Ian Bell (CEO)

Ian Bell (born October 12, 1976) is co-founder of technology news and reviews site Digital Trends and men’s lifestyle site The Manual, both owned by the privately held Designtechnica, where he serves as CEO. In 2017 he was named a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.[1] Prior to founding Digital Trends, Bell held positions at Intel, Lockheed Martin, and The Ostler Group, a strategic marketing firm.

For other uses, see Ian Bell (disambiguation).
Ian Bell
Born (1976-10-12) October 12, 1976
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationCEO of Designtechnica Corp.
Known forDigital Trends, The Manual
Board member ofThe Outdoor Project

Career
Main article: Digital Trends

Bell co-founded Digital Trends in 2006 with Dan Gaul, who is currently CTO. The pair started the site above a small furniture store in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Their goal was “to share with the world their love for home theater, cars, and all things tech -- but from their unique viewpoint that technology should be fun, easy to use, and designed well.”[2] In May 2009, Digital Trends moved its headquarters from Lake Oswego into the US Bancorp Tower in Downtown Portland, Oregon.[3] The company opened a second office in New York City in 2012, and in 2014 Bell launched Digital Trends en Español, a Spanish-language version of the technology site led by Editor-in-Chief Juan Garcia.

Bell has remained focused on maintaining a profitable business, even as the sites he co-founded have grown. “Being profitable has always been at the forefront of what we want to do,” he told media and marketing news site Digiday in 2016. “You have to be a little more strategic, and if you fail, you fail a lot quicker.”[4] In late summer of that year, Re/Code reported on a deal with Conde Nast to acquire Digital Trends for $120 million, noting that the site was expected to generate $30 million in revenue for the year and around $6 million in profit. Bell denied that his company was in talks, but acknowledged that he "is periodically approached by would-be buyers."[5] Digiday wrote about the deal as well, comparing the site's traffic to "such properties as the Purch network, CNET and The Verge, and ahead of USA Today Tech, Yahoo Tech, and Business Insider’s Tech Insider."[4] In 2010, Bell settled a sexual harassment lawsuit at Digital Trends.[6]

The Manual

Bell and Gaul co-founded men's lifestyle site The Manual in 2012. According to the site, "The Manual is simple — we show men how to live a life that is more engaged. Whether it be fashion, food, drink, travel, grooming, or culture, we’re here to provide insight into it all."[7] The Manual is run by Editor in Chief Cator Sparks.

Awards
  • 2017 - Bell was named a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.[1] 2016 winners include J.W. Bill Marriott, Ben Chestnut, founder of MailChimp, and Fitbit founder James Park.
  • 2015 - Bell was named to the Portland Business Journal’s 40 under 40.[8]
  • 2004–2011 – Bell was the recipient of Microsoft MVP award for Digital Media.[9]

References
  1. "Digital Trends CEO Ian Bell named finalist for Entrepreneur of The Year 2017 Award in the Pacific Northwest". Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  2. "About Us". Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  3. Turoczy, Rick (May 1, 2009). "Movin' on up: Digital Trends takes up residence in Big Pink". Silicon Florist.
  4. Moses, Lucia (September 15, 2016). "Digital Trends found a highly profitable niche among tech review sites without relying on Facebook". Digiday.
  5. Kafka, Peter (August 10, 2016). "Condé Nast came close to buying tech review site Digital Trends for $120 million, but the deal isn't happening". Re/Code.
  6. Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2020-06-11). "Portland tech site reckons with employee backlash". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  7. "About us - The Manual". The Manual. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  8. Spencer, Malia (February 23, 2015). "Meet Portland's 11 young tech leaders on the 40 under 40 list". Portland Business Journal.
  9. "www.linkedin.com/in/ianbell330/". linkedin.com. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
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