Bios
Jack Griffin is the Founder and President of Empirical Media Advisors, an advisory firm established in 2011 to bring strategic and operating counsel to media and marketing services companies and executives. Jack is currently serving as a Senior Advisor to and Board Member of a number of established and early-stage firms in traditional and digital media. He also advises investors and private equity firms regarding potential transactions and media industry issues. Most recently, Jack was CEO of Time Inc., the nation’s largest magazine company.
Clients of Empirical leverage Jack’s extensive operating experience and knowledge as a successful builder of media and marketing services organizations during 25-plus years in senior executive capacities at leading media companies including Time Inc., Meredith, Advance Publications and The New York Times Company. A recognized thought leader in media, Jack has held numerous industry leadership positions, serving as Chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), Chairman of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and as a Director of the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Jack is a sought-after speaker in the media industry, and has lectured at Yale, Northwestern, Stanford and other leading educational institutions. He is currently a Director of the Yale Center for Customer Insights.
Jack is a recognized innovator and builder of new media business models. In his 12 years at Meredith Corporation, most recently as President of the Company’s National Media Group, he oversaw and architected the transformation of Meredith from a home-oriented, traditional publishing company to the leading U.S. media company reaching women and the leading publisher of Hispanic titles in America. Under Jack’s leadership, Meredith rose to the Number Two position among American magazine companies, reaching 75 million women each month. During the same period, Jack architected and executed Meredith’s transformation into a leading provider of digital marketing services through Meredith Integrated Marketing (MIM), which in 2010 was ranked the Number 6 largest digital agency in the U.S. That same year, Advertiser Intelligence Reportsâ ranked Meredith as the #1 Media Company To Do Business With, up from the 27th position in 2007. Additionally, in 2009 Advertising Age named Meredith as Publishing Company of the Year. From 2005-2010, Jack directed and oversaw over $600 million of acquisitions, numerous innovations and organic growth from traditional, digital business activities and line extensions such as brand licensing.
During his first tenure with Meredith, from 1994-1999, Jack conceived of and served as founding General Manager of MIM. He also served as VP of Marketing for the Meredith Television Broadcasting Group where he oversaw national sales, research and digital development for the Company’s 12 network-affiliated stations.
From 1999-2003, Jack was at Parade Publications, a division of Advance Publications, where he oversaw the expansion and growth of Parade Magazine and launched Parade.com and numerous other media platforms including Parade Radio. He joined the company as SVP of Sales & Marketing and in 2000 became President and Publisher overseeing all sales, circulation and marketing activity. During Jack’s tenure, Parade reached record levels of advertising and circulation performance.
Earlier in his career, Jack served with the Magazine Group of The New York Times Company in senior management and sales capacities. He started his career as a reporter and editor for a family newspaper company in Boston in 1982.
Jack has won numerous industry and civic awards. The Delaney Report named him Corporate Publisher of the Year in 2010 for his work at Meredith and Time Inc. In 2007, he received the same award and in 2005, Advertising Age named him Publishing Executive of the Year. In 2001, he was voted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievementã for industry leaders aged 40 and under. He also won the AAF Jack Avrett Award for outstanding service to the industry and the community. In 2005, Jack received the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee for his extensive charitable work and contributions to philanthropy.
Jack is a Director of Mustard Seed Communities, which provides homes and care for disabled and vulnerable children in the Caribbean, Central America and Africa. Jack is also currently the Coordinator for Mustard Seed activities in Haiti. From 2003-2009, Jack was a Director of Catholic Relief Services, one of the world’s largest international relief and development agencies. He has also served as a Director of the Boston Food Bank and other local charities.
Jack earned a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Management and a BA, cum laude, from Boston College. In 2006 Jack received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Commerce from Boston College. He is former President of the Yale School of Management Alumni Association and a former Director of the Yale Alumni Fund.