About

About Richard Blakeley

Richard Blakeley is an award-winning web innovator and product manager. He brings his deep experience in running product development teams, championing scalable user-centered design, strategizing and communicating roadmaps, and fostering a solid internal culture to his positions at various companies. After a decade of navigating the intersection of content and revenue, Blakeley of New York is building and scaling SaaS with his most recent work in fintech, including at companies Kresus and LianLian Pay, where he focuses on cross-functional alignment and execution excellence.

An Accomplished Career as Media Executive

Richard is a former media executive with a rich online audience development and video production background. He is sought after for his ability to achieve results. At ArtBinder, he was Head of Product, reporting to the CEO and overseeing the technology, product, and client success teams. He was responsible for strategic direction and prioritization of the company roadmap.

He also served as Senior Director of Product of SheKnows at digital media company SHE Media. He was responsible for product vision, strategy, and business management there. His focus included CRM, user acquisition, influencer marketing programs, and custom advertising solutions. Richard oversaw product managers, UX designers, and Agile development teams across the U.S. and EU. In his role, he also developed KPIs to assess product performance and communicate progress with stakeholders. In addition, he spearheaded and led the planning of new automated revenue-based products and product marketing programs.

Before joining SHE Media, Richard Blakeley worked at Time Inc., directing product development for People.com, and was responsible for the overall product lifecycle. During his two-year tenure with Time Inc., he produced significant results for the People.com site. He analyzed large-scale data and conducted extensive user and A/B testing to implement changes that resulted in an increase in internal recirculation and average time on the site by 85%. He also directed exploratory user studies to generate feedback, improve features, and further continuous iteration. In addition, he led product initiatives, including video, CMS migration, ad solutions, advanced analytics, and growth. He also oversaw nearly 1 billion monthly newsletter sends and increased average open rates by 45% and CTR by 75%.

Richard of New York has also held key positions at several other media companies, including as the former Director of Digital Products and Strategy at The Week, a weekly news magazine with U.K. and U.S. editions, and as head of Content & Strategy at Thrillist, an online media site covering food, drink, travel, and entertainment. Over two years with Thrillist, he launched branded editorial products for integrated sales and marketing initiatives, worked with designers, producers, editors, and developers, and managed content partnerships and syndication relationships with publishers and e-commerce. He doubled Thrillist’s website traffic.

Creativity Reigns with Richard Blakeley, New York

His diverse ventures reflect his creativity, including founding the Internet’s most significant annual party, The Debutante Ball. The first ball was held in 2008 to celebrate the tech scene and raise money for City Harvest.

Guests included Internet stars, media elites, and venture capitalists for a night of glitz and glamour. As technology spread throughout all industries, including advertising, PR, fashion, and retail, the ball evolved to include technology folk from all walks of life. In its fifth year, The Debutante Ball was featured in Forbes, referring to it as “arguably the best tech party in town.” It also made news in the Daily Beast, Wired, Business Insider, New York Intelligencer, Observer, and other publications.

Richard’s ability to tap into what people were looking for online came to life as co-founder of the hyperlocal blogger platform Neighborhood, a curated online newspaper for neighborhoods. Launched in 2009, it provided New Yorkers with local content for 60 city neighborhoods.

He also founded and directed a full-service internet design company, American Autotroph.

A Member of IADAS

Richard is a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), a network of 2,000 members that helps drive the Internet’s creative, technical, and professional progress. IADAs presents The Webby Awards, The Lovie Awards, and The Anthem Awards. He is also an Associate Judge of The Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

The Personal Side of Richard New York

Hailing from San Francisco, Richard Blakeley attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and has remained in New York ever since. He met his wife Lindsay Kaplan in 2009, and they were married in Beacon, New York, in 2014. They have two sons. Richard and his wife reside in New York City with their kids and dog. His lifelong hobbies include sailing and gardening.