ORLANDO, FL — (Marketwired) — 06/18/13 — IZEA, Inc. (OTCQB: IZEA), the pioneer of Sponsored Influence, announced the addition of Rich Masterson to the company-s Strategic Advisory Board. A serial entrepreneur and startup advisor, Mr. Masterson brings nearly 20 years of online marketing experience to the company.
Currently, he is the co-founder and Chairman of Audience Partners, the largest online political advertising network in the country. During his tenure, he helped expand the company into healthcare advertising, providing the nation-s only HIPAA compliant advertising solution.
Immediately prior to co-founding Audience Partners, Masterson focused his energy on a variety of active investments in technology, real estate, hospitality and private equity. He also served as GivingCapital-s Chairman, providing organizations with the capability to increase assets through the creation, distribution and processing of complex wealth management products and services. Under his leadership, GivingCapital helped its clients raise over $600 million for charity before being acquired by Kintera, a publicly held online philanthropic services company.
Earlier in his career, Masterson co-founded US Interactive (USI), one of the nation-s first internet professional services firms. Masterson served as USI-s President from 1994 to 1999, driving the company-s growth from start-up to successful IPO, with clientele including Microsoft, IBM, American Express, Disney, Toyota and the U.S. Senate.
“As technologies advance and new ones arise, brands are consistently looking to influencer marketing as a means for capturing their desired audiences,” said Masterson. “IZEA has understood this from the get-go and has managed to remain ahead of the curve with influencer marketing platforms that either precede or parallel the latest industry trends. I am looking forward to helping IZEA continue to innovate through new opportunities and developments.”
“We are excited to welcome Rich to the IZEA family,” said Ted Murphy, Founder/CEO of IZEA. “He has been a true visionary, even before digital marketing was mainstream. His insight, coupled with his entrepreneurial and start-up expertise, will help guide the company as we fine-tune and release our next generation platform later this year.”
Masterson is a graduate of James Madison University and the Executive Program of Harvard Business School. He was also named the first “Entrepreneur in Residence” of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
As an active philanthropist, Masterson has previously served on the board of charitable organizations including The National Philanthropic Trust, The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Wellness Community of Philadelphia. He also endowed the first full business school scholarship at James Madison University in honor of his father, Thomas Masterson. Additionally, Masterson has served on the Board of Advisors of Radnor Trust Company and as a trustee to the Emerald Mutual Family of Funds.
About IZEA
IZEA, Inc. is the pioneer of sponsored influence, operating key influencer marketing platforms Staree, Sponsored Tweets and SocialSpark. IZEA connects brands with social media influencers, helping them monetize their online and offline presence. The company has completed more than three million social media sponsorships for customers ranging from small local businesses to Fortune 50 organizations. For more information about IZEA, visit
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release that are forward-looking include the company-s estimated levels of revenues, gross profit margin and net operating loss for the 2012 fiscal year. These forward-looking statements are based largely on IZEA-s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond IZEA-s control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, competitive conditions in the social media sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates, failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA, inability to obtain additional capital, and changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information contained in this respect will in fact occur. Please read the full statement and disclosures here:
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