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Matt Wasserlauf, Chief Executive Officer - BBE“Once I discovered the idea of interactive, digitalized video, I knew I was staring at the future of advertising.” Credited as the visionary who enticed television advertisers to invest their marketing dollars online, Matt Wasserlauf, 40, spent 19 years in media and broadband advertising before single-handedly pioneering an entirely new industry: online video advertising. ‘In April 2004, Wasserlauf established BBE, the premier online video network that safely connects advertising buyers and sellers in the world’s most powerful ad platform. Under Wasserlauf’s leadership, BBE has emerged as one of the few full-service broadband companies that assists clients through sales of online advertising, syndicated programming, original online content and VINDICO™, BBE’s own video advertising technology platform. Hiring industry leaders who innately understand both the television and digital worlds, in only five years, Wasserlauf’s company has grown to more than 50 employees and a market value of $100 million. Unlike its competitors, BBE is solidly profitable. Background Wasserlauf’s online achievements are the culmination of his early career in “traditional” television advertising. Wasserlauf spent four years as Vice President of Sales at The Feed Room, now a division of Kit Digital. There, he generated millions of dollars of advertising revenues and helped lay the foundation for today’s streaming video advertising industry. Next, as Director of Sales for CBS.com, Wasserlauf delivered more than $10 million annually in revenue. He also spearheaded ad sales for Website tie-ins to CBS network programs, including Survivor and The Late Show with David Letterman. Vision Wasserlauf’s vision of the future of the online video advertising space came to him in the late 1990s, while he was working for Warner Bros., at the height of its success. At the network, he realized that video content, once digitized, allows viewers to click, send, share and save video. After several years with Warner Bros., Wasserlauf declined an offer to renew his contract and struck out on his own. Warner Bros. had shown him the future. There was no turning back. The young entrepreneur’s dream lay in building an industry much larger than television. Wasserlauf leveraged his experience in television marketing to engineer a revolutionary, new model for the online advertising industry. BBE, the first digital video ad network, brought together advertisers looking to extend their messages to the rapidly increasing online audience. Philosophy Since its inception, BBE has built a reputation of innovation, efficiency and credibility. Fostering a corporate culture of “no boundaries, no borders,” Wasserlauf sees the value of his enterprise though his clients’ and colleagues’ passion for growing the industry by meeting advertisers’ needs. “We listen carefully to clients,” explains Wasserlauf. “Sometimes, existing programming inventory doesn’t completely satisfy a brand’s goals and objectives. In such cases, we create original content rather than trying to retrofit an existing television commercial to the online environment.” A consummate dreamer, Wasserlauf believes in his ability to transform profitable ideas into powerful realities. No stranger to risk-taking and betting on himself, like his favorite movie, Field of Dreams, he is showing the world that as he builds it, advertisers and viewers will come. Wasserlauf earned an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Marketing from Indiana University. Married, a father of three and an avid sports fan, he spends his free time (such as it is) enjoying his family and following his favorite New York sports teams. Additional Press Inquiries: |
