One of the unique aspects of New Media Leaders (NML) is awarding a special prize for three of our lucky attendees, Lunch with The Leaders. When Phil and I first started NML Raleigh we wanted to create a special opportunity for attendees, something different, special and unique.
We came up with the idea of “Lunch with The Leaders.” The whole premise was to have three local media leaders have lunch with three winners. The lunch is another opportunity to network and have a more in depth conversation about leadership, managing a business, client relations and other advice and sharing of best practices.
This edition of Lunch with The Leaders is the best lineup we’ve ever had. I have to say that the winners of this edition are in for a real treat having lunch with:
Jim Tobin is president of Ignite Social Media, one of the nation’s first social media agencies. In that role, he and his team work with clients including Microsoft (Windows, Bing, MSN and others), Samsung, Nike, Warner Bros., Intel, Disney, Nature Made, The Body Shop and more developing and implementing social media marketing strategies.
Jim is the author of the book, “Social Media is a Cocktail Party,” which reached the Amazon best seller list for marketing books just three days after launch (at #51 out of over 51,000). Once released on the Kindle, the book reached #1 among all direct marketing books and #2 among all advertising books, behind only Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point.”
Jim is a frequent national and international speaker, the co-founder of the Triangle Social Media Club, and on the board of advisors of Argyle Social, a social media management tool for businesses. He was named one of the most influential bloggersin the business in January 2008. In the last year, Business Leader magazine named Jim both a “Mover & Shaker” and one of the “Top 50 Entrepreneurs” in the Research Triangle business community in part because of the continued growth of Ignite Social Media.
Gregory Ng, Chief Experience Officer at Brooks Bell Interactive, Video Blogger and the Frozen Food Master, the host of Freezerburns.
An award-winning creative director, designer and direct marketer, Gregory Ng has developed effective, integrated, results-driven marketing programs for Global Fortune 1000 clients with an expertise in the high tech and financial verticals for over 12 years. In 2005, Greg received the Prodigy award from the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA) given to a professional under the age of 30 who has mastered the science and art of direct marketing. Since 2003, he has received over 40 awards for his direct marketing campaigns.
As CXO (chief experience officer), Greg is responsible for ensuring that marketing strategies are realized through exemplary creative work. Gregory’s direct experience runs deep and includes working for clients like Dell, Bank of America, American Express, Fidelity Investments, the Salvation Army, Microsoft, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Dunkin’ Donuts.
Heather Hesketh, CEO, hesketh.com
In 1995, Heather Hesketh founded hesketh.com as an Internet technology consultancy working with corporate marketing, sales, graphic design, and public relations professionals. From the start, she attracted a steady stream of clients who relied on her ability to balance projects’ technical aspects with the strategic vision that energized her projects. hesketh.com quickly grew, becoming a technological extension of client-partner organizations and a complete, fully staffed digital design agency. Her industry insights and business instincts have grown hesketh.com from a one-person consultancy to a thriving full-service agency whose clients include Oxford University Press, Duke University, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and the American Kennel Club (AKC). The success of hesketh.com coupled with the reputation they’ve earned for client satisfaction has attracted a lot of attention, landing Hesketh on the pages of The Business Journal, Entrepreneur magazine, and Triangle Lifestyle magazine and garnering awards such as The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award for Excellent Customer Service, The Business Journal‘s 40 under 40 and Women in Business Awards, Business Leader‘s Women Extraordinaire Award, and CED’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for Community Service. Hesketh is a graduate of North Carolina State University’s Aerospace Engineering program.
