Spot Runner

The Shocking Spot Runner Lawsuit Vs. the BoomTown Video of CEO Nick Grouf in Happier Days

Kara Swisher in News on April 20, 2009 at 10:33 am PT

As everyone knows by this morning, Spot Runner–the heavily-funded and once-hyped online-offline advertising agency–is being sued by one of its more prominent investors. Ad behemoth WPP essentially paints an ugly picture of Spot Runner as the Bernie Madoff of Web 2.0. It is alleging in a lawsuit that Spot Runner, in a “pump and dump” scheme, sold over $54 million in “secondary” shares to line its own pockets without telling WPP much, all while losing money, running out of funding and not building a sustainable business. Here’s the background and also an interview BoomTown did with CEO and co-founder Nick Grouf in better days.

As BoomTown Said, Microsoft's Jeff Dossett Joins Yahoo–As Audience Head

Kara Swisher in News on November 3, 2008 at 12:55 pm PT

About a month ago, BoomTown reported that MSN executive producer and general manager Jeff Dossett was contemplating joining Yahoo. Microsoft released a statement that day saying Dossett was indeed stepping down from his MSN duties, as I had posted, but noted that he was staying put at the software giant. Oops, it looks like I was right in my report: “The Secret Microsoft Invasion of Yahoo Continues: MSN GM Headed There Soon?” Dossett has accepted a job as SVP, U.S. Audience at Yahoo, Yahoo said this afternoon, while also confirming my previous report that Yahoo Media Group head Scott Moore was departing.

The Secret Microsoft Invasion of Yahoo Continues: MSN GM Headed There Soon?

Kara Swisher in News on September 19, 2008 at 11:19 pm PT

Jeff Dossett, a longtime Microsoft exec and current executive producer and general manager of MSN, is leaving the company, sources said, and is likely to land at Yahoo soon. A longtime and experienced mountain climber, Dossett has been one of the more senior digital execs at Microsoft. It is an interesting digital-musical-chair trend, in fact. On Monday, another former Microsoft big shot, Joanne Bradford, will start her job as Yahoo’s top U.S. sales exec.

Almost-Yahoo Bradford (and Her New Boss, Schneider) Speak!

Kara Swisher in News on September 9, 2008 at 11:28 am PT

After the news broke that former Microsoft exec Joanne Bradford was headed to Yahoo as the head of its U.S. ad sales and more, I got to talk to both her and her new boss, Hilary Schneider, on the phone this morning about the move. Bradford left her job as national ad sales chief at Spot Runner, where she arrived just six months ago, to take the position of SVP of U.S. revenue and market development at Yahoo.

Yahoo Brings In–Drum Roll, Please–a Former Microsoft Exec to Head U.S. Ad Sales

Kara Swisher in News on September 9, 2008 at 7:43 am PT

In what is both a surprising and not-so-surprising move, Yahoo has replaced its top U.S. ad sales exec with one from Microsoft. The departure of Dave Karnstedt, who took over last year when longtime Yahoo ad sales exec Wenda Millard left Yahoo in the first of many controversial partings, has been long rumored internally. Karnstedt will join Redpoint Ventures and is being replaced by Joanne Bradford, a longtime and well-known Microsoft exec who decamped from the software giant to helm national ad sales at the trendy start-up Spot Runner just six months ago.

Spot Runner's CEO Nick Grouf Speaks!

Kara Swisher in News on July 31, 2008 at 10:05 am PT

On one of my many trips to Los Angeles (what can I say? I like to hang where LoRo* hangs), I dropped in to see Nick Grouf of Spot Runner. As many might know, Spot Runner is an online-offline ad agency play that has gotten big funding and even bigger hype of late. Usually, BoomTown runs screaming from such Web 2.0 dandies, but there is definitely some there there at Spot Runner.

LinkedIn Raises $53 Million at $1 Billion Valuation

Kara Swisher in News on June 17, 2008 at 5:43 pm PT

In a much-expected financing, LinkedIn has joined the big funding club (Slide, Spot Runner) of late, by raising $53 million at a startling $1 billion valuation. Why go public when you can just pretend? Actually, unlike a lot of Web 2.0 start-ups, the professional-networking site has been profitable since 2006. The new slug of cash comes from new investor Bain Capital Ventures, along with existing investors Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners and Bessemer Ventures.