2016 Content Marketing Conference Speakers

Hana Abaza is the VP Marketing at Uberflip, a content platform that helps marketers create, manage and optimize content experiences at every stage of the funnel. She combines a data-driven approach with her knack for communicating inspired tech solution to mainstream audiences to get results. Hana is also a dynamic speaker and contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, CMO.com and other industry publications. Find her on twitter @HanaAbaza

Jessica Ann is the CEO and Creative Director of Jessica Ann Media {JAM}, a creative agency that develops compelling content for top-tier brands. With a Master’s Degree in Communications from Johns Hopkins University, Jessica inspires advocates for Fortune 500 companies through shared emotions and experiences, driving hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in a way that’s authentic and fun.

Jessica is an experienced news producer for national media outlets such as NBC Newschannel and XM Radio in Washington, D.C. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, and The Good Men Project. She was an official speaker at SXSW Interactive in March of 2016.

Jessica enjoys yoga, travel, and playing with her dog on the beach. Her philosophy is simple: Listen. Explore. Evolve.

Tim is a highly-regarded presenter and keynote speaker at SES, eMetrics, PPC Summit, Affiliate Summit, PubCon, SMX, OMS, AffCon, LeadsCon, Internet Retailer, and eComXpo. He is the founder and chairperson of ConversionConference.com the first international conference series focused on improving online conversions. Tim is a contributing columnist to several publications including ClickZ, Website Magazine, DM News, Visibility Magazine, Search Marketing Standard, Search Engine Marketing Journal, and Electronic Retailer Online Strategies magazine. He is the host of the weekly Landing Page Optimization show and podcast on WebmasterRadio.fm. Over the past 15 years, Tim has helped a number of major US and international brands to develop successful web-based initiatives. Companies like Google, Expedia, Kodak, eHarmony, Facebook, American Express, Canon, Nestle, Symantec, Intuit, AutoDesk and many others have benefitted from Tim’s deep understanding and innovative perspective. Since 1995, he has authored more than 100 published articles. In addition, Tim is the online voice of conversion optimization as the host of the Landing Page Optimization podcast on WebmasterRadio.fm.

I’ve been a professional writer since 1982. I’ve coauthored three books on business strategy, including Groundswell, which was a bestseller. And I’m passionate about clear, brief, fascinating communication. HarperBusiness will publish my new book, Writing Without Bullshit, in September of 2016.

I blog every weekday about writing, communication, and bullshit. My blog generated over 1 million views in its first year.

For 20 years at Forrester Research, I wrote and edited reports on the future of technology. I learned to do far-reaching analysis of business strategy, then taught others to do so. As Senior Vice President, Idea Development, I identified, developed, and promoted Forrester’s most powerful and influential ideas. I gave hundreds of speeches around the world, got quoted in every news source you can name, and gave strategy advice to countless clients from the world’s largest companies and tech vendors.

I am also the CEO of wellnesscampaign.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the pursuit of wellness through changing habits.

I believe “Social Media” and “Content Marketing” doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply put, it’s really just about being you. And that counts for a brand or a business too. But the key is to offer something of value which others will respond to and share.

I bring this same fervor to my everyday work as I believe each brand has something to share that’s valuable and that can make a difference. Whether simply to provide some fun, offer a “deal,” or provide a valued service, the key is to find the elements that make a true connection.

My role at Razorfish is to lead our clients forward in the use of ever-evolving social media and content marketing channels. Eighty-five percent of the time, this is acting as a cheerleader/evangelist/therapist/trailblazer to drive idea development and test-and-learn programs.

This all started way-back-when with online services like AOL and Prodigy, where I launched the first online ad campaigns for my clients, and later, on the burgeoning internet, introduced the first new product launch for a major appliance company. (What can I say, I like being first?)

My background is in media, where I started in offline advertising with Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis, before jumping into the digital pool at Agency.com, where I led the digital media and search engine marketing practice. And occasionally, I’ve talked my circuitous experience at industry conferences such as SXSW, ad:tech, Content Marketing Conference and WOMMA.

Nine marathons – so far. And I post as I go. Perhaps I’ll see you on Facebook?

The purpose of my life is to be an inspirational leader who enjoys solving problems and creating breakthroughs in myself and others! As a 22-year digital marketing change agent, I empower and support people brave enough to build a better future. I am the founder and CEO of Trepoint, a proud international speaker, and @Inc columnist.

An entrepreneur since the age of 12, I know what it takes to move great ideas into successful marketing programs especially if you’re not the top brand in your category.

In 2008, I launched Trepoint, a digital marketing boutique agency geared to helping mid-market “Challenger Brands” become leaders in their space, especially those in CPG, B2B Technology, and Entertainment. Over the years we have worked with a number of companies helping them improve the impact of their marketing including Miller Genuine Draft, Trinchero Family Estates (Sutter Home and Menage a Trois), Windsor Foods (Jose Ole, Tai Pei, and Ling Ling), Dunkin’ Donuts, EMC and RSA.

I’m passionate about helping Challenger Brands better engage customers and prospects in the most persuasive ways. And I’m constantly sharing my insights via Twitter @BillCarmody and via Inc.

Will Dailey is an independent American recording artist, performer and producer. His sound has been described as having a rich vintage vibe while having a firm appreciation of AM rock, pop and big hooks. Based out of Boston, he is a five-time winner of the Boston Music Awards: Best Male Singer-Songwriter 2006, 2009 and 2012 and Album of the Year and Artist of the Year 2014.

As Creative Strategist at Time Inc., Melanie creates innovative branded content campaigns that span 25+ print and digital properties, including Sports Illustrated, People, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, Health and Travel+Leisure. She has done content strategy and social strategy for both HuffPost Partner Studio and The New York Times’s T Brand Studio, where she created the OMMA Award winning “Women Inmates” piece for Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black.

Heather Dopson has a passion for digital trends and innovation along with a deep understanding of social networks, consumer behavior and branding. Currently the Senior Digital Marketing Specialist at Axway, she is focused on building the social and blogging programs to prove B2B brands can (and should!) leverage the power of both social and content marketing to truly harness the power of digital. Heather is a PADI certified rescue diver, volunteers along with her therapy dog Joker and believes strongly in the power of service to community.

Andrea is confessed content marketing nerd, fervent agile marketing evangelist, and a Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Product Owner. She’s a firm believer in Agile’s potential to help support her fellow content marketers with the long-term production of stellar content. You can find her detailed coverage of all things content and agile over at MarketerGizmo.com, which she edits and manages. Andrea is also the author of the eBook Agile Marketing Styles: Your Guide to Finding the Right Agile Approach For Your Marketing Team.

The Life is Good Kids Foundation is the non-profit side of the lifestyle brand, Life is Good, with a mission to spread the power of optimism to help kids heal from childhood trauma. As a part of the team, Amanda gets to share the inspiring stories of the Foundation’s life–changing social work, and say thank you to the thousands of partners that make this work possible.

Amanda is an experienced writer, producer, and FUNdraiser with a background that includes leading multiple projects for many leading public broadcasters, including: PBS, APT, BBC, NPR, PRI, and APM.

Amanda is also a big fan of yoga, tea, Sunday suppers, and spreading Good Vibes with her Gratitude blog.

Heather Green is the Editor and Chief and Director of Content Marketing at Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas. She has spent the last 10 years leading content strategies for top travel brands such as Expedia, Travelocity and hotels.com. Her experience spans agencies, start-ups and successful top brands.

Kindra is an award-winning columnist, author, and national champion storyteller. As a former Director of Marketing and VP of Sales, Kindra discovered the most effective method for capturing attention and increasing revenue—great storytelling. Kindra’s work has been featured in SUCCESS Magazine and behind the scenes in New York Times best selling books. A former board member of the National Storytelling Network, and with a Master’s Degree in Org Comm & Management, Kindra now teaches innovative brands and executives to close more sales, become better leaders and blow up brands with the irresistible power of strategic storytelling.

A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Nancy’s shared her passion with audiences from Moscow (as the only American on the speaker’s roster) to the U.S. Department of Defense (twice). Along the way, she’s been named NEDMA Direct Marketer of the Year, Ad Club Top 100 Creative Influencer, OMI Top 40 Digital Marketing Strategist, and Andi Emerson Award recipient. Prior to Wilde Agency, Nancy held senior creative management positions with Hill Holliday, Mullen and Digitas. She and her teams have won over 150 awards for digital and direct marketing effectiveness.

As a Senior Growth Marketer at HubSpot, Anum leads content strategy and demand generation for HubSpot’s sales products while managing an incredible squad of growth marketers who spend every day researching, executing, and experimenting with content – spanning everything from offers to emails to nurturing.

Outside of HubSpot, Anum continues geeking out over marketing: She co-authored Twitter for Dummies, was recently named BetaBoston’s 25 Under 25, and has been rated a top 5 INBOUND speaker two years in a row. When she’s not marketing, Anum enjoys spending time with her family, eating cookie cakes, and talking about Harry Potter. In fact, Beyonce is her patronus.

Greg Jarboe is the President and co-founder of SEO-PR, a content marketing agency. He is also the author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day as well as a contributor to Strategic Digital Marketing: Top Digital Experts Share the Formula for Tangible Returns on Your Marketing Investment, Complete B2B Online Marketing, and Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. He is also profiled in Online Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Successful Online Marketing Gurus. He’s on the faculty at the Rutgers Business School and Market Motive. He writes for ClickZ and ReelSEO. He is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Jeff Julian is the Chief Marketing Officer for AJi, a digital agency based in Kansas City. Jeff has been helping companies, such as Microsoft, develop content strategies for over ten years after he launched one of the largest blogging communities, Geekswithblogs.net. He has been a web developer since 1994, a best-selling author of a book on content management system development, and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in XML and SharePoint. Jeff has recently finished a book titled, Agile Marketing: Building Endurance for your Content Marketing Teams.

Larry Kim is the founder of WordStream, a PPC management software and services company whose free PPC and keyword research tools have been used by more than a million internet marketers worldwide. Larry has been named the most influential PPC marketer in the world for the last two years by PPC Hero and 3QDigital, and his internet marketing blog is read by nearly a million visitors every month. Larry is a columnist for Search Engine Land, Search Engine Watch, Hubspot, Moz, Inc Magazine, Marketing Profs, and dozens of other publications.

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA, is a business storyteller and speaker. Founder of Keeping it Human, she helps organizations turn jargon-monoxide into compelling stories that move people to action. It’s her mission to turn teams into powerful storytellers. Kathy is also a comic improviser and writer who performs regularly. She is the author of two books on humor, content, and storytelling (The Executive’s Bedtime Guide series) and is the co-author of an upcoming book on the future of business storytelling (2016). Her work has been published in Convince and Convert, Marketing Profs, and Customer Think among other publications. Her favorite audience is still her seven-year-old son.

Bryan Kramer is a bestselling author, TED speaker and CEO who consults Fortune 500 clients such as IBM, Cisco and Pitney Bowes on humanizing business.

He is one of the world’s foremost leaders in the art and science of sharing, and has been credited with shaping the #H2H human business movement in marketing and social.

He’s also a global keynote speaker, bestselling author and strategist who consults Fortune 500 clients such as IBM, Cisco and Pitney Bowes on humanizing business through social media.

Bryan has been named a “Top 25 Social Influencer to Follow” by Forbes, one of the “100 Most Influential Tech People On Twitter” by Business Insider, and one of the “Top 50 Social CEOs on Twitter Globally” by The Huffington Post.

Bryan’s latest book, Shareology, made the USA Today’s Top 150 Book List the week of its release, as well as #1 on Amazon in four categories including Business & Planning.

The book explores the history, art and science of sharing, and illustrates why sharing is what gives us a unique competitive advantage as individuals and brands.

Arnie Kuenn is the CEO of Vertical Measures, a full-service Internet marketing agency dedicated to helping clients drive profitable growth through SEO & content marketing. Arnie has held executive positions in the world of new technologies and marketing for more than 25 years. Mr. Kuenn is a founder of the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA). Arnie speaks at events around the world and has personally trained more than 3,000 students on content marketing. He recently published his second book, Content Marketing Works, with his son Brad.

Erica McGillivray is a die-hard geek who spends a ridiculous amount of time being nerdy, both professionally and personally. At Moz, she’s the senior community manager and wrangles a community of over 500,000 members, co-runs the annual MozCon, and works on whatever else is thrown her way. She’s also a founder of GeekGirlCon, a nonprofit run by volunteers that celebrates and supports geeky women with events and conventions. In her spare time, Erica’s a published author and has a comic book collection that’s an earthquake hazard.

Mr. McInnis is the founder of PRWeb, the first online content marketing platform for press releases. A lifetime entrepreneur with ventures that range from Internet technology to candy manufacturing and 3D rapid manufacturing, Mr. Mcinnis has developed an affinity with smaller businesses and startups, helping them to tell their stories and get noticed. His latest venture Cranberry is a content amplification platform that emphasizes the importance of deep customer relationships through content. Cranberry recently acquired WebmasterRadio.fm and is relaunching the service under CranberryRadio.fm.

Drew Neisser is founder and CEO of Renegade, the NYC-based agency that helps CMOs find innovative ways to cut through. He is a recognized authority on non-traditional marketing techniques having won enumerable awards for creativity and campaign effectiveness and is the author of a new book, The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing. Ranked in 2015 among Brand Quarterly’s “50 Marketing Thought Leaders Over 50,” he has been a featured marketing expert on ABC News, CBS Radio and the new Tony Robbins podcast series among many others. Drew writes the CMO Spotlight column for AdAge and is regular contributor to Forbes, PSFK, Social Media Today, CMO.com and TheDrewBlog. He consults on digital / social media trends via the GLG network and sits on the boards of the Urban Green Council and Duke NY.

Peter Starr Northrop is a Senior Content Manager at Bounce Exchange. A performance-centered producer with global experience, his content has been viewed millions of times and spanned the digital marketing spectrum. In his current role he builds content strategy, with a focus on webinars, for both WhichTestWon and the Bounce Exchange platform.

Brandon Olson is the Content Marketing Manager at AWeber, a top email marketing service provider used by more than 100,000 businesses around the globe. Brandon is responsible for leading AWeber’s content marketing strategy, including email marketing, social media, blog content, landing pages, courses, ebooks, case studies, webinars and much more. In his spare time, you’ll find him fueling his passion for video production and cinematography by producing videos for a variety of purposes, including events, corporate training, product demonstrations, news stories and more.

Laura, a Dutch native, launched and manages translation services at WriterAccess, adding an international dimension to the fast-growing company by connecting vetted translators worldwide with companies looking to implement multilingual marketing strategies. Previously, Laura was a translation project manager in The Netherlands, working for prestigious European publishing houses and international companies for almost six years. Laura holds a MS in Journalism from Columbia University, and at Utrecht University she received a MA in International Relations and a BA in Language and Culture Studies.

Chad Pollitt is one of the top five content marketing thought leaders and top 20 CMO influencers recognized by Nice and Onalytica. He is currently the VP of Audience and Co-Founder of Relevance, a digital magazine, agency and events company focused on content research, strategy, promotion and marketing. His books, The Content Promotion Manifesto and 51 Things Your Mother Taught You About Inbound Marketing, helped his company earn a spot on a Forbes Top 100 list. He’s a decorated Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and former Army Commander, and currently an Adjunct Professor of Internet Marketing at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Tune in to Chad and tap into his fourteen years of success with brands of all sizes, accelerating revenue with innovative methods and tactics along the way.

SpyFu President and Founder Mike Roberts understands search marketing from different angles. Having founded SpyFu in 2006 and introduced Recon Files in 2010, he led the charge in transforming the way search marketers craft their strategies in PPC and SEO. His creations fuel success for many entrepreneurs, but as SpyFu President, Mike puts himself in the mind of a search marketer just trying to make sense of challenges ahead.

Neal Schaffer is a recognized innovative leader in the world of business social media. In addition to being named one of marketing’s ten biggest thought leaders by CMO.com, Neal has also been recognized as a Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer two years in a row as well as a Forbes Top 5 Social Sales Influencer. A global social media keynote speaker who has appeared on 4 continents at more than 200 events since 2009, Neal is the author of three social media books, including the definitive book on social media strategy Maximize Your Social. In addition to speaking and consulting, Neal also teaches social media marketing at Rutgers University and the Irish Management Institute and is the founder of the Social Media Center of Excellence, a community dedicated to propagating best practices amongst social media marketing professionals.

Sudhir is Director, Acquisition Marketing at Movoto.com where he leads a team of traffic acquisition & web analytics experts. He is responsible for generating target audience traffic by leveraging “non paid media” strategies and tactics and by building synergies between Paid, Social, Content, PR, and user community. Prior to Movoto, Sudhir worked with BrightEdge, Adobe and EfficientFrontier in different roles responsible for lead generation, analytics and positioning the companies in their space. Sudhir is passionate about learning & execution of Customer Acquisition, Growth Hacking, Web Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimization and Lean & Scrappy Marketing. He is a Google Analytics certified professional, and holds a master’s in computer science from California State University, Chico. In his free time, Sudhir skis and likes to play volleyball.

Josh Steimle is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He has written over 200 articles for publications like Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, and Time, and is the author of Chief Marketing Officers at Work: How Top Marketers Build Customer Loyalty. Steimle is a TEDx speaker and has presented at conferences like ClickZ Live, Adtech, Social Media Week. He is also the founder and CEO of MWI, a digital marketing firm he founded in 1999 with offices in Hong Kong and the U.S. Steimle was recently recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of 50 Online Marketing Influencers To Watch in 2016.

Mathew is Principal of Marketing Insights for Salesforce.com, and regarded as one of the top minds on the future of Marketing. A consummate researcher, writer, and thinker, Mathew’s is the author of Marketing Automation for Dummies, and working on his next book now. His research is often cited leading publications such as Mashable, VentureBeat, CMO.com, Forbes, and numerous others. Mathew also frequently speaks at conferences around the world including Content Marketing World, Dreamforce, Argyle CMO Summit, Connections, IMW, DX3.

Ryan Urban is the Co­Founder and CEO of Bounce Exchange, Inc. The company provides a machine learning platform that is employed by marketers to automate conversion rate optimization and user acquisition. Ryan was formerly Director of Acquisition at Bonobos and prior to that, Brickhouse Security. He has served on the advisory boards of both BabyAge.com and Bonobos. He holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Amit Vyas is one of the co-founding members of WVSS and continues to be the company’s strategic driving force. A genuine tech-entrepreneur and online marketing expert, Amit is successfully guiding the company’s growth through technology investments, acquisitions, new product lines and strategic partnerships. Prior to the founding of the starting company WVSS, Amit was based in the UK, owning and managing various businesses that boasted major international clients.

Amit holds a BSC (Hons) degree in Computer Science and Business Management from Aston University in the UK. Amit is also currently the Executive President of Blogymate.com – a social blogging platform with over 500,000 members and the Co-Founder and Partner of iKnowledgy – a innovative customer feedback platform that boasts a blue-chip client list.

Byron White, one of the original content marketing revolutionaries and serial entrepreneur who balks at the word “can’t.” After a battle with cancer in 1992, he founded the Lost Ball Golf Tournament that’s raised more than $100k for the Jimmy Fund. He’s the founder of WriterAccess and ideaLaunch, along with several other company’s that have all grown organically– the content marketing way.

Jon Wuebben is the CEO of Content Launch, which offers the first content marketing software built for small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) and small agencies. Content Launch also provides content writing and content strategy services for hundreds of companies and digital agencies. His book, “Content is Currency: Developing Powerful Content for Web & Mobile”, helps businesses learn how to plan, create, distribute and manage content. “Content is Currency” has been published in six countries worldwide.

Jon has spoken at Content Marketing World, Online Marketing Summit, South by Southwest (SXSW), Marketing Profs B2B Forum, Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Social Media Marketing World, New Media Expo, Intelligent Content Conference, Content Marketing Retreat, Lavacon, ADMA (Australia), BIA Kelsey Small Business Forum, the Media Relations Summit and for many organizations, including the American Marketing Association and Shop.org as well as industry groups in the areas of content marketing, mobile marketing and entrepreneurship. He has been listed as a thought leader in the content marketing space by countless publications since 2008.

Jon has an MBA in International Marketing from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. He is also the author of “Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web”. In the political world, he has worked for Senator John McCain, Vice President Dan Quayle and the Republican National Convention. A prolific songwriter, Jon is releasing his first album of pop songs, “The NightBird” in 2016.

Dennis Yu is CEO of BlitzMetrics, a Facebook analytics and optimization software company. Before founding BlitzMetrics, he was an executive at Yahoo!, managing analytics and paid search. Dennis has been interviewed by National Public Radio, KTLA-TV and other media outlets, as has counseled the Federal Trade Commission on privacy issues for social networks. He has spoken at the Search Marketing Expo, HostingCon, Search Engine Strategies, Web 2.0, The American Marketing Association, Conversational Commerce Conference, UltraLight Startups, MIVA Merchant PPC Summit, PubCon, Online Marketing Conference, and other national and international conferences.