By: Staff Reports Morgan Plans Online Publishing Startup
Real Media founder Dave Morgan is leaving the New York-based
company that he founded six years ago to start a new technology
business for the online publishing industry.
Morgan said his startup will tackle the problems with today's
online advertising business. "We'll be working to develop tools
and techniques for media companies to leverage their online
properties with advertisers and marketers through audience data,"
he said. "It's going to focus on what publishers can do at the
platform level to create more value through collecting and
managing data [about their audiences]."
More details are expected this summer.
Morgan, 37, who has served as co-chairman of Real Media since
December, called his departure a "natural" move. "Starting in
December, we took a lot of steps to bring in more senior
management and PubliGroupe has taken a much more active role in
the business," Morgan said. "From my perspective as the largest
individual shareholder, that's the best thing for the business."
Morgan said he is more of an entrepreneur, and looks forward to
working with a startup again.
A Swiss-based advertising services firm, PubliGroupe is the
majority owner of Real Media. Morgan said he feels good about the
long-term prospects of Real Media under President and CEO Walter
Annasohn, who comes from PubliGroupe. Morgan pointed out that
most of his net worth remains in Real Media stock; he is the
largest individual shareholder. "It's my retirement, I believe in
the company," Morgan said.
Morgan was such a believer in Real Media that he had the
company's logo tattooed onto his left ankle. He said he has no
plans to remove it now. "That's staying with me for life," he
said.
In a statement, Annasohn said, "Not only did [Morgan] direct the
development of the online ad industry's finest ad server
products, but it was Dave's vision and initiative that grew Real
Media's reputation with the media community as the sales rep
company that was most reliable, easiest to work with, and that
assured consumer privacy."
Randy Bennett, vice president, electronic media, for the
Newspaper Association of America, said, "He did a remarkable job
in building Real Media into one of the premier ad sales and
support companies, against major odds. Dave has been a true
pioneer. If he's off exploring new opportunities, newspapers
should sit up and take notice."
After launching the company in May 1995 with only five employees,
Morgan watched the business balloon into a staff of 600 or so
worldwide. It was during those giddy times that Morgan visited
the tattoo parlor. After the dot-com bust, the company shrank to
its current staffing of 420.
Real Media provides online advertising services to hundreds of
newspapers around the world. Annual sales of ad-serving
technology and media sales now total nearly $60 million, the
company said.
Related stories:
REAL MEDIA EXPANDS WITH MULTIMEDIA FIRMS (02/22/01)
REAL MEDIA COMPLETES RESTRUCTURING (02/09/01)
REAL MEDIA ANNOUNCES RESTRUCTURING (12/26/00)
Copyright 2001, Editor & Publisher.
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