It is always fun to work with friends esp. on long projects like writing a book. I was fortunate to work with Joe and Victor on the Mobile Advertising book. Here is some more details on their backgrounds. I have known Joe since mid-nineties when we worked together at CTS – one of the the most brilliant minds in the industry. Victor started thinking about mobile advertising much before it started getting into the industry consciousness. He is awesome in communicating complex issues and problems into simple words. I had a chance to work with him when he was CSO at Infospace.

Actually, the seeds of this book were sown then. We discussed the mobile advertising opportunity on and off and then one fine morning one year ago, we decided to write a paper on the subject. It was very well received and was published by Wireless World Magazine this year. We met again in a series of coffee shop meetings and put together the proposal for the book, recruited John Wiley in Feb, and rest as they say is history.

The book is nearing completion and we are very excited to see the fruits of a one year long journey.

Joe Herzog Senior Director, Search Products, InfoSpace. Joe Herzog has more than twelve years of experience in mobile data and media product management and marketing. An accomplished leader of new product launches, he helped conceive and launch a significant mobile platform and many breakthrough new consumer mobile products, including; InfoSpace’s first mobile local search ads, voice interfaces, consumer GPS applications, iPhone application, and 411 maps application. At InfoSpace, Joe is responsible for developing new search strategies and products for the Web; he currently directs the product management of the metasearch product line, interfacing with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft/Live, and IAC/Ask. In 2006 and 2007, he led the InfoSpace local search web and mobile product lines and product teams, which were  subsequently sold to Idearc in October 2007 for $225 million. He also led the teams that launched InfoSpace’s mobile search offerings in 2005.

Prior to joining InfoSpace, Joe held product leadership positions at two mobile software start-ups: ViAir for wireless e-mail and CTS for mobile fraud prevention. Before entering the world of mobile data, Joe worked for Microsoft cofounder, Paul Allen, at his multimedia software company Asymetrix. In his position as National OEM Sales Manager, he helped launch a series of market leading Windows Multimedia software products with major PC OEMs such as IBM, Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, and Gateway.

Joe’s areas of expertise include overall go-to-market planning, strategic planning and positioning and product management team building.  He has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Montana and is an active member of Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE) and also has a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University in Marketing.

Victor Melfi, Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President, VoiceBox Technologies Victor Melfi has extensive professional expertise in technology strategy, direct marketing, and advertising. He was in the Strategy and Media practice in the New York office of Booz-Allen and Hamilton where his client work included IBM, AT&T, MCI, McGraw-Hill, and the Omnicom Group, after which he oversaw the reengineering of the Global Promotion, Selection and Analytics business and systems at Reader’s Digest, Inc. He led a successful 1997 IPO of Multiple Zones as CEO, and subsequently led and sold two other technology companies. Recently, Victor served as Chief Strategy Officer of InfoSpace and now holds the same title at VoiceBox Technologies in Bellevue, Washington.

Victor has done extensive technology strategy consulting for the CEOs of many of the world’s leading technology companies. Victor was educated at Shimer College, Oxford University, and Yale University, where he received his Master of Business Administration degree and was named the Jesse Morrow Johns Scholar in Advertising  Victor has served on the board of several technology companies and professional associations including the Mobile Marketing Association.  He has published articles on a variety of technology topics.