The Drum Online Media Awards (OMAs) 2014 has three categories decided by the public vote. These are Rising Star, Media Professional of the Year and Digital Commercial Team of the Year.
All three categories are included in this year's OMAs to highlight the commercial side of these online media businesses, as the industry adapts to the significant change that has occurred in the sector, and trials differing approaches to monetising content.
Just as news organisations are unable to thrive without interesting editorial content, they are also unable to grow without securing the interest of advertisers or paid subscribers. The commercial teams are instrumental in engaging and securing this interest at all levels of the business, and we recognise these individuals here.
You can vote once for each category. To view the nominations for the other categories in the OMAs, visit The Online Media Awards website. Voting will be open until 5pm on Monday 2 June.
The Drum Online Media Awards is sponsored by iomart and Unanimis.
Oliver Knight, programmatic manager, The Financial Times
Oliver Knight started his FT career deciphering syndicated reader surveys in the research team. He was quickly recognised for his knack for analytics and his ability to marry data and technology to deliver attractive advertising solutions with transparency. Knight is now responsible for the development of the FT's digital strategy globally. In addition, he has introduced a new approach to the FT's digital marketing solutions, developing a below-the-line marketing offering. Using data analytics and advanced data management technology, the FT can build real-time segmentation of users around their behaviours and interactions with a client’s campaign. According to the FT, Knight embodies the brand’s "digital-led, results-driven and creative approach to client relationships, and manages to do it while keeping his reputation as 'a bloody good lad'."
Sammy Wahab Shubbar, marketing manager, Yahoo
At 23 years old, Shubbar has risen from intern to marketing manager at Yahoo in less than three years. He has been instrumental in the successful launches of Yahoo’s key marketing campaigns: Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Wireless, Yahoo News Digest and most recently the #Special1s – Yahoo’s biggest global social campaign to date running across 20 international markets. He recently secured strong editorial coverage across the Yahoo homepage for the Yahoo News Digest app. Coupled with sophisticated on-net targeting, and off-net digital spend across social platforms and mobile performance display, he contributed to the app’s success. Yahoo News Digest topped the news category in the Apple App store chart within 24 hours of launch and sees over 50 per cent of total downloads becoming daily active users.Robert Bridge, VP of international marketing said: “Sammy’s presence and experience in the marketing world continues to grow and we are looking forward to him continuing to help build on Yahoo’s strong mobile presence in the UK in 2014 and beyond”.
Amy Jenkins, group digital commercial development manager, Channel 4
Jenkins' role is to seek commercial opportunities from Channel 4’s digital multiplatform content. She attends the broadcaster's editorial commissioning meetings on a regular basis and is always alert to possibilities to work together to maximise not just the awareness of projects, but the opportunities to bring in revenue for the channel. Her colleagues say: "She has great ideas, is enthusiastic, and generally is a fantastic colleague. Raising awareness about digital properties in her sales area is a new emerging science, and one she has become an early evangelist for."
Media Professional of the Year
Matt Elek, managing director EMEA, Vice
Matt Elek is the MD of Vice in the EMEA region. Having helped set up Vice in the UK in 2002, he now oversees Vice’s presence in 18 markets across all of its channels. Vice started in 1994 as a newsprint monthly in Montreal, and has since grown to become a globe-strangling youth media company that includes publishing, events, music, digital television, marketing and feature film divisions, reaching over 150 million millennials every month. Elek has helped launch some of Vice's most successful projects, including The Creators Project, Grolsch Film Works and the acquisition of i-D magazine.
Bob Lord, CEO, AOL Platforms
As CEO of AOL Platforms, Bob Lord heads AOL’s industry-leading global advertising and technology arm, which reaches marketers and publishers in over 30 countries through Advertising.com, ADTECH, AOL On, Be On and Pictela. Bob applies principles from his most recent book, 'Converge: Transforming Businesses at the Intersection of Marketing and Technology' to position AOL Platforms at the intersection of premium and programmatic. In this unique position, AOL Platforms simplifies digital advertising and enables the world’s top marketers and premium publishers to reach consumers across all screens and formats.
Melanie Scott, chief revenue officer UK and EMEA, MailOnline
Melanie Scott joined MailOnline in 2009 as commercial director of a team of only seven sales people, and now leads a team of over 40 people. Reporting into the publisher, Martin Clarke, Melanie has sought to provide a very strong proposition in the market place to match the audience growth of MailOnline. Scott's media career started out agency side, before moving to press in her native South Africa and then to magazines, where she was part of the team to launch the second international title post apartheid (Elle, Hachette). When Scott relocated to the UK she continued her career in media and publishing at Hearst and then progressed to IPC Media to become the company's key account director for its six largest accounts, both in print and online. With more than 20 years media and publishing experience, Scott is now responsible for the development and execution of the advertising strategy in the UK and ROW for MailOnline.
Online Media Sales Team of the Year
The Guardian
Buzzfeed
Financial Times
The winners will be announced at The Drum Online Media Awards on Wednesday 11 June.
