Media has become an essential component in our day to day lives. Whether we’re talking about social networks or news broadcasts, media is all around us these days. Because it is an ever-growing field, where everyone strives to prove they’re better than their competitors, becoming a great influence in media is no easy task. However, the stories you are about to read will show you how determination can help you succeed in this tough jungle, even at an age where others have just graduated college and are still filling out job applications. Read below for our countdown of the top 6 dealmakers in media under 30.
No. 6: Tavi Gevinson, 17
Co-founder of Rookie
Tavi Gevinson is the youngest dealmaker on our countdown and even if she’s not yet old enough to vote or drink, she does have an impressive track record behind her. 2 years ago, when other people her age where just taking their first driving lessons, Gevinson set the foundation to her website Rookie, which focuses on feminism and other related topics.
No. 5: Matt Galligan, 29
Co-founder of Circa, Socialthing, and SimpleGeo
Galligan has knack for creating successful start-ups and selling them to bigger companies for profit. His first endeavor was Socialthing, which gathered updates from social networks and was bought by AOL, Inc. (NYSE:AOL) back in 2008. His second was SimpleGeo, a location service provider, purchased by Urban Airship in 2011. Currently, he still owns his third startup Circa, which is a news delivery platform for mobile consumers.
No. 4: Dan Fletcher, 26
Co-founder of Beacon
At just 26-years of age, Fletcher has a pretty impressive track record in media. Having started out as managing editor for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), he then moved on to Time and Bloomberg News, helping them transition to the digital world. Since then, Fletcher decided to become his own boss and cofounded Beacon, a publishing platform that allows journalists to be paid by their readers for what they write.
No. 3: Kelly Evans, 28
Anchor for the Squawk on the Street show on CNBC
Evans begun her career in journalism by writing columns for the Wall Street Journal and hosting a video segment called the News Hubs. Nowadays, he is one of CNBC’s most popular and recognizable faces, thanks to her work for the Squawk on the Street daily show.
No. 2: Pete Cashmore, 28
Founder of Mashable
Mashable started out as a simple blog written from Cashmore’s family home in Aberdeen, Scotland. However, Cashmore transformed his online venture into a global news operation that attracts more than 20 million new visitors each month. And the most impressive thing of all: by bootstrapping his company, Cashmore has retained almost full ownership of Mashable.
No. 1: Trip Adler, 29
Scribd co-founder
Back in 2007, Adler co-founded Scribd, arguably one of the most popular content-sharing platforms. His ambition? To transform into the biggest digital library in the world. Judging by how the platform has performed until now, we would say that his goal is more than achievable. With revenues ranging in the millions, more than 80 million members, and partnerships with over 100 publishers, Adler is definitely on the right track.
