Together We Can Make a Difference

By Carlton Hickman
CTO & Co-Founder, CPX Interactive

As the role of technology in our lives increases with every day, we must not lose sight of the problems facing the world. Instead, we should use the Internet as a tool to confront these issues as a global community. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending an event that focused on women’s health and education issues in Africa. The event was sponsored by US Doctors for Africa, led by a good friend of mine, Ted Alemayhu, who is the organization’s founder and executive chairman. The Leadership for Health Summit brought together First Ladies from fifteen African nations to share firsthand accounts of the problems they are facing. The summit was also a forum where the First Ladies and the heads of corporations who do business in Africa discussed ways they could work together to make change.

The end of the summit was marked by a gala that brought in some of Hollywood’s biggest names in support of the African nations. Celebrities including Sarah Brown, Chris Tucker, Kevin Liles, Billy Zane, Kristin Davis, Jessica Alba, Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton, and Rosario Dawson, made their way down the red carpet into the event. Attendees enjoyed a concert by Natalie Cole, as well as the inspirational words of renowned surgeon, Keith Black. Dr. Black spoke about the inexpensive medication that could lower the child death toll from malaria by 30%, and the HIV medication that is becoming more affordable and accessible in the US, but not in Africa.

At first, it may seem that many of our world’s problems are insurmountable, but if we work together as a global community, we have a much greater chance of making a difference. This event opened my eyes and motivated me to find out what I can do to help increase the quality of life around the globe.

Q&A with Mike Seiman, CEO & Co-Founder of CPX Interactive

Samantha Karol, Marketing Assistant, sat down with CPX Interactive CEO & Co-Founder, Mike Seiman, to learn more about the company's roots and how it has grown into one of the top five online ad networks in the world.

1. What motivated you to start your own business? How did you build on your original concept to create a successful company?

When I was still a student at Hofstra University, I was very interested in the Internet and I knew that creating content online would soon become very profitable. I met Carlton Hickman (CTO & Co-Founder of CPX) at school, and we found that we were both computer savvy and interested in the future of the Web. We began monetizing inventory on websites we had already been working with, and targeting ads to our specific audiences. Through this test case, we learned the best ways to increase efficiency and drive more traffic to our pages.

At the same time, we were examining how existing ad servers placed their ads to maximize profit. Soon we began building our own ad server, and recruited other websites to join our makeshift “network.” Publishers liked working with us because we knew how it was to be in their position. Our next major step was to fill a void we saw in the industry by finding ways to monetize remnant inventory. Since then, the company has grown and developed, and we continue to do so.

2. What obstacles did you confront as a new player in the online advertising industry?

Launching a business straight out of college was risky. Carlton and I had to find people who shared our vision, who could give us constructive criticism and help the business grow. In order to recruit people to be a part of this new venture, we had to have a little bit of luck and a very convincing argument. Initially, finding clients was also a challenge because we were competing with other ad networks that were either public or backed by major investors. In the beginning, it was like we were “a little fish in a pond of sharks.” We had to balance industry standards with saving money to sustain the company, while competing with well established competitors.

Those challenges taught me a lot, and I have made sure to surround myself with people who have the skills and tools to overcome obstacles, and who can teach me how to confront those obstacles in the future.

3. How did you make sure that CPX Interactive stood out from the competition?

When we first started, I saw the lack of fill rate in the industry, and realized that there were a lot of publishers with extra inventory that was not being used. Using the concept of infomercials that run at off-peak hours, but still gain visibility and leverage the revenue of the stations that show them, I created a plan to bring advertisers to the Web. After building a base of advertisers, the goal was to find more publishers and then build from there to high level direct marketing and then eventually a brand business. By following through on this plan, CPX Interactive has gone from a small player to one of the top five online ad networks in the world.

4. What makes CPX Interactive different from all of the other ad networks out there?

There are numerous networks that offer a variety of benefits to advertisers and publishers. CPX Interactive offers all of these benefits under one roof: an ROI-focused performance network with remnant inventory, content vertical networks consisting of numerous channels that sell at a higher premium CPM, and premium networks that bring very high level CPMs competitive with the company’s internal sales force. CPX also provides in-house creative services, optimization, and technical support, and strives to maintain quality customer service.

5. What are your plans for the future of CPX Interactive?

My vision for the future of the company is to utilize technology to create a “hedge fund of online advertising.” This would be a semi-closed, semi-open network where CPX could plug into all of the ad exchanges and “clearing houses” and offer advertisers a safe haven to access the breadth of advertising that exists without risking brand exposure. I have seen the Internet change and develop so much in a short amount of time, and I can’t wait to see how things progress in the future.

CPX Congratulates Tyler Nelson on Television Role

CPX Interactive congratulates Tyler Nelson on his role in MTV's new series, "Taking the Stage," a reality show about students at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts. As President of the Cincinnati Youth Council, Tyler met and gave the introduction for CPX CTO and Co-Founder, Carlton Hickman, when he spoke at the 99th Annual NAACP Conference last July.

Visit the CPX YouTube Channel to watch Carlton's speech.

Carlton Hickman (CPX CTO) with Tyler Nelson
at the NAACP Convention

Spotlight on Carlton Hickman, CTO of CPX Interactive

Carlton Hickman and Mike Seiman met in 1999 as students at Hofstra University. Beginning as classmates, they would quickly become friends as they joined in a business endeavor that would help craft the current landscape of online display advertising. Though both Hickman and Seiman had a background in computer science, Hickman's passion was for graphic design. When he and Seiman started out nine years ago, the advertising industry was not in their plans, but today as the CTO of online ad network, CPX Interactive, Hickman is able to incorporate both of these elements (computer science and design) into his work, work that puts him at the cutting edge of online advertising development...

Read the rest of the story, and check out pictures and videos, here.

Setting a CPXample™

"With power, comes responsibility."

CPXample™ is a catch-all philanthropic division of CPX Interactive, created to use the power of the Internet to support worthy causes, and to help them make the most of this power.

CEO and Founder, Mike Seiman, sums it up best this way, "The original company that we founded, and that became CPX Interactive, was called B.U.D.S., for 'Brothers Unda Da Skin,' in order to reflect our shared belief in the ideals of equality and unity...and we are thrilled to be in a position to put teeth behind those ideals."

Our Causes:

Over the past two years, CPX Interactive has been involved in several philanthropic endeavors. In October 2007, CPXample™ supported SaveDarfur.org by donation 50,000,000 impressions across its network, driving traffic to a page where visitors could send e-mail messages to world leaders, expressing their outrage toward the atrocities and genocide in the Sudan.


A couple months later, in December of 2007, CPXample™ developed a new series of animated ads and delivered them across the CPX network (50,000,000 impressions) to assist LiveEarth.org in expanding its database of concerned visitors.

In anticipation of the 2008 presidential election, CPX Interactive created and promoted an unparalleled campaign to "get out the vote." In partnership with Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), CPX developed the "Vote For It! '08" campaign. CPX worked with celebrities including LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, George Lucas, TI, and Ciara (for a full list visit www.voteforit08.org) to create a powerful video to compel America's youth to exercise their right to vote. The video is featured on VoteForIt08.org, a website created for the project, which also provided a link to voter registration info, plus photos and event information.

On July 9, 2008, CPX and HSAN held a video launch party at Room Service in New York City. Many of the celebrities featured in the "Vote For It! '08" campaign were on hand to watch the video premiere and celebrate with the CPX staff.

For nine days in September and October, a team of CPX employees trekked across the country as part of the 2008 Fireball Run. The CPX Interactive team included: CTO and Founder, Carlton Hickman, Graphic Designer, Tony Pascal, and Shaun Beymolla, VP of Traffic & Optimization. They were one of 100 teams to take part in this 3500 mile transcontinental rally to support the Child Rescue Network.

Each team was assigned a different missing child, with the mission of creating as much awareness as possible throughout their journey. Carlton, Tony and Shaun were armed with posters, and their 2008 Special Edition "Superbee" Dodge Charger was outfitted with a full color decal of the missing child. According to the Child Rescue Network, twenty four children have since been rescued and reunited with their families and guardians. The rally was a success, and the CPX Interactive team came away from the Fireball Run with 3rd place honors!