Jim Bankoff
James Philip Bankoff is an American businessman who is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vox Media. Prior to joining Vox Media's predecessor "SB Nation" in 2009, he worked for AOL. Early life and education. James Philip Bankoff was born to Marvin and Adrienne Bankoff, and raised in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. His father owned a jewelry business and his mother worked as an editor. Bankoff developed an interest in media at an early age. Bankoff earned his bachelor's degree in international studies from Emory University. During his senior year, he  interned at CNN. Bankoff earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and studied media proprietors like Rupert Murdoch, Steve Ross, and Ted Turner. Career. Early career. Early in his career, Bankoff worked as a production assistant for the WETA-TV series "Washington Week", and covered the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination. He also worked at Ruder Finn's Global Public Affairs group, where he became an account supervisor in 1991. After graduating from Wharton, he declined job offers from "The New York Times" and The Walt Disney Company. AOL. Bankoff joined  AOL in 1995, hired by Ted Leonsis. He held various roles and worked on a variety of brands and products during his tenure, including AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), AOL.com, AOL Music, FanHouse, MapQuest, Moviefone, and Netscape. He focused on the company's digital content business, and helped the company acquire Engadget. He is also a co-founder of the celebrity news website TMZ. Bankoff became director of business development for AOL Greenhouse in 1996. He was named vice-president of strategy and operations for the AOL brand in 1998, and oversaw business strategy, category management, and content acquisition. He also  directed AOL Music and AOL Plus. After AOL and Netscape merged, Bankoff worked to merge the two companies, and created strategic plans for Netscape. He became president of Netscape in 2001, and was responsible for business operations and the growth of Netscape.com and Netbusiness. He then served as president of AOL Web Properties, managing various AOL brands, including AIM, CompuServe, ICQ, MapQuest, Moviefone, and Netscape. Bankoff held the role of executive vice-president of programming and products starting in 2002. In 2006, he earned the first Emmy Award for his Achievement in Video Content for Non-traditional Delivery Platforms, for  serving as a co-executive producer of "Live 8 on AOL", a webcast of the 2005 Live 8 concerts. Bankoff left AOL in late 2006, and began working as a consultant. Among his clients were "The Huffington Post" and the sports news website "SB Nation", starting in 2008. SB Nation and Vox Media. After advising and serving as an angel investor for "SB Nation", Bankoff led the company through its first round of financing. He became chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) in January 2009. He expanded "SB Nation"s network and number of writers. In November 2011, Bankoff co-founded  Vox Media as the parent company for "SB Nation" and "The Verge". Bankoff has been credited with growing the company by acquiring and launching brands. In his role as chairman and CEO, Bankoff oversees the company's 13 brands, including "New York" Magazine, "Curbed", "Eater", "Polygon", "Racked", "Recode", "SB Nation", "The Verge", and "Vox", and other businesses including Vox Media Studios, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and Cafe Media." Accolades. In 2015, Bankoff was included in "Washingtonian" list of the "100 Top Tech Leaders" in Washington, D.C., and ranked number 18 on "Business Insider" "Silicon Alley 100" list of the  coolest, most inspiring people in the New York tech industry. He was also included in "The Hollywood Reporter" list of "The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media" in 2016. Bankoff is a co-executive producer of a cuisine and travel television series developed by Vox Media, called "No Passport Required". The series was ordered by PBS in October 2017 and scheduled to premiere in 2018. Bankoff ranked number 67 on Mediaite's list of the most influential figures in media during 2017. Personal life. Bankoff and Diane Elson, who founded the rug design company Elson&Company in 1998, married  on April 26, 2003. Bankoff is a longtime New York Yankees fan, and has a LeRoy Neiman print depicting Thurman Munson in his office, as of 2014. The print is autographed by Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, and Willie Randolph.