About Jon Flatt
Jon Flatt Bio
Jon Flatt is an exceptional individual with a diverse background encompassing music, AI digital technology, and entrepreneurship. Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, Jon ventured to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue a career in music. He honed his skills at the Musicians Institute of Technology and spent fourteen years immersed in the vibrant Los Angeles music scene. During this time, Jon established the indie label Monolith Records and collaborated with his group, Native Tongue La. Their undeniable talent caught the attention of Kim Stevens from Atlantic Records, resulting in a record deal. Although the group disbanded after recording four songs, Jon’s experience in the music industry shaped his perspective on creativity and discipline.
In the late 1990s, Jon’s fascination with the internet’s transformative potential in the music industry and beyond took hold. He recognized the immense power of online platforms to support independent artists. However, Jon faced setbacks in his internet journey when he relocated to Austin, Texas, in 2002, only to be laid off within a week as the dot-com bubble burst. Undeterred, he joined Mall.com as a salesperson and sales trainer for two years. Fuelled by his entrepreneurial drive, Jon founded his own company, Wholesale Clicks, in 2002, despite facing resource constraints.
Wholesale Clicks encountered significant challenges in its early stages, and Jon’s family struggled to make ends meet. Nevertheless, Jon’s perseverance paid off, and the business experienced remarkable growth in its second year, surpassing larger companies in revenue generation. Recognizing the need for strategic partnerships to fuel further expansion, Jon connected with James Reid, a financial consultant who introduced him to Red McCombs, an influential figure in the media industry. The partnership between Jon’s company and Red McCombs led to explosive growth, earning recognition from INC 500 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States for consecutive years.
In 2008, Jon devised a strategy to sustain RMM’s growth while maintaining profitability. Seeking valuable resources and web sales capabilities, he orchestrated a successful acquisition by LIN Media in November 2009. This partnership proved fruitful, as RMM Online consistently outperformed industry growth rates. In 2013, Jon embarked on a new venture with the creation of JforceX, a research and development company focused on studying AI and mobile trends in advertising and audience aggregation.
After a brief hiatus, Jon assumed the role of CEO at KERV Interactive, where he propelled the company’s success. Under his leadership, KERV Interactive was named among the “Top 50 brands in Silicon Valley” and received two Lumiere awards at the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles for excellence in AI technology and growth. Furthermore, KERV Interactive garnered another INC 500 award.
Jon Flatt’s journey epitomizes his entrepreneurial spirit, resilience in the face of challenges, and commitment to remaining at the forefront of industry trends. With his profound background in music, AI marketing, and business innovation, Jon is widely recognized as an innovator and a true visionary in the new digital and AI-driven economy.
“Jon Flatt is a true entrepreneur and pioneer in the fast growing world of online advertising. His philosophies on innovation and business operations in the new economy have proven to be very successful.” (April 14, 2009)
– Red McCombs, billionaire and former owner of The Minnesota Vikings
“Jon Flatt is a visionary who has the unique ability to identify early adopter trends in online advertising and more importantly, develop and execute strategies to capitalize upon those trends.” (April 14, 2009)
– Rad Weaver, partner at McCombs Enterprises
“I have witnessed firsthand Jon’s unique ability to lead and build a company from the ground up. He has the unique ability to create technology, operations and company vision based on identifying early adopter trends in the market place.” (June 2013)
– Bruce Knox, VP at Circuit of the Americas
“Jon has a unique ability to quickly understand very complex issues and come up with effective scaleable solutions. His abilities as a problem solver are among the best I have ever experienced.” (May 14, 2015)
– Scott Friesen, CEO of Verdant Frontiers
What Business Stars Say About Jon Flatt:
“I have witnessed firsthand Jon`s unique ability to lead and build a company from the ground up. He has a proven track record to create technology, operations and company vision based on identifying early adopter trends in the market place”, VP , Circuit of the Americas
“Jon Flatt is a true entrepreneur and pioneer in the fast growing world of online advertising. His philosophies on innovation and business operations in the new economy have proven to be very successful.”, Billionaire and former owner of , The Minnesota Vikings
“Jon has an uncanny ability to quickly understand very complex issues and come up with effective scaleable solutions. His abilities as a problem solver are among the best I have ever experienced”, CEO , Verdant Frontiers
“Jon Flatt is a visionary who has the unique ability to identify early adopter trends in online advertising and more importantly, develop and execute strategies to capitalize upon those trends.”, Partner , McCombs Enterprises
“Jon Flatt builds and leads profitable, highly successful, and rapid growth companies. He is able to focus on mentoring excellent leadership teams, attracting top talent, and gaining employee loyalty during an intense high growth revenue stage. Having worked as CFO for Jon's previous company, Lin Digital, I was able to see first hand his razor sharp focus on building a highly profitable business with an end goal to produce company, employee and shareholder returns.”, CFO , Nfluient
“With almost two decades of experience in digital advertising sales, business operations, and as a publisher, Jon brings a level of combined expertise not seen often in the digital space. Leveraging owned and paid assets for revenue and sales is tough. Building a business from that success is even more difficult. Few people exist that can help you accomplish those types of goals. Jon is one of them. ”, Director, Business Development , Varick Media Management
“Jon Flatt is a true visionary in the digital space. He's a born entrepreneur, leader, and always has his finger on the pulse of "whats next".”, Regional Account Executive , LIN Digital
“If you are looking to improve your company culture, attract the best talent and position your company for maximum growth, you need to be talking to Jon. Early on in the digital World, Jon realized that tech is an important component in the Red McCombs Media value proposition and while service is key, a tech platform would position the company far beyond competitors. He conceptualized and created RedZone, a platform that streamlines internal workflow that competitors are still trying to replicate in 2016 and gives full, real-time data access to agency clients and brands beyond the limitations of a DSP or an ad server. This is just one of many things that made Red McCombs Media attractive to bidders and led to the purchase of Red McCombs Media by LIN Media. With the powerful combination of tech and service touted by LIN Media, they were purchased by Media General, who was then purchased by NexStar. All of these companies achieved great success as a result of Jon’s early work…work which has withstood the test of time.”, regional account lead , Centro