6 Awards Recognize Efforts in Advancing New England’s Interactive Media Industry
BOSTON–The Massachusetts Interactive Media Council last week singled out individuals as helping to shape and define the fast-changing online world.
The 2-year-old organization presented the Interactive Leadership Awards for the first time on Wednesday night at the Computer Museum in Boston. The purpose of the awards is to advance the interactive media industry in New England.
Winners were selected in the following categories: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Company Most Likely to Succeed, Hottest Start-Up, Contribution to Society and Unsung Hero.
Bo Peabody, the founder of Tripod, was given the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Peabody started the Williamstown, Mass., interactive media company several years ago to provide a network and online community for young adults making the transition from college to the working world.
Tripod maintains an advertiser-supported Web site (www.tripod.com) that contains local and national news as well as job listings.
The company recently became a content partner with Parable, the Newton, Mass.-based software company that manufactures “Things,” multimedia images that can be downloaded free of charge and used to enliven personal home pages.
David Wetherell, chairman and chief executive officer of CMG Information Services in Andover, Mass., was presented with MIMC’s Lifetime Achievement award.
SilverStream Software Co. in Burlington, Mass., was recognized as the Company Most Likely to Succeed. The 2-year-old firm develops a range of application solutions for professional Web developers and others who use Java-based applications.
SilverStream has recently received funding from top venture capital firms Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners.
Infolibria received recognition as the Hottest Start-Up. The Waltham, Mass.-based company was founded in 1997, when it spun off from a research effort that was started at Boston University. The firm is headed by president and chief executive officer Ian Yates, a former employee of Molten Metal Technology.
The privately held company developed the DynaCache technology, a network caching product that speeds up Internet access while decreasing bandwidth. DynaCache is prototyped; a patent will be obtained later this summer, according to officials at Infolibria.
CitySoft was given the Contribution to Society prize. Co-founded by Jim Picariello and Nick Gleason, a 1997 MBA graduate of Harvard University, the Boston company’s goal is to create for-profit businesses in at-risk communities.
CitySoft, which currently employs four full-time employees, hires inner-city residents to create Web pages at $10 an hour. The company has worked for Sheraton Hotels and Boston.com, The Boston Globe’s electronic publishing division.
Scott Cohen, director of content at Boston.com, was presented with the Unsung Hero award.
In addition to the Interactive Leadership Awards, the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council sponsors the MIMC Awards, a larger-scale show that celebrates interactive marketing excellence throughout the New England region.
The second annual MIMC Awards show is scheduled for October. Last year’s event drew more than 1,800 attendees. Organizers are anticipating at least 2,000 this year.
