Adam Kleinberg
CEO/Co-founderTraction
DONE
Born and raised in New York, Adam bought a one-way ticket to California after graduating from Cornell. From an early age, he was attracted to art and technology— programming video games on a PET computer in 6th grade — so the exploding digital scene in 1996 San Francisco felt like home.
In the entrepreneurial spirit, he bought a book on Photoshop and declared himself a web designer. After a few years at a handful of agencies, he had officially earned the title. Adam and his partners founded Traction in 2001 (in the spare bedroom of Adam’s apartment) on the principle that doing great work is easier with people you like and admire. Fifteen great years and a full trophy case have borne out their philosophy. The consultancy has produced experiences for brands such as Apple, Adobe, Alibaba.com, Bank of America, McCormick and Walmart.
A prolific writer, Adam has published scores of articles in Ad Age, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and others. In 2013, he was a MediaPost All-Star, an award given to the three most influential digital creatives in the US each year. Adam practices tai chi and lives in Oakland with his family, two pit bulls and more cats than he’s willing to admit.