My name is Andre Popov, and I recently joined Peppers & Rogers Group as a partner in the firm's Telecom, Internet, and Media (TIME) practice. It's an exciting time, and I hope to provide some insight and strategic point of view on what has become my true passion: the world of strategy, digital and innovation.
My humble digital beginnings date back to the 1980s, when I plugged away on a Commodore 64 learning the basics of Assembly, before upgrading to x86 and slaving sleepless nights over thousands of lines of code in my high school computer lab. Fast-forward a decade later -- the digital world arrived in full swing, and I learned HTML, SEM, SEO (Black hat, no less), and what it takes to build and market websites. Alas, mine is not the story of Marc Andreesen or Bill Gates.
At around the same time, I discovered the world of Media as I picked up the hobby of producing music and managing bands. A friend and I founded music publishing and production company pigFACTORY back in 2003, and today represent the works of Tone Loc, Iggy Pop, Fat Boy Slim, The Dead Kennedys, Tina Turner, among many others. I produced and composed a few #1 radio hits in Germany, placed my songs on dozens of MTV, VH1, Fashion TV and other shows, and scored a rather novel top 40 hit in the UK. Of course, mine is not the story of Timbaland or David Guetta either.
After earning my college degree from Babson College, I ventured into the world of Private Equity, financing new and growing ventures in the 1990s. Not content with torturing Excel spreadsheets, I returned to business school at the Big Green (aka Dartmouth) - too far north if you ask me (New Hampshire = cold + snow). There I discovered where my true passion lies.
With the worlds of Media, Telecommunications and Technology on a collision course, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of the early Internet start-ups and Fortune 500 Media companies in the USA since the first Dot Com Boom days in the 1990s. I was also in the midst of the mobile start-up wave in Europe in the 2000s, experiencing both the highs and lows of digital. Sometimes as an advisor, and on occasion, I was also the hands-on executive having to translate my strategies into reality and learn the stark difference between strategy and execution.
Today, I am a humble observer, advisor and fierce digital advocate to Telecommunications, Media and Technology companies and strive to help them meet the known and unknown challenges of convergence.
This is my story.
In my blogs I share my opinions and observations on the industry at large. Below are links to my most recent posts:
Cheers,
Andre
About the author: Andre Popov is a partner in Peppers & Rogers Group's TIME practice. Contact him at andre.popov@peppersandrogersgroup.com.