Adam Zeller
Director, Consumer Marketing
Bravo Media
A consummate mover and shaker, Zeller has worked hard to help keep Bravo out front on digital – and the results speak for themselves. Always on the hunt for new win-win deals and partnerships, he recently struck a partnership with startup TaskRabbit for the South-by-Southwest interactive conference this year and that helped Bravo generate huge South-by buzz (never easy during that noisy and competitive week in Austin). Features included on-air integrations on “Watch What Happens Live” with host Andy Cohen, large “task” mobs of co-branded Bravo/TaskRabbits handing out swag to SXSWi-goers at Bravo’s panel and a VIP party to celebrate the partnership. Zeller also brought transmedia to the forefront of social TV with this year’s season of “Top Chef,” creating an online-only extension of the show called “Last Chance Kitchen” and giving eliminated chefs one more chance to get back into the show at the end of the season. With more than 8 million video streams, it the most streamed video series at NBCUniversal ever.
What personal qualities do you think have helped you get to your current position – and which ones (that you either now possess or must work on) will advance you to the next level?
I’ve never been shy about pitching ideas or providing opinions. People always remember when you give them a great idea, so I’ve concentrated on pitching as many ideas as I can. If you can get people excited around your ideas, they will succeed, and so will you. In order to get to the next level, I’ll need to sharpen my leadership skills. The process of formulating a vision for a department and translating that vision into a plan that a team can get excited about will be a new challenge for me that I hope I will one day experience.
What digital trend will be the biggest game changer in the next 1-3 years?
I think there is a lot of potential for the so-called “proximity-based” social network apps such as Highlight, Sonar, and Glancee. There has been a lot of criticism about these Apps revolving around privacy and obtrusiveness. But as people evolve the way the use social networks and begin to curate their “inner circle” networks vs. their hundreds (or thousands) of friends, users will gain more comfort and the way we meet new people could change forever.
