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While at Google from 2007 to 2011, Daniel Bornstein directed the Doubleclick platform account and managed business development in UK and Ireland. He came to LA over a year ago via artist social network deviantART and now works with top 100 global brands to produce branded art-centric content initiatives as VP of Global Advertising. deviantART, with 28 million users and recent financial backing from Autodesk, gives Bornstein a chance partner with brands and engage consumers in interesting ways. Bornstein chatted with Built In LA about how he is leveraging his experiences from Google to propel deviantART’s current success:
What brands have you been working with at deviantART recently?
A fantastic example from 2013 was the Lexus IS Design Contest. This program challenged our community to create a custom 2014 IS design. The winner's work was built into an actual show car and featured at the SEMA show in Las Vegas and is now at the LA Auto Show. The most rewarding experiences have been in instances where we've been able to demonstrate tremendous value for our clients. Seeing the DeviantART | Lexus show car unveiled at SEMA was a great example of this. There’s some really exciting integrations coming in 2014, too.
What has been your biggest struggle in your role at deviantART?
Despite being the largest social network (in relative terms) for millennials, having enormous scale and truly being a hub for popular culture on the web, deviantART's brand recognition is not as resonant as it should be. I love evangelizing our site and our products.
So, what should the LA startup community know about deviantART then?
DeviantART is a lot of things: one of the world's largest social networks, a community of artists, photographers, writers and content creators of all kinds, a technology platform and a hub for popular culture. If any LA-based startups feel like they have any ideas on how they can potentially collaborate with us in a mutually beneficial way they should not hesitate to reach out.
What’s the biggest lesson you took away from Google and are applying at deviantART?
Be the best. Google today is a large organization with a multitude of highly educated, highly engaged and highly ambitious individuals. While it is still a meritocracy, those that stand up and go the extra mile get noticed. Based on this, it is important for me to have a relatively flat organizational structure. Put otherwise, those that work the hardest and have the best ideas will be recognized and rewarded irrespective of their title or position within the organization.
How do you find the LA startup community?
Since moving to LA a year and a half ago I've been very impressed with the LA startup community. LA is an ideal city for startups to operate in for a variety of reasons. A robust internet/tech hub in Southern California will help bring prosperity and diversity to this region. While there are meetups and organizations dedicated to startups in LA, I still feel as though the networking aspect is fragmented and centered predominantly on the west side. There is definitely an opportunity to improve collaboration.
