Jim Bankoff

James Philip Bankoff (born December 23, 1969) is an American media executive who is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vox Media. He previously worked for AOL and joined Vox Media's predecessor, SB Nation, in 2009.

Early life and education Bankoff was born to Marvin and Adrienne Bankoff on December 23, 1969, and raised in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, a primarily Jewish neighborhood. His father owned a jewelry business and his mother worked as an editor. He obtained a bachelor's degree in international studies from Emory University. Bankoff earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Early career and AOL Bankoff initially worked as a production assistant for the WETA-TV series Washington Week. After graduating from Wharton, he declined job offers from The New York Times, The Walt Disney Company, and a record company to join AOL in 1995. AOL.com, AOL Music, FanHouse, helped the company acquire Engadget, and was involved in the creation of TMZ.

Bankoff became director of business development for AOL Greenhouse in 1996. He was responsible for business operations and the growth of Netscape.com and Netbusiness. He then served as president of AOL Web Properties, managing AIM, CompuServe, ICQ, MapQuest, Moviefone, and Netscape.

Bankoff held the role of executive vice-president of programming and products from 2002. Bankoff left AOL in late 2006, In November 2011, Bankoff co-founded Vox Media as the parent company for SB Nation and The Verge. As Vox Media's chairman and CEO, Bankoff pursued growing the company through acquisitions.

Accolades In 2015, Bankoff was included in Washingtonian list of the "100 Top Tech Leaders" in Washington, D.C., and ranked number 18 on Business Insider "Silicon Alley 100" list of the "coolest, most inspiring people in the New York tech industry". He was also included in The Hollywood Reporter list of "The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media" in 2016. Bankoff ranked number 67 on Mediaite's list of the most influential figures in media in 2017.

Personal life Bankoff and his wife Diane Elson (founder the rug design company Elson&Company in 1998), married at the Wesleyan Methodist Church at Harbour Island on April 26, 2003. Bankoff is a fan of the New York Yankees.