clients in business-to-business and business-to-consumer industries.

A recovering attorney, Jeff heads-up the Marketing Research & Education Group at ExactTarget.  In this capacity, Jeff spearheads the SUBSCRIBERS, FANS & FOLLOWERS research series, ExactTarget’s SUBSCRIBERS RULE! philosophy, the company’s annual Connections User Conference  programming.  Jeff has presented at a wide variety of industry events including ad:tech, IAB MIXX, Argyle’s CMO Leadership Forum, The CMO Club Summit, the eec’s Email Evolution Conference, MarketingSherpa’s Email Summit, MediaPost’s Email Insider Summit, SES, SMX, and WOM Supergenius.

As the Director of Social Media at tax giant H&R Block, Scott Gulbransen recently returned to the tax business after previously spending 1o years at rival Intuit working on the TurboTax & Quicken brands. He brings 16 years as a marketing communications professional,  and 11 tax seasons, with him to H&R Block and was responsible for the launch of many key social initiatives at Intuit before leaving in 2010. A strategic thinker and business problem solver, Gulbransen has worked for some of the world’s top brands including TurboTax, Sony Online Entertainment, and Applebee’s.

Arik C. Hanson, APR, is the principal of ACH Communications, a digital communications consultancy focused on fostering meaningful online interactions, driving digital relevance and building measurable growth through social channels. Through integrated PR, communications and digital programs, Arik has been able to create tight-knit communities, build strong brand awareness and drive thought leadership for organizations across the country.

Chuck Hemann is Director, Analytics at WCG, a global media services company based in San Francisco and Austin. He was previously Vice-President of Digital Analytics for Edelman Digital. Over the last eight years, he has provided strategic counsel to clients on a variety of topics including digital analytics, measurement, online reputation, social media, investor relations and crisis communications. Prior to joining Edelman Digital, Hemann was VP of Digital Strategy and Analytics for Ogilvy Public Relations after serving as Director of Social Analytics for WCG.

Tamsen McMahon is the VP for Digital Strategy at Allen & Gerritsen, a Boston-area advertising agency focused on what’s next in digital and social. She does there what I’ve done for most of her career: help people design and implement strategies for change. Before that, Tamsen worked for a brand strategy firm Sametz Blackstone Associates, and for the prior 15 years at Harvard Medical School, The Boston Conservatory, and The Peabody Essex Museum. She’s  relentlessly curious, pathologically process-driven, and a believer in the rationally irrational.

Nick Westergaard is a brand-driven blogger, speaker, and strategist. He is the founder of Brand Driven Social and Vice President at the firm’s parent agency, Westergaard, where he leads new media and new business efforts.

Kevin Hunt leads social media strategy and engagement as the Social Media Manager for Corporate Communications at General Mills. He plans and creates content, and oversees bloggers for the company’s blog, “A Taste of General Mills.” He also manages the corporate social media channels for the company and has a role in global social media guidance for its brands and training around social media policies. Kevin joined General Mills in 2011. He previously managed corporate social media and editorial content for the Legal division of Thomson Reuters. Prior to entering the corporate world, Kevin was a producer and executive producer in television news in Minneapolis, Green Bay and Eau Claire. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Dave Delaney is a recognized leader, consultant and speaker on digital marketing, social media strategy, and business networking. He hosted one of the first parenting podcasts from 2005 – 2008, and he has been blogging for nearly a decade.

Since moving to Nashville, TN in 2007, Dave has co-founded two annual unconferences, PodCamp and BarCamp Nashville. He has also launched two monthly networking events, Nashcocktail and Geek Breakfast. The latter now has chapters across the US, South Africa and Australia.

In May 2012, Delaney was featured by the Nashville Business Journal as a Power Leader of Technology in Nashville, TN. In 2011, Dave was awarded the prestigious Digital Media Champion AIM Award by the American Marketing Association in Nashville. In 2009, he was nominated for Nashville’s blogger of the year by the Nashville Technology Council.

Dave has appeared in technology stories in USA Today, Billboard Magazine, Globe & Mail, Nashville Business Journal, The Tennessean and Mashable. He recently departed Griffin Technology after managing their digital marketing efforts for three years to launch his digital marketing consultancy.

Delaney frequently speaks at private events, functions and public conferences. Engagements include South by Southwest Interactive, PodCamp Toronto, BarCamp and PodCamp Nashville, Social Media Club Nashville, American Marketing Association Nashville, Interlogix Partners Conference, Killer Tribes, Explore Nashville, Techville, and more.