Bios

Julian and Shannon Seery Gude | Geek marketers and Students of Social Media and Web 2.0

Julian Seery Gude, chief exceler8or

Julian has participated in the Internet advertising revolution from its infancy in the heart of Silicon Valley to today’s Web 2.0 world of social networking, blogging and user generated content.

“Whatever we do at exceler8, we don’t lose sight of the fact that our business is about connecting people. We bring the best people and process to the table, then we forge that expertise into results using advertising and the right technology for the job - be it a blog, word-of-mouth marketing or an online branding campaign.”

After a short stint as VP of Advertising at a South Florida Internet advertising startup Julian left to pursue his dreams to start a business in 2005 with his wife Shannon while also staying home with his youngest kids as a stay-at-home Dad. Julian served as Senior Director of Advertising Operations for Knight Ridder Digital from January 2000 through June 2005. In his first year at Knight Ridder Digital Julian also worked in a dual role in forming and leading Knight Ridder Digital’s first national sales channel, the beginnings of today’s Real Cities network. Julian’s extensive experience in online advertising, ad operations and sales leadership are all highly complementary to the companies he now serves as the chief exceler8or of exceler8.

Prior to his work at Knight Ridder Digital Julian helped create and launch SBC Communications SMARTpages.com, a leader in Internet directories and local search products. Before his foray in to Internet Advertising in the 90’s Julian worked for SBC Communications, Pacific Bell Directory and GTE in the Yellow Pages industry. His career for those companies spanned inside and outside sales and management roles in sales training and strategic planning before he finished his tenure at SBC in Internet business development and operations.

“What have I learned in my 20+ year career? That everything begins and ends with people. Second, that with technology specifically we often lose sight of people and as Marshall McLuhan said we’re want to drive in to the future with our eyes firmly fixed in the rear view mirror. At exceler8 we love to experiment with the very leading edge of web technology but we do so in the pursuit of value, be it measurable results or dynamic quality that we recognize the second we see it. I believe the best way to profit from today’s technology is to wield it as a tool with a knowing hand; that people with knowledge, skill, and passion are the very ingredients that make the tools we use cool. I want to understand every moving part but the end game should always be the simple solution; that’s what gives it elegance and power.”

Shannon Seery Gude, EXCELER8ion Catalyst

“I consider myself an Internet original - my educational and business career developed in parallel with this industry. The combination of technology and how it affects people is the root of my fascination and there’s nothing more exciting than helping people tap in to that; whether it’s through an online recruitment strategy, integrated online ad campaign, or the tools we use to work with our medium.”

After graduating from Colgate University, Shannon jumped into the quickly developing Internet world, managing biz dev for a web dev start-up. In addition to increasing their client base, she learned HTML, graphic design, as well as the intricacies of SEO.

Shannon later joined the Internet team at Cox Newspapers. Her mission was to bring the newspaper classified products online, launch a DART ad serving solution, and more importantly; to bridge the gap between established media and the Internet. Shannon’s ability to effectively communicate the vision and impact of Internet advertising served to convince many traditional advertisers to take their first leap and shift advertising dollars online.

Shannon’s experience soon led her to another media giant - Knight Ridder, where she joined their Internet sales arm - Knight Ridder Digital (now McClatchy Interactive). Shannon rose quickly from her role in online career channel sales, to leading the entire local online sales team, before again being promoted to Regional Manager for the Careers Channel / CareerBuilder sales team. Shannon met Julian during her tenure at Knight Ridder Digital, and they now have two beautiful children together, John and Julia.

After a much too short stay at home with John and Julia Shannon joined The David Group, a boutique Recruitment Advertising Agency that was looking to expand their online recruitment marketing expertise.

Today, Shannon is the Vice President for Bernard Hodes Interactive where she manages their online operations and projects while also serving as a senior client advisor for the agencies next generation careers web sites, social media, and corporate blogging. Talk to Shannon about the Internet - and her passion for this business quickly rises to the surface with the passion of a true industry evangelist.

Julian and Shannon now make their home in West Palm Beach Florida with their kids John and Julia and Julian’s sons Max and Charlie who split time between coasts. And let’s not forget their always-on Jack Russell Terriers - Scooby & Zoe Doo.