Traction Co: Blogging Before The Word “Blog” Was Coined

Today on Fjorecast we talk to Adam Kleinberg from Traction Co. Born and raised in New York, Adam bought a one way ticket to California after graduating from Cornell. From an early age, he was attracted to art and technology— programming video games on a PET computer in 6th grade — so the exploding digital scene in 1996 San Francisco felt like home. In the entrepreneurial spirit, he bought a book on Photoshop and declared himself a web designer. After a few years at a handful of agencies, he had officially earned the title. In 1997, he was blogging before the word “blog” was coined. In 1998, he was the resident Flash guy at Think New Ideas, a hot integrated agency. In 2000, he was recruited to help start the SF office of Tribal DDB. Adam and his partners founded Traction in 2001 (in the spare bedroom of Adam’s apartment) on the principle that doing great work is easier with people you like and admire. Fifteen great years and a full trophy case have borne out their philosophy. A prolific writer, Adam has published scores of articles in Ad Age, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and others. In 2013, he was a MediaPost All-Star, an award given to the three most influential digital creatives in the US each year.