Jim Bankoff

James Philip Bankoff (born December 23, 1969) is an American businessman who is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vox Media. He previously worked for AOL and joined Vox Media's predecessor, SB Nation, in 2009. Early life and education James Philip Bankoff was born to Marvin and Adrienne Bankoff on December 23, 1969, and raised in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. His father owned a jewelry business and his mother worked as an editor. Bankoff developed an interest in media at an early age. He obtained a bachelor's degree in international studies from Emory University. During his senior year, he interned at CNN. Bankoff earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Career Early career and AOL Bankoff initially worked as a production assistant for the WETA-TV series Washington Week. He also worked at Ruder Finn's Global Public Affairs group, where he became an account supervisor in 1991. After graduating from Wharton, he declined job offers from The New York Times, The Walt Disney Company, and a record company to join AOL in 1995. In various roles, he worked on projects including AIM, AOL.com, AOL Music, FanHouse, MapQuest, Moviefone, and Netscape. He focused on the company's digital content business, helped the company acquire Engadget, and was involved in the creation of TMZ.