Mike DeMaio

For 20 years Mike DeMaio has utilized innovation, creativity, multiculturalism, globalism, influence networks and technology as the dominant forces shaping the decisions and companies he has built and the clients he has advised.
 
In 1988 he launched Motorola’s MicroTac, the first palm sized cell phone in history. It was a leap in innovation that established a multi-billion dollar wireless industry and revolutionized the field of personal communication.
 
In 1990 he took over General Motors marketing in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait and the U.A.E., blending the power of direct to consumer marketing with the subtlely of cultural differentiation.
 
In 1999 he took the Chief Operating Officer’s job at Burrell Communications — the largest African American Marketing Agency in the world. Supervising on global brands such as P&G, Coke, McDonalds & Verizon, he launched the Yurban™ network, a youth marketing initiative that tapped the persuasive influence African American youth exert on general consumer behavior.
 
Over the years he has helped build mega brands such as Kahlua, Pennzoil, Corona, Neutrogena and adidas with innovative marketing platforms that catalyze the forces of culture, fashion, entertainment, sports, music, and technology.
 
In 2006 recognizing the technological tsunami that was overwhelming longstanding companies, Mike launched Media Nexus — a digital media lab consultancy dedicated to developing new media solutions for global brands.
 
Media Nexus represents Dolce and Gabbana, MTV Italy, Bacardi and the Los Angeles Times and develops mobile branded applications that are shifting the way consumers interact, exchange and consume media.
 
Mike has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, Advertising Age, Adweek and Backstage. He is a graduate of Yale University and a licensed attorney.