Jeff Blatt Named CEO of Synapse Group, Inc.
October 30, 2007
(New York, October 30, 2007) - Jeff Blatt has been named Chief Executive Officer of Synapse Group, Inc., it was announced today by John Squires, Executive Vice President of Time Inc. Jeff succeeds Jon Ellenthal, who is leaving Synapse to become President of a new business venture at the R&D firm Walker Digital run by priceline.com founder Jay Walker. Blatt's appointment is effective immediately.
In his new role, Blatt will oversee Synapse Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time Inc. and the largest marketer of magazine subscriptions in the U.S. He will report to Brian Wolfe, Time Inc.'s President of Consumer Marketing. Founded in 1991, Synapse patented a continuous service subscription model that replaces traditional fixed term subscriptions with open-ended subscriptions. The company also creates customized reward programs using products from the Synapse portfolio for their clients' customers. Synapse's clients have included American Express, Citibank, American Airlines, amazon.com, FootLocker, and JCPenney, among others.
Most recently, Jeff served as President of Time Direct Ventures (TDV); a subsidiary of Time Consumer Marketing Inc. which develops new channels of subscription sales for Time Inc. In his new position he will continue to oversee TDV. In addition, Jeff has been leading the launch team of Maghound, a new magazine service that Time Inc. will debut next year. Previously Jeff was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Time Distribution Services (TDS), where he oversaw the restructuring of the organization and utilized key data to better target newsstand distribution and maximize single-copy sales.
In a company-wide announcement, Squires said, "Jeff's experiences in creating new marketing distribution channels and forming partnerships between large consumer brands and the magazine industry make him an excellent choice to now lead Synapse."
Blatt graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1987 and earned his MBA beta gamma sigma via Columbia University's Executive Program in 1996. He is an elected Trustee on the Board of Education in Scarsdale, New York and is currently President of the Board. Blatt resides in Scarsdale with his wife Erin and three daughters.
About Synapse Group Inc. Synapse Group, Inc. is the leading independent provider of customer acquisition and management services for publishers of consumer magazines in the U.S. Its distribution channels are built upon networks of affinity marketing partners, including some of the most recognized brands in the United States. Based in Stamford, CT, Synapse is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time Inc.
About Time Inc. Time Inc., a Time Warner company, is one of the largest content companies in the world. With more than 125 magazines, it is the largest magazine publisher in the U.S. and U.K. Each month, one out of every two American adults reads a Time Inc. magazine, and one out of every 10, who are online, visits a company Web site (more than 20 million unique visitors). Time Inc.'s popular brands and successful franchises extend to online, television, cable VOD, satellite radio, mobile devices, events and branded products.
-- 30 --
Contact:
Colleen McMillen- Time Inc.
Colleen_mcmillen@timeinc.com
212.522.1263
Steve Flanders- Synapse Group Inc. sflanders@synapsemail.com 203.391.0553
