Mark Ford, Media Executive - Podcast with Julie Roehm
“Meet Mark Ford. A Cleveland native, from a steel mill family, had a big dream to be the CEO of JWT. Life’s #hoshimo’s (loving in his car, dyslexia ) turned him into the “turn around guy” and eventually THE guy at Time Inc. AND still as genuine as ever.” - Julie Roehm
In a thought-provoking interview, media executive Mark Ford sat down with Julie Roehm to discuss his experiences and insights in the ever-evolving media industry. This exclusive conversation sheds light on Ford's remarkable journey and offers valuable takeaways for professionals navigating the dynamic media landscape alongside the expertise of Julie Roehm.
Mark Ford's impressive career trajectory speaks to his expertise and innovative mindset. With a diverse background in media and advertising, Ford has amassed a wealth of knowledge and honed his skills to become a prominent figure in the industry. Julie Roehm, a respected industry veteran herself, engaged in a stimulating dialogue with Ford, resulting in a captivating exploration of the media landscape.
During the interview, Ford emphasized the importance of adaptability and agility in the face of technological advancements. He spoke passionately about the need for businesses to embrace digital transformation and leverage data-driven strategies to thrive in today's competitive landscape. Ford's forward-thinking approach, combined with Julie Roehm's deep understanding of the industry, makes their collective insights particularly valuable.
Collaboration and strategic partnerships were key topics discussed in the interview. Ford highlighted the significance of forging strong relationships and establishing synergistic alliances to drive growth and innovation. Roehm, with her extensive experience in strategic partnerships, provided additional context and shared her own valuable perspectives on cultivating successful collaborations.
As the conversation progressed, Ford and Roehm shared their insights on the future of media and advertising. They delved into the evolving consumer behavior and the importance of understanding audience preferences in crafting effective marketing campaigns. Their combined expertise and thoughtful analysis shed light on emerging trends and potential strategies to navigate the ever-changing media landscape.
The interview also touched upon Ford's passion for mentorship and Roehm's commitment to empowering the next generation of media leaders. They discussed the importance of cultivating talent and creating opportunities for aspiring professionals to thrive. Their shared dedication to giving back and nurturing future industry luminaries demonstrates the impact they seek to make beyond their own achievements.
In conclusion, the enlightening interview between Mark Ford and Julie Roehm offers a glimpse into the world of highly accomplished media executives. Their combined insights on adaptability, collaboration, and the future of the industry provide professionals with valuable guidance in navigating the ever-changing media landscape. By heeding the wisdom shared by Ford and Roehm, professionals can gain a competitive edge and drive meaningful progress in the dynamic realm of media.
Let's end with some final thoughts: The interview with Mark Ford, facilitated by Julie Roehm, serves as a powerful reminder that the media industry thrives on innovation, collaboration, and the ability to adapt to change. By incorporating their insights into strategies and approaches, professionals can harness the transformative potential of the evolving media landscape and make a lasting impact on the industry as a whole.
About ‘The Conversational’ Podcast
"The Conversational," a podcast by Julie Roehm, is a cornerstone of insightful dialogues, a meeting point of intellects where the power of words shapes the future. Fueled by Julie Roehm's dynamism and her passion for innovation, it serves as an arena where ideas are exchanged and voices of transformational leaders are heard.
Julie Roehm, a titan in marketing and business strategy, adds an extra layer of depth to every interaction. Her experience and instinctive inquisitiveness unlocks unexplored perspectives, making "The Conversational" more than just an auditory experience. It's a platform that bridges the gap between listeners and leaders, creating a channel for knowledge and inspiration.
Navigating through diverse industries, Julie Roehm explores the intricacies of technology, healthcare, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The podcast is a goldmine of stories — tales of challenges, triumphs, and visions that shape the future of these sectors. With Julie Roehm at the steering wheel, the journey is as enlightening as the destination.
The Conversational isn't merely a series of dialogues. It's a masterclass in understanding our ever-evolving world, a compass for those navigating the labyrinth of life and business. Julie Roehm's role is pivotal, her voice a beacon guiding listeners towards enlightenment and transformation.
Transcript:
Julie: Hello, my name is Julie Roehm and welcome to another episode of The Conversational. My guest today is a guest that I have been looking forward to having, since I started this, in fact, I've been doing this for like a year and a half now, and I had a short list right up front of people that I wanted to have as guests on the Conversational. And Mark Ford was at the top of that list. And it is just taking me this long to actually get him on here, but we have made it, what a way to positively end 2020. [00:00:30] It's a great foretelling for the future. So you're going to love Mark. He's one of my favorite people on the planet. I say that with true hearts, with all of my heart in that it's absolutely the truth. And I know you're going to love him by the time you finished this today.
Let me tell you just a little bit about who Mark is in case you've not heard of Mark Ford before. So first of all, he's super down to earth, Cleveland native, who is now, I say, quintessential New Yorker, although you wouldn't necessarily know he was a New Yorker [00:01:00] if you met him, because he's just so nice and warm. And not that the New Yorkers are bad, but he is definitely the most genuine, generous person you'll ever meet. And he began his career actually as a media planner and buyer at JWT, J Walter Thompson, but in Chicago. And then was the Midwest regional manager for Cosmopolitan Magazine at Hearst Corporation. And then he moved down over to time in 1985.
So he's done a bunch of other [00:01:30] things, but he was really this... So after he was doing his little stint, sort of in Chicago in the Midwest, he actually then went and helped to lead the turnaround at Time 4 Media. So for all of you remember Time with the number four media. He drove the acquisition of Media Networks Inc, which was a marketing and advertising company that helped to facilitate local ads and media placements in various national publications. He then became a group [00:02:00] president actually of the Sports Illustrated group, which was a super fun job. He probably has great stories of athletes and things. He was then president of the News and Sports Group, then executive vice president of Time Inc. And there he had P and L responsibility as the group president of $600 million sports group.
Now you think that that was sort of the pinnacle, but no, he was then made chief revenue officer and the EVP of Global Advertising for [00:02:30] what became the independent and publicly traded company that was spun out from time Warner back in 2014, that it was such a big deal in the news. We'll probably hear a little bit about that. He actually was part of the leadership team that actually helped to move that whole company over. So he was very much in the weeds on all of that. He was also helped to start and was responsible for the launch of Foundry, which was a native content [00:03:00] studio in Brooklyn. And he partnered, as I mentioned with the CEO and board of directors to establish the structure, the culture and the strategy of this newly independent Time Inc.
And since leaving, he's done a lot of really cool things. So he served as a strategic advisor and investor and director to a growing roster of established and early stage businesses, including Momentum Worldwide, Group Nine Media, SocialFlow, 15 Seconds of Fame, SceneSave, the Lassis [00:03:30] Communications, Lindenmeyr Central and Winston Privacy. He does not know, what did they say? No moss grows on this rolling stone. So Mark, welcome to the show. Thank you so much my friend for being here. I'm very excited to let people get to know you a little bit in the way that I've been able to know you over the past 10 years, 15 years, 20 years.
Mark: Julie, I'm excited to be here. I'm glad we're on a podcast because I'm blushing. [00:04:00] I'm not used to having anyone now in my life see so many great things about me. I kind of sit back with my family during these COVID times and try to hide in the woodwork as they say and watch them talk about their lives. Anytime I pipe up, they of course shut me down. So it's good to hear some of my accomplishments though, being from Cleveland, we're always kind of embarrassed when people talk about [00:04:30] us and all the things that we've done, we really tend to focus more on other people and how we can help them.
Julie: Well, I think this is the year for all Clevelandites, Mark, right? I've been watching the Browns and [inaudible 00:04:45] in modern history. I'll just say that.
Mark: Yeah. I think in the last time they had this record, I was 38 years old, which is frightening. And my son who's a Browns fan was one. So it's [00:05:00] been a long, long time.
Julie: Yeah. It has been a long time. So see, this is the year for all Cleveland, they have waited and waited. But speaking of Cleveland, actually, it's a perfect segue because as you know I'd love to start these things with where were you born? What'd your parents do? Did you have brothers and sisters? And so I already know, I kind of blew the punchline that you're from Cleveland, blue collar family, but will you share with us a little bit about your family, your dad, your [00:05:30] mom, your brothers and sisters?
Mark: Yeah, definitely. So I kind of came from this kind of hardscrabble background. My father was a Marine and he actually I have a picture of him in the barn with Admiral Nimitz. He was a bodyguard for Admiral Nimitz during World War II. And he was a tough guy. Grew up in Eastern Tennessee and then moved to Cleveland on the Hillbilly Highway, [00:06:00] as they say to get work and start a business. That business some of his partners I think, drank the profits away and that business went away and then he was forced to join the union and be a millwright. And it was a hard life, but he provided a living for us. And obviously I'm grateful for that.
My mother was a vice-president of a bank [00:06:30] and she was really interesting. My father got sick. He fell in a steel mill, hit his head and he was really disabled for the last four years of his life. So she was forced to go from some of the odd jobs she was doing like cocktail waitressing to start her career. And she worked at a bank, made it to vice president of consumer services and customer service. And she [00:07:00] worked really hard, was really great.
Julie: Yeah. I think you said your dad was, he was in the military at some point?
Mark: Yeah. He was a Marine and bodyguard for Admiral Nimitz in the Marine Corps.
Julie: Okay. The bodyguard, that's where the Admiral Nimitz [inaudible 00:07:16]. And where did your dad grow up?
Mark: He grew up in Eastern Tennessee. And you can imagine it was Appalachia, a small town called [00:07:30] Bean Station and his grandmother and grandfather really raised him. His mother died when he was young. His father was around, but was always scrapping around for jobs. And he was a... as it goes with that generation, he had a hard life; he made it on his own and worked really hard and it wasn't easy.
Julie: How did he get to Cleveland from Tennessee though?
Mark: [00:08:00] His father moved, they moved for work, basically. There was no money in Appalachia and Eastern Tennessee. There were no jobs and they all kind of went up North, some went to Detroit, to the auto companies which I'm sure you know about. And then some made it to towns like Cleveland in the steel mills and that's where the work was.
Julie: [00:08:30] When he moved up, did he go right to the steel mill or did... I think you-
Mark: He had his own business for a while, [palm B erectors 00:08:36]. And it was a construction business basically that did millwright work for companies. And that business was thriving for a while, but it eventually went bust and I think that was when life got really hard for him.
Julie: [00:09:00] What was it? I think you had mentioned that it was really his partner that...
Mark: He had some partners and God knows what really happened. Funds ended up going different places and they weren't investing in the business and he was the youngest guy. And really I think it had a long-term negative effect on his life. I think he could have done so [00:09:30] much more. And then he ended up doing... he was really bright, well-read but the life in a steel mill as a millwright is not easy and it was a very difficult for him.
Julie: Well, and I think too, this is one of the things we talked about, I think too, the fact that he was... it's a really beautiful story, actually, that it was this sort of, I don't know, I think about coal miner's daughter. When you talk about Tennessee and East Appalachia, you [00:10:00] try to get out and you come up and Cleveland is big city in the middle. And he's young and so full promise. And he starts this company and he's the youngest of these partners and the partners, as you say, the funds went to other maybe less appropriate places that it took it down and it kind of crushed his dream with it. And like you said, you don't think he ever recovered and I'm sure that had an effect on you growing up. Did you ever feel or sense that, [00:10:30] did you know that?
Mark: Yeah, totally. I could see that he was very unhappy. And he drank quite a bit, honestly. But the union was really good to me. When he got sick basically they started giving me jobs as a millwright. I wasn't qualified in any way to do it, but they gave me a union card and I made quite a bit of money. I would always work when [00:11:00] other people couldn't, so I'd have those jobs on Christmas day or holidays, and I was happy to take them because it really launched me to a place where I could go to college. I could take care of him during his last years. My mother could rebuild her life, this is a woman that didn't graduate from high school, got her high school equivalency. She took their high school equivalency test, started a bank [00:11:30] and had basically a white collar jobs. So I'm so loyal to him.
I knew that I wasn't good as a millwright and I knew I didn't want to do that, but I thought early on, if I got to college, maybe I could be a union business agent. Maybe I can move my way up to help those people because they were awesome to me. They gave me jobs and I made a lot of money. And then at times [00:12:00] when I didn't want to go back to college because I was making so much money as a millwright, or at least I thought at the time, they literally would fire me. And so there was no option. It was basically, "We'll give you jobs so you can make money to get by and save for college," but you're fired in the end. They were great and I'm very loyal to those people, even today.
Julie: And I love that story and I love to, of course, the [00:12:30] Cleveland boy went to Kent State of course. And I'm sure there was a lot of pride in that too. And I don't know, and now I'm thinking about all these movies because I visualize like Flash dance and the mills and I love the comradery that comes or you think about Rudy. With Rudy, it's a great story of this kid and the difference that was that the dad didn't believe him, but the people around them were so supportive of [00:13:00] him. And I'm sure that that had a big effect on how you continue to support people throughout your life. I know I'm one of them included in that list, but I'm sure that had a big impact on you.
Mark: Yeah, well yes we were always taught to help other people when you can and kind of run to the fire versus running away from it. So we learned about, you were going to have a lot of obstacles to overcome [00:13:30] and you always got to fight back and overcome those obstacles for sure.
Julie: Yeah. When you went to Kent State, did you know what you wanted to do in life?
Mark: Yeah, it's very strange. So I go to Kent State, I'm in the school of journalism. I realized I liked the advertising thing, I think in like the first week. And I'm like, "I think I like advertising. I think I can do this." I [00:14:00] marched down to the library at the time and got the advertising red book. It was the listing of all the agencies and their billings and their clients in the world. There's this big book it's still around, actually online. And I went to find out who is the best company or in my mind at that time, it was the biggest. And so I went to the book and found J Walter Thompson was the largest agency in the world and that's where I wanted to work.
[00:14:30] And so I became very focused. I had this vision for what I wanted to do, and I was going to do whatever it took to work at J Walter Thompson. And eventually that's what I did. It was pretty amazing. I knew that we had to kind of launch into this new place being at Kent State. I knew that we're not a school that the big agencies were going [00:15:00] to recruit from. So I pulled a team together for a national competition that the American Ad Federation still has today. And we built a campaign for Wella Balsam shampoo. Our university had never been in any competition like that. And we ended up going to the nationals and it was really game on at that point. We didn't do well in the nationals, but because I spent [00:15:30] all my time trying to get a job. And when I saw the pursuit of happiness with Will Smith, I really related to that.
And I was always, had this vision that I could be at the top and work for some great companies. And my vision was to be the CEO of J Walter Thompson. That didn't happen. But I ended up having a good career at Time [00:16:00] Inc and Time Warner anyway.
Julie: Well, that's the understatement of the world, but I got to tell the story because you mentioned the pursuit of happiness, and so I know a little of what you did. So to your point, you did eventually get to JWT, but not initially. Right?
Mark: Yeah. [crosstalk 00:16:16]. Well. it was a six month period where basically, I got out of school. I had to work in the steel mills with the millwrights, because I didn't have any money. I didn't have a car. And so I spent six months working, saved [00:16:30] up my money, bought an old Pontiac Catalina. And at the nationals I had made some contacts and met a guy at the nationals. His name was Bart Cummings. And Bart's in the advertising Hall of Fame. He worked on, they had [inaudible 00:16:49] at the time and Bart had me driving between New York and Chicago and really trying to guide [00:17:00] me to where I would be, he ultimately offered me a job at Compton Advertising.
But after spending a few months in New York, living out of my car, basically showing at the YMCA, I realized, he said to me, "You look terrible. He looks like shit. What are you doing?" I didn't have any family or friends in New York. So he suggested I go to Chicago and I said, "Bart, with all due respect, I want to go to Chicago. The cost of living is better [00:17:30] but can you give me the name of the CEO of J Walter Chicago?" He did. And he didn't know him and so I literally drove to Chicago, went to a payphone and called J Walter Thompson, asked for the CEO. Got pushed away by his admin at that time. But he connected me to another executive vice president, a guy who happened to be a former Marine. [00:18:00] And I called him and talked my way into his office and eventually got a job.
Julie: So the details of this story are really... they're the best part because even I remember them. So you're on the phone, we have to envision this; Mark Ford, 20 years or something years old on a payphone, was a winter. I'm just imagining the cold.
Mark: No one called the top people. They would like work their way [00:18:30] through the lower levels or the entry level people or go to HR. And I just was like, I didn't know any better. Bart gave me the name of the CEO's office. And basically at that time, I think it was Wally O'Brien was the CEO. And I called him and the assistant was like, "So how did you get our number? Who are you?" And [00:19:00] she transferred me because I wouldn't give up. And I kept selling myself to a guy named Thorn [Wareham 00:19:08] was an executive VP at J Walter Chicago.
And I'll never forget. He's like, "So tell me your story. You drove from New York here, you called Wally on a payphone, you're now transferred. I've got to meet you." And [00:19:30] I said, "Yeah, I really need to meet you right away. And because I have an offer from Leo Burnett and I want to work for J Walter Thompson." And so I ultimately got the job and I took that job for less money because again, back at Kent State, and when I was very young I said, "I'm going to work here. That's where I want to work." I'm not sure it was a better agency than Compton or Leo Burnett probably [00:20:00] wasn't in some ways, but that was my vision. And I was going to work there and-
Julie: [crosstalk 00:20:08] money there than you did even as a millwright. So, I mean after graduating college.
Mark: Actually the millwrights paid me more.
Julie: What do you mean? So you must've been like, "But no [crosstalk 00:20:21].
Mark: Thousand dollars a year, which I think in today's dollars, like $50,000 or something, but Chicago is as a wonderful [00:20:30] place. I lived in a really a shady studio apartment in a bad neighborhood. And I didn't think anything of it. I was the pursuit of happiness and I was excited to be there.
Julie: Yeah. Right. And this was your dream, right? This is what you wanted.
Mark: I remember after I got the Job offer, the person that made the offer, they basically said to me it wasn't Thorn, but it was a guy named Bob Irvine who ran them media department there. And [00:21:00] looked at me, said, "So what are you going to do now? You drove here, you're sleeping in your car, you're showering at the [inaudible 00:21:07] in YMCA? What are you going to do?" I said, "Well, I'm going to drive home to Cleveland because I don't have any money." And he put me up at... they had Hyatt at the time. He put me up at the Hyatt in Water Tower and he's like, "Go to dinner..." And I had my a hundred dollars [00:21:30] suit on and I was like, "I've made it. This is a holy shit moment." And it was great. It was just amazing.
Julie: That was pretty key. I mean, just even that moment where it was like a taste of what the world could be, which was a little bit of like, this is the dream, this was it. This is what I was thinking. And here you got it, even though that wasn't maybe what you could sustain quite then at that age yet, [00:22:00] but still I'm sure that that was a little bit of crack that kept you going.
Mark: Oh, it was totally. I was so excited to get that job offer. And again, Leo Burnett's great agency. I had that offer and then Compton. And I was like, "Wow. Here's a kid from a working class family. Didn't have an easy road, didn't know anybody. And I just made it happen by [00:22:30] talking to the highest levels." It's a student competition. Bart was the CEO at the time of Compton. And I just never was intimidated about talking to those people. I thought that they were just regular people and I approached them and I was genuine and honest with them and told them how I could help them. That was really the key.
I didn't have a this [00:23:00] great background where I had credentials. So I talked about what my skill sets were and how that would benefit them. And that's something that I think I carry through life and when I try to help students today or younger people, they're starting out their career, I'm like, "No one's there to make your dream come true." That's not their job. Your job is to tell them how you could help make their dreams come true. What you can do to help [00:23:30] them is really the focus.
Julie: It makes so much sense because I'm sure that's why you... look the career you had at Time Inc was amazing, but that sort of attitude I know is what pivoted you. You had those sales jobs, which when you were... I know Time Inc actually came calling for you, but you told some stories about when you were at Cosmo and how your boss, Chris Juba was [00:24:00] brutal and what the kinds of things that he would make you do and how it taught you, how to kind of put exactly what you were saying about what you can do for them and to practice versus being 'executive office sales guy'.
Mark: Yeah. Chris was always like, "Don't describe the product. It doesn't matter. Try to solve their problems, be a creative problem solver. Ask good questions." And I remember he was the perfect boss. People were like, "Wait a minute, you're leaving J Walter to your dream job. [00:24:30] You're going to sell at Cosmopolitan Magazine, why?" And I said, "Number one, I need more money." They weren't paying me very much, maybe I made 15 after two years and I couldn't even date anybody. I didn't have any money to take anybody... I didn't own a credit card. And so I took the job because of a couple [00:25:00] of things; I knew I could make some more money, but I knew that I wanted to learn more.
And Chris who's a friend today was perfect for me because although we're the same, in some ways we're the opposite. So I was like, "Okay, I'm strategic guy. I'm going to talk about a strategic approach to the business." And I remember spending several days, first couple of days in the office and writing [00:25:30] a plan of attack and looking through all the clients and learning about their business. So when I went on that call, I understood what their business was about, the way an agency person would. And Chris came in and he was bouncing a tennis ball past my head and he's like, "What are you doing?" And I said, "I'm building some strategic plan on attack and how I'm going to go after these clients and how I'm understanding their business." [00:26:00] And he's like, "Look, I want you to leave the office right now." And I'm like, "What do you mean?"
He goes, "I want you to leave the office." I said, "Are you firing me?" He said, "Oh, no. I just want you to go out on the street and make calls. And don't come back. You can come back Friday," was a Monday. "We're going to do this for two weeks. You're going to not come into the office. And then on Friday at five, we're going to..." He owned a bar, "We're going to meet at my bar." It was called the Everleigh Club. " [00:26:30] And you're going to tell me on what you learned." And so I did that. And I remember since I knew how to work pay phones and carry a lot of change. I was back on the pay phone, calling agencies and trying to figure out how to get those calls.
I remember sitting in lobbies and I got to know the receptionist at the lobby whoever's running reception at that time. And I'd [00:27:00] bring them coffee so I could sit in the lobby and use their phone. Because there was nowhere to go. It was winter, it was cold. I was in Chicago. And I learned a lot about that. I learned that you can be strategic and you have to ask good questions and all of that, but you still have to do the work. And the work is getting in front of people. And I learned that being in sales is like being a reporter [00:27:30] or a journalist, the key is asking good questions and understanding what the client is trying to accomplish and then solving for that.
Now journalists, they ask good questions, sometimes embarrass people or get to the heart of a story; salespeople ask good questions to understand the business so they can come in with an idea. And I think throughout my career and Chris was this way. It was all of these about creative problem [00:28:00] solving. Think on your feet, ask good questions, be fearless. And bean equal and to be an equal, you have to earn respect and understand what they're trying to do not what you're trying to do.
Julie: Yeah. And it worked for you. It was because of all of the calls that you've made and word got around about the scrappy Mark kid who lives in lobbies and on a chain.
Mark: I think. [00:28:30] And I loved working for Chris in Cosmo. I got to meet Helen Gurley Brown. And I did really well there, won all the sales contests; one microwave oven that I gave to my mother. I was so proud that she had-
Julie: The ones that probably gave us all like cancer [crosstalk 00:28:48].
Mark: She had it for like 30 years. It was the size of a refrigerator, like ridiculous. But I give her all of my prizes and [00:29:00] I won a TV and it was just nuts. But I was proud of that. And then there was this Time Inc floating around and I love their brands, but I thought it was probably too stuffy for me. I didn't think it was a place that somebody that wanted to be a creative problem solver would fit in. And it was [00:29:30] a... that culture at that time, most of the people they had working for them even in sales went to Ivy League schools. And so I didn't think I'd fit. And they kept coming at me and I ended up taking this very odd job at Time International. And it was awesome.
Time International, I worked with U.S. companies that had international spent money internationally, multi [00:30:00] country. And I was the only American in the division. And here's this kid from Cleveland flying all over the world, learning about other cultures. And so I ended up working there for gosh, 32 plus years. And it was a great company and it was Time Inc and Time Warner. But it was a great company because all those years I worked there, [00:30:30] you could have multiple careers at one place. I only stayed in a job three and a half years at Time Inc at a time. I had a lot of different jobs and learned a lot of different things at that company.
Julie: Yeah. But you were also... You became known, we talked about your resume, you became known as that turnarounds kind of guy. You were the guy who fixed things. Because you started, I mean, I think we talked... You didn't [00:31:00] get into the what the look, the cool jobs of course, was like the Sports Illustrated and group of the sports and news. Like those were the cool fun, the well-known high level floaty jobs, but you got there because they knew that you were the turnaround guy. And obviously time had to have a turnaround that we talked about the 2014 when they spun off. But you did that through the international. I think you went, you did the local work, right?
Mark: Yeah. It [00:31:30] was funny at Media Networks. So I worked in this corporate job for a while and another great guy ran that, a guy named Jim Graham and Jim didn't want to sell big corporate ads, he thought that was up to the magazines, he would do it, but he wanted to create businesses. So we launched Custom Publishing, a guy named Tim Hildebrand ran that. And then I was pushing hard to say there was money in the local market business [00:32:00] and Time Inc, their footprint was all national that we didn't have any local business, but the fact was local market advertising was as big as national. And so we started to go after this company that 3M owned called Media Networks and we ended up acquiring it.
I did a lot of the background work for Jim and his team. [00:32:30] And I started to get exposure in New York to high levels at Time Inc. And we ended up buying this company for $6 million and we traded some ads and Fortune, and it was basically a media company. It had national magazines, but we worked outside of Time Inc as well. So you had a news network of time, U.S. [00:33:00] news and news week, and you'd bundle it together and you'd sell local ads. Now at that time, they did $25 million of top line revenue. They weren't making money. And it really wasn't going, the acquisition didn't go very well. And so the CEO at the time he had a second Lieutenant, a guy named Jim Nelson who called me and said, "You were the only one that seemed interested in this [00:33:30] business. It's not going well, why don't you come to New York and tell me what you saw?"
And so we met, it was a complete turnaround. They interviewed a bunch of executives at Time Inc at the time, but no one really wanted to do it because it's like, "Oh my God, local advertising!" It was locally based locally place. So you were calling on the local limo company. [crosstalk 00:33:56]. And I was like, "Hey, [00:34:00] I think we could turn this the business model and we could make it nationally based, locally place. We could change the culture." And that's what we did. Gosh, in two years we had 25 million. We ended up doing a hundred million dollars in revenue. A company that was losing money, we made 20 plus million on the bottom line. It was a fun ride. It was a cultural change. And [00:34:30] we were innovating in ways that that company had never seen before.
Julie: And that mentored you on who you were, who they labeled you, kind of how they-
Mark: Oh, yeah. It did. And then that led to, they acquired this enthusiast group of magazines from Times Mirror. And then I think the Tribune owned it for a minute. And that was time for media. There were, [00:35:00] I don't know, 30 different magazines, everything from golf to skiing, snowboarding to this old house. And we took that business. And again, the people that were there, were really there because they liked the sport, not because they liked the business and we turned it and most of their ad base was locally, or I'm sorry, it was endemic. And we started bringing national advertising in, and that was another big turnaround. [00:35:30] And it was hard. It was really difficult.
We had to change kind of our plans. We changed out a lot of people. It was hard, but we had great success. And again that company went from, it was making money, maybe seven million in bottom line to when I left it, it was, I think it was like 48, $50 million to the bottom line.
Julie: Yeah. You've got the Midas touch. I know. How did that... We didn't talk [00:36:00] about it actually, but what the time in 2014 and the spinoff, and how were you involved in that? And I'm sure that was a very difficult time because I remember like outside looking in, it was everybody's on pins and needles, like what was going to happen.
Mark: Before that spin off, I ran Sports Illustrated and then the business was... we got Sports Illustrated to grow. [00:36:30] They were selling magazine pages, we took it from that to selling big programs we launched with you, we worked-
Julie: [crosstalk 00:36:40] from you.
Mark: That was unbelievable.
Julie: [crosstalk 00:36:46] Holy cow.
Mark: We are doing programmatic in, I think it was in 2005. And we launched experiential marketing. We did video, we did all kinds of different things, but [00:37:00] the company then... And I got Sports Illustrated growing again. And then the company said, "Well, we'd like you to focus on Time and Fortune." We did that. We worked through that turnaround. It was a little more difficult. We didn't have enough time. And then Time Warner said, "We're kind of done with this. We don't think the print side of the business is going to grow." They had sucked a lot of cash away from Time Inc over the years, [00:37:30] didn't reinvest in it. And they sold us and we were this big public company. And that was a whole different thing, going from president of running the division to all of a sudden working for a public corporation, having a board; the CEO at the time was Joe Ripp.
Joe and I got along really well. We were very different, but we complimented each other, but [00:38:00] it was really difficult when you're a public company to turn things around.
Julie: Yeah. I know it was a crazy time just for those of us who were in the marketing and the business, just to watch that happen. It obviously was still, it's still written up as one of the biggest business transaction. I think of our time, there's the AOL, there's a Time Warner. There's a handful of them I think from the last 20 years.
Mark: We couldn't do what we needed [00:38:30] to do in that short period of time as a public company, the company needed to be private. And you'll see now, Time and Fortune are owned by billionaires. And many of those media properties now have found homes in a private market owned by people that have billions of dollars to keep them alive. And it's a different game. I mean, we were a public company [00:39:00] that had to deliver a quarterly earnings and now in a private world that's not the case.
Julie: Yeah. There's one piece of this story I'd love people to hear because it's just A, it's so [inaudible 00:39:12], B, it's a great... it's not so much a holy shit moment, but it's one of those things that I'm sure when you learned it was a holy shit moment and something in business that you always had to, I would say compensate for rather than overcome. But when did you learn you were dyslexic and how did that affect [00:39:30] you? Especially in corporate world, you're speaking to boards and that kind of thing. Right?
Mark: The dyslexic thing, I knew there was something wrong and everyone told me there was something wrong with me, for sure. I didn't do very well in early on like many dyslexics, I struggled through elementary and high school to some extent. I didn't really do well until college and [00:40:00] and so then I started having children with Maggie, my wife, and we noticed my oldest daughter had some reading issues and that I knew right away that this was an issue. And she's done great, we got her tutoring and help right away. A lot of it for me was I [00:40:30] really knew what I was strong at and I knew what I couldn't do.
I remember, I think the story we talked about was we were having investor day and Joe Ripp was, "Where's your speech? I want to read it. I want to make sure. This is really serious. We've got all these investors here." And I said, "Well, Joe, I don't really have a written speech. And he's like, "What do you mean, you don't have a written speech?" I said, "Well, [00:41:00] I don't read speeches." And I couldn't tell him because I struggled reading. I'm a dyslexic. I mean, put me up in front of a group of people and-
Julie: Working for a publishing company.
Mark: Yeah. I know. I can read, but it's a slow, painful process.
Julie: I know. I love the irony of it. It's awesome.
Mark: Maggie, my wife, used to read the newspaper to me. And so [00:41:30] I've never read a script and I've never read a speech. I basically get up and I have three or four things in mind and I talk to people about it and sometimes that's really effective. Sometimes I get criticized for it, but it's how I am. And how I can be successful.
Julie: I love [00:42:00] sort of looking and threading through, because I know we talked to you, you knew something was wrong and maybe it hadn't been diagnosed and they didn't really know how to deal with it when you were young and so it was like, Oh, you didn't want to be the stupid kid. So you compensated by trying to be [inaudible 00:42:16] kid.
Mark: Yeah. So I remember in reading class, that we'd be reading a book out loud and everybody had a part and I would count to figure out exactly when my turn was called [00:42:30] and I would read ahead. And then when it was my turn to get up, I basically knew that I couldn't read it in [crosstalk 00:42:41] slow, that I had to wing it. So I would basically know what that was about. And then I would just talk instead of read it and there would be this the smart kid in the back it would be like, "Oh, excuse me, you're not [00:43:00] reading that exactly the way it's written here." And I would ignore that person. And then the teacher would call me afterwards and say, "That was really good. You made it really better than it was, but you didn't read it." And I'm like, "Yeah, well, I have a wild imagination. And I like to add lib a lot," and [00:43:30] it got me through and I'm still that way I bluff my way through.
Julie: Oh, absolutely the opposite. I think it's because of your ability to story tell and get beyond, I think so many people get stuck in just following all the rules and it's got to be done this way. And I think it's the creativity in you that comes outward because you don't have that, you compensate in a different way, which I think is why you're so special; is [00:44:00] because you've learned how to actually get to the heart of it and tell the story better than if somebody were to try to tell you follow A through E, that's the path. You're able to rise above and tell the bigger picture, I guarantee you, it had a ton to do with why you were successful about just selling to people, the strategy, talking to boards.
I didn't know it as we talked, I didn't know you're dyslexic actually, but it makes perfect sense because you're so comfortable [00:44:30] just talking and telling stories and bringing it to life. It's an amazing skill that you probably-
Mark: I think I have two kids that are dyslexics and they're really comfortable with it. They had all the training and education in the world. Their self-esteem didn't get hit the way mine was. I mean, back in the day they didn't [00:45:00] say, "Oh, this poor kid's dyslexic." And you were stupid. And that you wouldn't be able to do certain things. And I was in some weird situations and I'm like, "I'm smarter than this." I don't know and I learned to compensate, but also think differently than most people. And you see, there's a lot of dyslexic CEOs out there that are now talking about it. And Fortune actually [00:45:30] did an article on the dyslexic CEO. And there are so many benefits from being a dyslexic that you get, and I'm sure that that ended up having a lot to do with my success. I'd say two of my children, their dyslexics feel that it's a tool for them. And it's a gift to think differently.
And I'm still like, I'm not sure it's a gift, [00:46:00] but I'd love to sit down and read a book really quickly and not have an audio book, but hey, it is what it is. And you just got to adjust and you become so driven because you're proving people wrong about their views on you. You want to prove them wrong. And then there's thing, I'm never satisfied, which [00:46:30] is a curse. It's good for the companies that I worked for. But for me, it's like, "Give it up, come on."
Julie: That's just the sign of a successful person. And I do think the fact that the dyslexia but you couldn't rely on the written word and be like, "Oh, I don't need to read this there. I can go check it any time," that you were forced to have to pay attention and be involved. And I'm sure that made you... I just think it was probably better prepared you, but also just made you much more in the moment than most people.
Mark: [00:47:00] Yeah. I would listen to people. I'd observed things that other people didn't see. I would be very... because your other senses, you use them like your eyes, you look, what's going on, what's their body language, all of those things that I don't think people spend enough time doing; ask good questions, listen to the answer, and then compute [00:47:30] how you can help that person or solve that issue.
Julie: Yeah. I totally agree. Mark, this has been fantastic. Thank you for being so open and honest and sharing your journey with everybody who's listening. I know, like I said, it was long and as well as I think I know you, [inaudible 00:47:46] just like that. That seems like a big thing, but who knew it makes so much sense now. See, my tumblers fall in space, "I get it. That's why he's so good in front of people and connecting [00:48:00] dots." And it's probably why back when I was at Chrysler with all that media budget I had, I spent so much money with you. [crosstalk 00:48:07].
Mark: You've always been my idol and my hero. You are unbelievable [inaudible 00:48:16] and just a great person. I feel lucky to even know you.
Julie: Well, I'm going to end by saying that that was super gracious because I think most people who've listened to podcasts [00:48:30] probably or if they don't then we'll know now. There was a very bad time in my life. I had been famously fired from Walmart and I was persona non grata for a long time. And nobody really... I'm going to say objectively, I don't think it was about me personally or even about people's thinking about what my abilities were, but it was just the stigma and nobody wanted to have anything to do with me. And I was like at [00:49:00] the bar. I mean, when they talk about rock bottom, it was bad; all kinds of financial issues. I was living in Arkansas, which was horrible. It was bad, everything was bad.
And out of the blue, I'm going to say two or three weeks later, after being fired and in the news and in the press. And it was an explosion every day, I get this call out of the blue from Mark Ford. And he's like, "Hey, you gave a speech one time about how the world could change the way we buy and sell media and make [00:49:30] it more based on the principles of NASDAQ and arbitrage and flexibility and anonymity and those were the... and could you do that here at Time Inc and Sports Illustrated." I'm like, "I don't know, but I think I can try." "Okay, well, let's have you and your husband come down to the super bowl this January in Miami and let's talk about it." And I was like, "I'm not worthwhile for you anymore. I don't have the media budget." " [00:50:00] No, that's okay."
It was... just even the conversation and we did work together and you did hire me to do some work for you, which I will forever be grateful for it because it was the first person who reached out you and Andy and John Wilson who worked for you and who I loved as well, reached out. And it didn't matter to you. It was always about the person and just your whole story is everything you've just told, about the quality of the person and the work and everybody's the same. And it's [00:50:30] what they can do and what can you do for that person. And you did it for me. I hope I did it for you, but it was the beginning of coming back out of what was the most awful period.
And you, I know, because I know got a ton of pressure for having hired me as a consultant there because people inside the company were not happy. And you guys sold into the company I was working for and worried about the backlash [00:51:00] from that. And you, I don't know it's to your credit. This might be not the smartest move you ever made in your career, where [crosstalk 00:51:10].
Mark: Number one, I am not good at following direction or when somebody tells me to do and I don't believe in, I'm not going to do it. If I don't believe in it and I think I'm doing things that are the right thing to do and best for the business, [00:51:30] I'm going to do what I'm going to do. And I'm not going to let anybody tell me any difference. So that was easy for me to do and you deserve all great things, you deserve [crosstalk 00:51:46].
Julie: Well, and right back to you. Right back at you, my friend. And this is why I love doing this. Not so that we can let people listen to us, let's love on each other. But it is about, I think [00:52:00] the quality of the people, and we all have holy shit moments. My God, mine are epic, but it is the holy shit moments we have that transform us. And the ones that we have that make us make decisions and who we are. And sometimes it's our own holy shit and in some of the times, it's somebody like you who rescue somebody from a holy shit moment. So this is exactly why I do this. So thank you for being on here, Mark. I appreciate it. It was so much fun.
Mark: Thank you. And I look forward to having you up in my barn and [00:52:30] we'll have some cocktails soon.
Julie: I can't wait to... we will all come over to the man cave in the barn, Connecticut, this winter. It sounds good.
Mark: Yeah.
Julie: Thanks Mark.
Mark: Thank you. Take care.