Coming off an unbelievably successful first quarter, exceptional work and quickly advancing leadership role in the social media industry, new-media marketing agency Carrot Creative has hired its first Director of Business Development, Mike Pratt.
Pratt established an in depth understanding of the Media and Telecom industry as a former Goldman Sachs exec turned hedge fund owner (Modulus Capital). With a pragmatic view of organization from his graduation from West Point and MBA from Duke University, Pratt will set strategic direction for Carrot’s outreach to potential clients, as well as move the company into a new era of expansion. His unparalleled expertise in the area of fashion and retail, from his 2008 Mashable award winning site GiftGirl.com to his Co-Founding of both the Style Coalition and Fashion 2.0 Meetup, Pratt has garnered relationships with many of today’s top brands including Elle Magazine, Century21 and Avelle.
“Mike brings years of experience and veteran leadership to Carrot. As we continue to focus on new avenues of growth, Mike’s understanding of the changing times in digital marketing mixed with his curiosity and desire to tackle a new industry, compliments our vision extremely well,” says Robert Gaafar, CEO and Co-Founder of Carrot Creative. “His analytical know-how and relationship management skills will serve the needs of our existing clients, and foster new ones in the years ahead.”
Carrot’s business wins have been organically grown in the past and by bringing on a seasoned veteran like Pratt, Carrot plans to strengthen and expand it’s streak of successful campaign triumphs. Last week, Carrot’s work designing Ford Fiesta’s www.fiestafunnel.com website was unveiled to widespread praise, as well as Disney Digital Book’s official Facebook application “Disney Bookmarker” harnessing thousands of users in a few short days of it’s launch. Other Carrot Creative clients include the NFL, Porter Novelli, The Onion, MLB.com, Crayola, Wisk and Dave Matthews Band.
“The digital marketing landscape is changing at breakneck speed and I can think of no better team to join than the crew at Carrot Creative,” says Pratt. “They are on the cutting edge of it all and setting standards along the way. I’ve been dabbling in the interactive space for over eight years now and I’m excited to fully emmerse myself in both the culture and advancement of the industry.”
“Mike is the perfect combination of the traditional suit & tie from Wall Street and an innovative digital brander sporting Chuck Taylors,” says Mike Germano, President and Co-Founder of Carrot Creative. “Not only has he worked with some of the biggest brands on the circuit, but he has utilized some of the most innovative social media technologies within start ups. We have no doubt in the growth he will bring to this company.”
Pratt, 45, spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs running the telecom & media equities trading group, developing trading and risk management systems. He then moved on to start a statistical arbitrage hedge fund called Modulus Captial LLC in Greenwich. On the side, Pratt founded BugleNotes.com – a niche social media site for graduates of West Point, as well as co-founding the Style Coalition and Fashion 2.0 Meetups in New York, now drawing over 1200 people. Pratt speaks at numerous events across the nation, including being a featured columnist for Buddypress/Wordpress. He is married to Jean Voute-Pratt, creator of GiftGirl.com and has two young boys.
