Michael Lazerow
Michael is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded four successful internet-based media companies. He has a passion for creating, managing and growing companies from the ground up.
Michael is currently the chairman and CEO of Buddy Media, Inc. Launched in 2007, Buddy Media develops and promotes social advertising campaigns that support interaction between people and brands. Buddy Media’s unique “Brand Advocate Process” is the only comprehensive approach to social media advertising that includes strategy, development, promotion and accountable monitoring of its branded apps.
Michael’s first foray into entrepreneurship came with the founding of University Wire, an Associated Press-like network of more than 700 student-run newspapers that is now owned by CBS Corp. U-Wire provides the most in-depth coverage of campus news and student issues and is distributed widely through almost every major college newspaper and most of the major Internet portals. Michael sold U-Wire to Student Advantage, the nation’s leading student membership. As a member of the Student Advantage management team, Michael helped grow Student Advantage from a handful of employees into the premier media and marketing company in the college market with more than 300 employees and $80 million in annual revenue.
Building on his growing experience in the online space, Michael next founded GOLF.com, which was purchased by Time Warner’s Time Inc. division in January 2006. Michael led GOLF.com from a start-up to a multi-million dollar profitable golf media company. Michael successfully funded GOLF.com by raising equity financing from private investors, leading venture capital firms and media companies, including NBC Sports and the New York Times Co. As part of the acquisition by Time Inc., Michael agreed to join Time Inc.’s GOLF MAGAZINE division for one year as General Manager of GOLF.com and GOLFONLINE.com. In addition to overseeing all of the company’s golf internet properties, Michael sat on a 5-person management team that managed the leading golf publication.
Michael left GOLF.com in February 2007 to start Lazerow Consulting, which helps finance, launch, manage and grow internet-based media businesses. Michael’s client list included CSTV, a CBS Corporation company. At CBS, Michael helped launch two new businesses in the sports community and student media spaces.
Michael lives in New York City with his wife, Kass, two sons, Myles and Cole, and daughter Vivian. In addition to investing in private companies and real estate, he enjoys live music, golf, tennis, poker, fly-fishing, reading, writing and video editing.
Michael graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. with a B.S. and M.S. in Journalism in 1996.
