Justin B. Smith(born August 13, 1969) is an American media executive. He co-foundedSemafor,a global news organization in 2022. He was previously thechief executive officerofBloombergMedia Group. Before joining Bloomberg, Smith worked forAtlantic Media,The Weekmagazine andThe Economist.[1][2]
Justin B. Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 2024 | |
| Born | August 13, 1969 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Phillips Academy,Georgetown University |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder andCEOofSemafor |
| Employer | Semafor |
| Board member of | Georgetown University,Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation |
Career
editSmith began his career at theDepartment of Statein 1991, working in the U.S. Embassy atOuagadougou,the capital ofBurkina Faso,under AmbassadorEdward Brynn.[3]After leaving the State Department, Smith joined theInternational Herald Tribune.He worked in Paris and in Hong Kong, where he helped build the newspaper's conference business.[4]Smith then joinedThe Economistas the head of corporate strategy, working from London, Hong Kong and New York City.[5]
In 2001, Smith joinedThe Week,where he helped launch a U.S. version of the weekly news magazine founded in London. In 2005, Smith was promoted to president of the magazine. In 2006, he had helpedThe Weekreach more than 443,000 U.S. subscribers.[6]While atThe Week,Smith was named toAdAge’s “40 Under 40” list.[7]
In 2007, Smith was hired as president of Atlantic Consumer Media atThe Atlantic.[8]Smith was later promoted to president ofAtlantic Media Company,which gave him responsibility overNational JournalandGovernment Executive.[4]By 2010, under his leadership,The Atlanticmade $1.8 million profit, the first time the magazine had been profitable in decades.[9][10]While atThe Atlantic,Smith oversaw the launch of several digital brands. In 2009, the company launchedThe Atlantic Wire,a news content and aggregation site now calledThe Wire.Site traffic reached nearly one million monthly visitors within one year of launch.[11]In 2012, while leading Atlantic Media, Smith founded a new global business news brand, Quartz.[12][13]In 2013, Atlantic Media launchedDefense Onefor reporting on national security.[14]
In 2010, Smith andThe Atlanticpublisher Jay Lauf were namedAd Age’s Publishing Executives of the Year, andThe Atlanticwas ranked second onAd Age’s list of A-list magazines.[7]
Smith is also the founder of Breaking Media, a collection of specialized websites that includesAbove the Law,Dealbreaker and Fashionista.[5]
Bloomberg
editIn July 2013,Bloomberg LPhired Justin Smith as the chief executive officer of Bloomberg Media Group, which comprisesBloomberg Television,Bloomberg Radio,Bloomberg Businessweek,and digital businesses globally. Smith reported to Bloomberg LP President and CEODan Doctoroff.[1]Later that year, Smith said he would add online destinations to Bloomberg and invest more in digital video.[15]
In April 2014, Smith hired veteran journalistsMark HalperinandJohn Heilemann,who wroteGame ChangeandDouble Down: Game Change 2012on the2008and2012presidential elections respectively, to create a new Bloomberg website focused on American politics and policy.[16]
In January 2022, he stepped down as CEO to foundSemaforwith formerNew York TimesjournalistBen Smith.[17][18]
Personal life
editSmith was born on August 13, 1969, inHartford, Connecticut.His American father was president of theAmerican College in Parisand his English mother was an artist. He was raised in Paris, where he attended theÉcole Internationale Bilingue[19]until high school, at which point his parents moved him to the Massachusetts, where he attendedFessenden SchoolandPhillips Andover Academy.[20]After finishing secondary school, he attended the School of Foreign Service atGeorgetown Universityin 1991.[21]Smith served as a member of the Georgetown University Board of Directors[when?][22]and is a lifetime member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations.[23]He is the founder of the Bali Purnati Center for the Arts on the island ofBaliand the Ouagadougou Education project.[21]In 2013, Smith was named a Henry Crown Fellow at theAspen Institute,[24]and in 2014, he was named to the board of directors for theElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[25]
Smith lives in Washington, D.C. and New York City.[19]
References
edit- ^ab"Bloomberg LP Names Justin B. Smith CEO Of Bloomberg Media Group".Bloomberg.July 23, 2013.
- ^Gelles, David (January 4, 2022)."Ben Smith Is Leaving The Times for a Global News Start-Up".The New York TImes.
- ^Gupte, Pranay (April 19, 2006)."Lunch at The Four Seasons with: Justin Smith".PranayGupte.
- ^abMoses, Lucia (September 27, 2011)."How David Bradley and Justin Smith Saved 'The Atlantic'".AdWeek.
- ^abCarr, David (April 30, 2013)."Bloomberg Media Recruits a New Chief From The Atlantic".The New York Times.
- ^Ives, Nat (July 11, 2007)."The Week Loses Its President to Atlantic Monthly".AdAge.
- ^abIves, Nat (August 7, 2006)."Justin Smith, 36".AdAge.
- ^Dumenco, Simon (October 4, 2010)."The Atlantic Is No. 2 on Ad Age's Magazine A-List".AdAge.
- ^Indvik, Lauren (December 19, 2011)."Inside 'The Atlantic': How One Magazine Got Profitable by Going 'Digital First'".Mashable.
- ^Peters, Jeremy W. (13 December 2010)."Web Focus Helps Revitalize The Atlantic".The New York Times.Retrieved11 July2023.
- ^Peters, Jeremy W. (December 12, 2010)."Web Focus Helps Revitalize The Atlantic".The New York Times.
- ^Carr, David (29 July 2013)."Bloomberg Media Recruits a New Chief From The Atlantic".The New York Times.
In a letter to the staff about Mr. Smith's departure, David Bradley, the owner of Atlantic Media, credited Mr. Smith with bringing the company to profitability for the first time under his ownership; doubling revenue; and creating a number of successful digital start-ups, including The Atlantic Wire and Quartz.
- ^"Atlantic Media President Justin Smith Named CEO of Bloomberg Media Group".The Hollywood Reporter.July 28, 2013.
- ^Indvik, Lauren (July 16, 2013)."Atlantic Media Launches Digital Publication, 'Defense One'".Mashable.
- ^Morrissey, Brian (March 19, 2014)."Justin Smith's plan for where Bloomberg Media goes next".Digiday.
- ^Somaiya, Ravi (May 4, 2014)."Bloomberg Gains 2 Veteran Political Journalists".The New York Times.
- ^Mullin, Benjamin (January 4, 2022)."Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith Steps Down to Found News Startup".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedJanuary 11,2022.
- ^Weprin, Alex (January 4, 2022)."Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith Exits, Teams With N.Y. Times' Ben Smith for Startup".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJanuary 11,2022.
- ^abMcCreesh, Shawn (2022-01-04)."Ben Smith Goes Global".Intelligencer.Retrieved2023-07-25.
- ^Scott, Nathan (2013)."Reviving an Aging Icon".Andover.
- ^ab"Fellow Profile: Justin Smith".Aspen Institute.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-09-11.
- ^"Board of Directors".Georgetown University.
- ^"Membership Roster".Council on Foreign Relations.
- ^"Leadership Programs: 2013 Class".Aspen Institute.
- ^"The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Welcomes Two New Members to its Board of Directors".Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.