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Company Information
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Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1996 and, as of 2003, now headquartered in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida,
The Laredo Group is a leading training and consulting
firm dedicated to helping clients increase sales
and decrease costs through knowledge and efficiencies related
to online advertising buying and selling, search
engine marketing, and site optimization.
The Laredo Group provides customized general sales
training and coaching for companies and individuals,
media training for buyers and sellers, and
custom consulting services designed to increase
the revenue potential and production of staff and
products for both traditional, online and cross-platform
sales and marketing activities. The client list
of The Laredo Group includes many of the world’s
largest and most successful companies as well as
smaller firms, start-ups and many industry associations.
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In addition to the company Principal’s decades
of real-world experience, The Laredo Group provides
the services and expertise of over a dozen top
industry leaders and experts with a wide ranging
list of credentials and experiences. Some are published
authors of industry-relevant books and articles,
but all have real-world, hands-on experience in
their fields and work with and for us to help you
train staff, increase sales, improve performance
and efficiency, and decrease costs.
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 Leslie
Laredo is an interactive and Internet advertising pioneer with more than 25 years
in the online and interactive industry. She has been instrumental in changing the
face of the interactive media business and dramatically improving the knowledge
and skills of media professionals on how to buy and sell interactive media. Leslie
has trained and consulted with start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, small to large
advertising agencies and multi-brand media publishers.
Her training and consulting services have been used and valued by C-level executives,
vice presidents, sales and account managers, and media buyers and planners. She
has worked with CPG and B2B brand and marketing managers spanning many industries
including automotive, travel, financial, pharmaceutical and many others to educate
their teams on how to plan, buy and sell digital media.
Leslie’s insights and training have allowed sales organizations to more efficiently
meet the needs of their advertisers while maximizing revenues. She has also worked
with agencies of all sizes to be more effective in delivering online media strategies
as well transitioning their businesses to provide the thought leadership and digital
media and marketing skills increasing required to keep and acquire clients.
In 1983, Ms. Laredo started her interactive career selling advertising on a local
public access videotex system. Starting in 1986, she spent six years selling advertising
for Prodigy and then 4 years setting up advertising strategies and programs for
Ziff-Davis Interactive, Interchange Online Network, and AT&T Business Network.
In 1996, Ms. Laredo co-founded one of the first Internet advertising rep firms,
Network 1.0 which was acquired by Softbank in June 1996. That year, she also helped
launch the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), the standard-setting industry trade
association. Leslie holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Cornell University
and studied International Management at the University of Texas.
Leslie was also recently selected to serve as a board member to Breastcancer.org.
Click Here to Send Email to Leslie Laredo
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 Jeff
Leibowitz is a respected management, marketing, business and product development
consultant to the online, entertainment and mass-media industries with over 30 years
of industry experience. He joined The Laredo Group as CEO in 1998 and has since
led the company through significant growth in revenue and profit through both acquisition
and expanded and enhanced product offerings.
Prior to the Laredo Group, he served as President of ENGAGE games online, a provider
of high-quality games and entertainment to major online and Internet services worldwide.
Before ENGAGE, Mr. Leibowitz was with Reuters’ Reality Online, developers of Reuters
Money Network, where he was Executive Vice President. Prior to Reality, Jeff helped
develop and introduce the concept of cyber-community with The ImagiNation Network,
the first online graphically-based games and social network.
Selected as one of the Website 100 Most Influential People on the World Wide Web,
Jeff has spoken often at Internet, computer, entertainment and media industry conferences.
He is a former co-host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show On Computers
and the online host of Cybermania, the nationally telecast annual awards show of
the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
Jeff has provided consulting services to start-up and Fortune 500 companies alike
and his expertise in developing business plans and digital marketing strategies
has made him one of the most desired consultants in the interactive industry. He
has been instrumental in making The Laredo Group the most sought after and renowned
training organization in interactive media.
Jeff received his B.S. in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University and
attended graduate school at Boston University. Jeff is member of the Friars Club
as well as an officer in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps and a Life Member
of the Navy League of the United States.
Click Here to Send Email to Jeff Leibowitz
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 Kendall serves as Vice President for Laredo Group, handling buy-side course development and marketing operations on the East Coast. Additionally, Ms. Allen will continue as a Laredo Group instructor for courses including Search Engine Marketing for Professionals, How to Build a Digital Agency or Division, and other courses now in development as part of her responsibility to drive the expansion of The Laredo Group’s curriculum and competitive offerings in the marketplace. In addition to ongoing programming development and expansion of our offerings, she is focused on industry relations for the company.
Prior to joining Laredo Group full-time, Kendall ran her media pursuits through her own company, Influence Collective, LLC, in NYC. This entailed advising a roster of marketers, agencies and publishers, on marketing and media operations and specific digital ventures.
Allen’s 20-year path has led from print to digital, spanning publisher and agency-sides of the business. She first spent a few years covering emergent media, tech in the SF Bay Area as a moonlighting, independent journalist obsessed with the broadening media landscape. Moving from print to the digital realm during its most formative years, Allen helped found Thrive, an AOL/Time Inc. JV. She has held top posts at USWeb/CKS and Euro RSCG Circle. Prior to establishing Influence Collective, she spent three years building out independent agencies or divisions within agencies — such as Incognito Digital and MKTG.
A highly regarded thought leader in media and marketing circles, she was on the founding floor of Search, as original executive at one of the industry’s first SEM agencies, Fathom Online, for whom she moved to New York to open the East — and then regional Director of Client Services for iCrossing. She contributes heavily to industry thought leadership, as regular speaker, moderator and panelist; editorial contributor to Media Post, where she writes a popular weekly column and AdAge; and member of the iMedia Advisory Board. She sits on the Producers Guild of America, as national delegate to the New Media Executive Council; 212NYC Board of Directors, Vice President, running the Board’s work and personally establishing the vision for and revamping Professional Development programming.
Kendall holds a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University and two Master degrees – a Master of Arts in Literature from L’Universite de Montreal and a Master of Science in Journalism, Magazine Publishing, from Northwestern’s esteemed Medill School of Journalism.
Click Here to Send Email to Kendall Allen
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 A long-time leader and innovator in the digital brand industry, Jeff was most recently the Head of Digital Marketing and Media at the HJ Heinz Company; and prior to that was Director of Digital Marketing at GlaxoSmithKline. Previously he was VP, Client Services at BrabenderCox IMC, where he led the strategy and account team for the GNC Gold Card Program, and has held several management positions with leading marketing and technology organizations. Jeff was also a founding partner of Basis Digital, LLC and Venti Brands Consulting Group. Both businesses are strategic consultancies focused on helping organizations assess brand and business models, and generate new approaches to growing brand revenue and equity.
He has led the integrated strategies and digital execution for over 50 brands. Jeff’s portfolio includes true mega-brands such as Nicorette®, alli®, Nicoderm®, Tums®, Weight Watchers® Smart Ones®, Aquafresh®, Ore-Ida®, Heinz Ketchup® and many other businesses of all sizes. He and his teams planned, produced and delivered all interactive marketing communications (B2C and B2B) across the spectrum of digital, social, mobile, CRM, media and eCommerce initiatives. Jeff served as the global digital strategy advisor for Heinz Emerging Markets teams and also led global launch planning for the alli® brand.
A number of industry groups have recognized the work of Jeff and his teams including, recently, the 2011 Internet Advertising Competition (various awards), 2010 WebAwards - Standard of Excellence Winner; 2010 SAMMY Award - Best DR Campaign B2B; 2010 eConsultancy Top 25 Global Brands Most Brilliant Facebook Page; 2007 WebAwards - Best Website Winner; Standard of Excellence Winner.
Jeff contributes instructional content to courses and works with a variety of clients to build the strategies that will maximize the value of their digital and cross-platform assets and/or their investments in websites and digital, social, and mobile marketing and advertising. He holds both an MBA and an MS in Management Information Systems from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Adjunct Instructors
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 Jason Heller is a veteran digital media agency executive, respected industry leader, speaker and author, who has pioneered many digital media approaches and processes that have become best practices today.
Jason was co-founder and CEO of Mass Transit Interactive, a unique independent digital media agency, where he helped industry leading clients such as Alta Vista, Shopping.com, DoubleClick, Citibank, Hertz, Bertlesmann, Fodors, UPN Television, BMW Motorcycles and many others, utilize media, technology and data, to reach, engage, influence, acquire and retain customers.
Through his vision and leadership, Mass Transit became recognized industry-wide as a top digital shop, and in 2005 the agency was acquired by Horizon Media, the largest independent media buying agency in the world.
Heller transitioned to the role of Managing Director of Horizon Interactive for two more years, where he continued to expand the digital media, relationship marketing and analytic capabilities of the agency.
Jason is one of BtoB magazine’s “Best and Brightest Media Strategists”, and has been awarded the “Media Planning and Buying Award” from Media Magazine. He sits on a variety of advisory boards, including DoubleClick, is sought after to speak at industry events such as OMMA and AdTech, and pens a regular column in Media Post.
Click Here to Send Email to Jason Heller
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 T.S.
Kelly is a 20-year industry veteran, media strategist and consumer trend spotter
who keeps a close watch on the social and marketing implications when technology,
media and people all intersect. He has worked with clients and industry consortia
worldwide to help guide their communication strategy and research efforts, typically
as it relates to digital, direct, and relationship-based media.
Prior to joining The Laredo Group as an Adjunct Instructor in 2009, T.S. held senior
research and strategy roles at Clear Channel Communications, Nielsen Online, Doner
Advertising, IAG Research, Quantcast and, most recently, was the Global Head of
Research & Insight at Havas Digital.
TS has appeared on CNN, TechTV, CNET, BBC News, CBS MarketWatch and is frequently
quoted in the national press and industry trades, including The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, AdWeek and many others. He has also spoken
at major industry conferences such as Ad:Tech, NAB, CES, Online Advertising Conference,
The Summit, E3, Kagan Conferences, Digital Hollywood and many other media and advertising-related
conferences and events.
TS holds a Master of Professional Studies degree in Media Management from the S.I.
Newhouse School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Adelphi
University.
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 Bill Boggs
is a TV host and entertainment industry insider who has won four Emmy Awards. Bill
has been a major figure in the lifestyle, food, travel, consumer, sports, news,
and celebrity reporting arenas for more than 25 years. He is also a bestselling
author of and sought-after motivational speaker.
In 2007 HarperCollins published Bill’s widely-praised book, Got What it Takes? Successful
People Reveal How They Made It To the Top. The book is based on success
secrets uncovered in his interviews with leader in divers fields-among those included
in the book are Sir Richard Branson, Renee Zelwegger, Diane von Furstenberg, Clive
Davis, Donald Trump, Matt Lauer, Joe Torre and many others. He is also a featured
columnist for The Good life Magazine, Crush Magazine and Black Tie International
Magazine and has written several pieces for The New York Times. In 2003, Boggs debuted
in his acclaimed one-man Off Broadway show, Talk Show Confidential, now playing
at the Triad Theatre in NYC. It’s the first theatrical production of its kind, dealing
with the alternately bizarre and inspiring world of talk shows. And it offers everything
from celeb gossip to inspirational personal stories.
As host of the New York based Midday Live with Bill Boggs, WNBC’s Weekend Today
in New York and Food Network’s Bill Bogg’s Corner Table, Bill has interviewed many
cultural icons, presidents, international leaders, writers, athletes, celebrity
chefs, food critics and movie stars. Bill was the host and creator of the recent
PBS television show, Home Cooked Classics. He’s interviewed notable guests on CNBC’s
Let’s Talk Stock and also on Historic Traveler and Freeze Frame (on the Travel Channel).
Boggs was host and executive producer of the syndicated FOX-TV series, Comedy tonight
and played a major role in developing a number of successful TV networks and series
including the creation of COURT TV (as the network’s first executive producer) and
the ground breaking Morton Downey Jr. Show (as executive producer).
Bill is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and also has a Master’s Degree
from Penn’s Annenberg School. His on the Board of Governors of the Friar’s Club
in New York, a member of The New York Athletic Club and a member of The Yale Club.
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