AC

Anthony Citrano

Founder, Acquicent. Builder, strategist, communicator, friend.

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Work Experience

2020

  • Founder & CEO

    2020

    We help people invest in and trade shares of museum-grade collectibles while providing professional collectors and institutions with new sources of liquidity and engagement.

2016 - 2020

  • Angel Investor, Consultant, Mentor

    2016 - 2020

    Consulted with several companies from startups to publicly-traded companies on corporate strategy, fundraising, partnerships, and regulatory issues. Roles varied from fractional CMO to board advisor. Also was an occasional angel investor, with a portfolio of about 10 companies including Clearbit, HER, Barricade, Plum, Roomi, and Hiku. Two exits - Scout (IPO) and Sellbrite (acquired by GoDaddy). I generally invested via syndicates such as AngelList but invested directly a couple of times. This activity was all conducted under my own entity, Zeno Media LLC.

2013 - 2016

  • VP Communications and Chief Evangelist

    2013 - 2016

    Following Verizon’s acquisition of EdgeCast, managed strategic communications for the business unit and evangelized Verizon’s digital initiatives (via communications, speaking opportunities, and other outreach) to sectors including cloud, SaaS, enterprise, e-commerce, and beauty & fashion. The triangulation brand marketing strategy continued here, because even though Verizon is one of the best-known brands, we had a lot of work to do in educating companies on what we had to offer digitally. We were well-known for wireless but far less known for digital media services. Ironically, this was especially true within Fortune 500 organizations. Our multi-point approach meant evangelizing to top executives and influencers with a business message while simultaneously fostering technical champions within the target organizations.

2007 - 2013

  • VP Communications and Marketing

    2007 - 2013

    I joined EdgeCast when it was in “stealth mode” and helped launch the company as a new challenger in the content delivery business. My responsibilities spanned the entire marketing and communications gamut. During those years, I built and managed the company’s marketing and communications organization and helped establish the company as the top contender in an increasingly crowded market. In a few short years we went from a complete unknown to carrying almost 10% of the world's Internet traffic, and playing a key role in scaling some of the world's busiest web sites (including Pinterest, Soundcloud, Tumblr, and Twitter) well as many global brands (including Disney, Mercedes-Benz, and Kellogg) who were making large digital investments. From a branding perspective, we accomplished this using a triangulated strategy, evangelizing ourselves via high-level branding to the C-suite, while marketing ourselves to the IT audience with focused, technically informative messaging that set us apart from the big guys (e.g. Akamai and later, Amazon's Cloudfront) while helping us create internal champions. Deeply involved in M&A process with Verizon from pre-acquisition through integration.

2001 - 2006

  • founding partner

    2001 - 2006

    Co-founded and helped build one of the nation's top boutique technology PR firms. We built and executed strategic communications plans for companies ranging from cryptography startups to consumer software giants. Our clients included Brightcove, Corel, Demandware, Ember, SPSS, and Top Layer Networks.

2000 - 2001

  • VP and chief communications officer

    2000 - 2001

    Digital entertainment company R3Media, Inc. acquired BrainPaste.com in March 2000. I became their communications lead, raising the company's profile via media outreach, speaking opportunities, etc.

  • founder & CEO

    1998 - 2000

    Co-founded the company that invented retargeting (we used to call it "dynamic customer acquisition").  We created a browser plug-in that learned about users over time, helped them discover new and interesting content, and saved them money - all while protecting their privacy. (We did this about twenty years too early — see PayPal's Honey.) The company was acquired by R3Media.

1995 - 1998

  • Chief Technologist

    1995 - 1998

    Served as chief technology advisor to Governor Angus King [now US Senator], helping Maine set an early example of responsive online government. Worked closely with Governor, chief of staff, legislative leaders, and cabinet officials to radically modernize state government operations. Acted as Governor’s chief media spokesperson for technology issues. Served as Governor’s delegate to many technology and commerce groups. Appointed by the Governor to: National Governor’s Association Technology Subcommittee; Information Services Policy Board; Highway One Advisory Board. Bonus: named an "Honorary Son of Maine" by Governor King — a permanent title of nobility, from what I understand. 🤣

1993 - 1994

  • founding geek

    1993 - 1994

    Published The Virtual Journal, the world's first web magazine. Secured major advertisers (including Hayes and Mitsubishi) for an entirely new medium.

1993 - 1994

  • Advance Coordinator

    1993 - 1994

    Following my work as State Student Coordinator for the Bill Clinton for President campaign, I helped manage advance work for events in New England. My responsibilities included site selection and review, venue preparation, coordination with the EOP, the US Secret Service, and other staff. I even got to drive in a Presidential motorcade (OMG FUN!).