Graeme Thickins

Current

Founder/Editor at Tech~Surf~Blog™
Founder/President at GT&A Strategic Marketing Inc.

Past

VP Marketing at DoApp Inc.
Technology Writer & Analyst (ongoing) at www.GraemeThickins.com
Contributor - Blog and Podcast (ongoing) at Minnov8.com

VP Marketing at Intradyn Inc.
Interim Director of Content at BestBuy.com

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Recommended

20 people have recommended Graeme

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

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Websites

Graeme Thickins’s Summary

Graeme has seen many waves of technology in his career, and ridden a good many of them. He's also survived three business cycles since 1980 -- whoops, make that four. Somehow, he figures all this couldn't help but bestow upon him a certain amount of wisdom. (Then again, he could be wrong.)

Graeme founded GT&A Strategic Marketing, a marketing strategy, branding, content development, and startup advisory consultancy. Over 25+ years, he's helped more than 100 tech firms launch, grow, and prosper -- many from the concept stage. Recenty, he's helped several clients take advantage of social media, with both strategy and implementation, to advance their business objectives.

Graeme has also served in key interim-executive roles, including for the launch of BestBuy.com as interim Director of Content, and as interim Director of Marketing for an IT services firm, since acquired. More recently, he has served as a VP of marketing for a software firm (acquired 2008), and as interim VP of marketing for an Internet and mobile apps developer, among other assignments.

In addition to his marketing consulting, content development, and startup advisory work, Graeme has reported for years on tech conferences via his own blog and for media outlets such as eWeek, Network World, Computerworld, Gilder Publishing, and more. He's also written extensively for publication on various tech topics (www.graemethickins.com). His large national network of leaders and influentials in the technology and investment communities has been built over more than two decades. Recently, he's written for the investor publication The Angel Journal, the leading tech blog ReadWriteWeb, Chief Executive Officer magazine, and eContent magazine.

Graeme has an alternate base of operation in Southern California, where he enjoys working and writing "from the beach" when he can. Between surf sessions. (His blog, http://www.Tech-Surf-Blog.com, is ranked among the Top 100 Analyst Blogs by Technobabble 2.0.)

Graeme Thickins’s Specialties:

New media, content, Web 2.0, social media, community, UGC, SEO, SEM, communications, messaging, public relations, online advertising, blogging, blogger relations, blogosphere monitoring, launch strategy, conference strategy/participation, marketing strategy, naming and branding, web site planning, IA, content development, content management, data storage, cloud computing, and more....

Graeme Thickins’s Experience

Founder/Editor

Tech~Surf~Blog™

(Online Media industry)

November 2005 — Present (4 years 1 month)

A blog that attempts to artfully blend three of my passions ... see www.Tech-Surf-Blog.com. It's regularly updated with my takes on Internet technology, startups, innovation, trends, marketing, entrepreneurship, and other topics, along with CEO profiles and coverage of technology events that matter....
Founder/President

GT&A Strategic Marketing Inc.

(Internet industry)

December 1982 — Present (27 years )

GT&A has provided advisory services to 100+ technology and e-business firms, most from the initial concept or launch stage. Many have been spinouts of large firms. GT&A recently lauched a practice in new media consulting, called "NewMediaWise." GT&A's founder, Graeme Thickins, has also served in key interim executive assignments. For the launch of BestBuy.com, he was interim Content Director, helping start up and build what became a top-50 Internet property. Following, he served as interim Director of Marketing for an IT services firm (since acquired), reporting to the CEO. In addition to his consulting and content development business, Graeme has written extensively for publication, and has a large national network of leaders and influentials in the technology and investment communities. He has also served on advisory boards for many tech startups, Graeme has an alternate base of operation in Southern California. His widely read blog is at http://www.Tech-Surf-Blog.com.
VP Marketing

DoApp Inc.

(Internet industry)

January 2008 — October 2008 (10 months)

DoApp is an Internet startup, founded by an early Google employee, that creates web apps, desktop apps, and mobile apps to enable a new world of distributed content and commerce. It's also an approved developer for the Apple's iTunes App Store. It helps web businesses, ecommerce companies, online publishers, and individuals make money, increase traffic, and improve their web experience. My responsibilities with the company included marketing, branding, content, communications, PR, social media, and developing partner/client relationships. During my tenure, we grew to more than 2.5 million downloads on the iTunes App Store, and the company has continued this growth to 3 million+ downloads. In addition, it has begun to sign clients for custom app-development work that are from the media industry and other fields.
Technology Writer & Analyst (ongoing)

www.GraemeThickins.com

(Online Media industry)

December 2000 — October 2008 (7 years 11 months)

See examples of work and clients at www.GraemeThickins.com.
Contributor - Blog and Podcast (ongoing)

Minnov8.com

(Online Media industry)

November 2007 — March 2008 (5 months)

Minnov8 is a blog that was started in 2007 to focus on web and Internet technology innovation in the State of Minnesota. (A weekly podcast was added mid-2008.) Borne out of a frustration that there wasn’t a showcase for the tremendous talent, brainpower, creativity, and innovation that exists in this Land of 10,000 Lakes, several geeks set forth on a quest to deliver a destination site for just such a purpose. Your humble, modest, and foolhardy band of merrymakers includes Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Graeme Thickins, and Phil Wilson.
VP Marketing

Intradyn Inc.

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

May 2004 — January 2007 (2 years 9 months)

Was recruited in 2004 by this client, a pioneer in backup & email archiving software/appliances for small to midsized firms. Spearheaded programs in public relations, analyst relations, messaging, content development, industry partner relationships, web site upgrades, marketing communications, advertising, search engine optimization, competitive intelligence, channel communications, and all writing/publishing. Achievements: highly successful industry analyst relations & media relations programs, resulting in scores of close relationships with industry influentials and millions of gross media impressions. Press coverage was many times the average for companies of our size. Managed all content development, including 200-page+ web site, white papers, articles, collateral literature, media kits, news releases. Helped develop and manage key partnerships with Sony, Imation, Mirapoint, others. Contributed to 300% sales increase in less than 18 months. (Company acquired by Mirapoint in 2008.)
Interim Director of Content

BestBuy.com

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; BBY; Retail industry)

1999 — 2000 (1 year )

I was part of the founding team within BestBuy.com called "ePublishing," serving as Interim Director of Content from December 1999 till approximately April 2000, helping to grow the group that built the front-end for the site from 3 to 75 people within three months. My roles were in site/content planning and organization, close coordination in the site's design, content management, coordination with IT, and overseeing one external partnership. Though I had an opportunity to stay on fulltime, I chose to continue as an outside consultant for the organization for several months after I left the interim role. Within six months of launch, the site became a top-10 online shopping destination and was named one of the "Top 50 Properties on the Internet." It's now producing well more than $1B in revenues annually for Best Buy Inc.

Additional Information

Graeme Thickins’s Websites:

Graeme Thickins’s Interests:

Technology, marketing, new media, surfing, photography, tech conferences, blogging, writing

Graeme Thickins’s Groups:

The Surfrider Foundation, BarCamp Minnesota (Minnebar/Minnedemo), GetGoMN.org, various blogger communities, informal angel networks, The Social Media Club, Widget Summit