Scott Kurnit
Encyclopedia
Scott P. Kurnit is a serial entrepreneur
and angel investor
in
media and technology.
became a Program Director at WGBY-TV (WGBH) He was the youngest program director
in the PBS system and served as program director for Qube
, the world’s
first fully interactive cable television
system.
cable network and co-led the team that
implemented the first use of national caller ID
. Subsequently, he was president of Showtime Event
Television
into an
online service at the Prodigy network. Following Prodigy, Kurnit joined
MCI
to oversee MCI's attempts to grow its business in the Internet market.
CEO during its
growth to a public market value of $1.5
billion.
About.com was acquired by PRIMEDIA in 2001, and later sold again to the New York Times Company in 2005. Kurnit left the CEO position in 2001 after the sale to Primedia. In 2002 a class action suit was brought against About.com, Primedia, (About's former owner) Kurnit and others. The court dismissed all claims against Kurnit from the suit in August 2007.
Information on Lawsuit
in early 2010 and serves as the Chairman & CEO.
’s Hall of
Achievement, received the Vanguard Award from the National Cable Television
Association, and won an Emmy award as producer of a weekly television news
magazine. Upside magazine named him one of the “Elite 100” leading the
digital revolution. He was listed as one of the Silicon Alley 100 by The
Business Insider for 2008
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
in
media and technology.
Early career
After graduating from Hampshire College with a BA in Communications, Kurnitbecame a Program Director at WGBY-TV (WGBH) He was the youngest program director
in the PBS system and served as program director for Qube
Qube
Qube may refer to:*QUBE, a former cable television system*Qube , a short-lived desktop for various operating systems*Qube Software, makers of 3D software Q *QubeTV, a conservative video website*Cobalt Qube, a server appliance...
, the world’s
first fully interactive cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
system.
Showtime
He started the first pay-per-viewPay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
cable network and co-led the team that
implemented the first use of national caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
. Subsequently, he was president of Showtime Event
Television
Prodigy and MCI
Kurnit led the team that put the first web browserWeb browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
into an
online service at the Prodigy network. Following Prodigy, Kurnit joined
MCI
MCI Communications
MCI Communications Corp. was an American telecommunications company that was instrumental in legal and regulatory changes that led to the breakup of the AT&T monopoly of American telephony and ushered in the competitive long-distance telephone industry. It was headquartered in Washington,...
to oversee MCI's attempts to grow its business in the Internet market.
About.com
Kurnit founded About.com and served as itsCEO during its
growth to a public market value of $1.5
billion.
About.com was acquired by PRIMEDIA in 2001, and later sold again to the New York Times Company in 2005. Kurnit left the CEO position in 2001 after the sale to Primedia. In 2002 a class action suit was brought against About.com, Primedia, (About's former owner) Kurnit and others. The court dismissed all claims against Kurnit from the suit in August 2007.
Information on Lawsuit
AdKeeper.com
Kurnit founded AdKeeper.comAdKeeper
AdKeeper is an online advertising platform that allows consumers to keep online ads for future use. A button is inserted into advertising creative elements, and is visible to users as a small button in the ad with the letter “k” inside the button...
in early 2010 and serves as the Chairman & CEO.
Investor and Advisor
Mr. Kurnit is either an investor or Board Member of the following companies: Mashlogic, Brightcove, Goodmail, Dotomi, OpenSky.Personal Interests
Kurnit serves on the boards or is active with Paley Center for Media and Mianus River Gorge PreserveAwards and Honors
Kurnit was inducted into the American Advertising FederationAmerican Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation , headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the United States...
’s Hall of
Achievement, received the Vanguard Award from the National Cable Television
Association, and won an Emmy award as producer of a weekly television news
magazine. Upside magazine named him one of the “Elite 100” leading the
digital revolution. He was listed as one of the Silicon Alley 100 by The
Business Insider for 2008