Tom Gerace
Encyclopedia
Thomas August Gerace is the serial entrepreneur and market-innovator responsible for disruptive innovations such as founding Be Free, the first affiliate-marketing company, and SMAC, a committee to create a common vocabulary, standard buying units, and uniform measurement methods for social media. In December 2010, he launched Skyword, a Search-Driven Media (SDM) company. Currently, Gerace serves as CEO and founder of Skyword. Skyword’s SDM platform lets brands engage with their customers via natural search.
in Social Studies, magna cum laude, from Harvard University
in 1993. He was a senior business analyst at the Harvard Business School
, where he authored case studies including "The National Information Infrastructure and the Internet." He also assisted with the creation of the curriculum for the "Managing in the Marketspace" course within the MBA program.
in 2002.
, where members share user-generated content
online and earn a portion of the company’s advertising revenue. Gather.com was founded in 2005 by Gerace and the American Public Media Group
(APMG), whose CEO and president is Gather's chairman, William H. Kling.
Education
Gerace received a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Social Studies, magna cum laude, from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1993. He was a senior business analyst at the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, where he authored case studies including "The National Information Infrastructure and the Internet." He also assisted with the creation of the curriculum for the "Managing in the Marketspace" course within the MBA program.
Be Free
In March 1996, Gerace and his brother, Samuel P. Gerace, Jr., founded Be Free, a publicly traded online marketing services company. Gerace was the Chief Marketing Officer and was awarded two U.S. Patents (5,848,396 and 5,991,735) for profiling computer users and targeting advertising based on that profiling. He raised more than $200 million and launched both U.S. and European operations. Gerace left Be Free when the company was acquired by ValueClickValueClick
ValueClick is a Westlake Village, CA-based online advertising company, which provides online advertising campaigns and programs for advertisers and advertising agency customers in the United States and internationally....
in 2002.
Other ventures
Gerace later served for two years as Senior Vice President, Marketing for National Leisure Group (NLG), a $1 billion annual seller of travel. He is also the founding committee chair of SMAC, the Social Media Ad Consortium, and industry group launched in September 2008. SMAC is, according to its own description, "A group of advertising, communications, brand management and social media executives coming together to create a common vocabulary, standard buying units, and uniform measurement methods for social media." In addition, Gerace is the founder and CEO of the social networking site Gather.comGather.com
Gather or Gather.com is a social networking website designed to encourage interaction by discussion of various social, political and cultural topics. Its headquarters are in Boston, Massachusetts...
, where members share user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
online and earn a portion of the company’s advertising revenue. Gather.com was founded in 2005 by Gerace and the American Public Media Group
American Public Media Group
American Public Media Group , formerly Minnesota Communications Group, is the non-profit organization that is the parent of non-profits Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio , and Classical South Florida , along with the for-profit Greenspring Company, as well as MPR's Fitzgerald...
(APMG), whose CEO and president is Gather's chairman, William H. Kling.