By Peter Berton
TORONTO – Grand Slam Media is known for two things: bringing together adult publishers and advertisers and throwing a helluva party every time they get a chance.
Both aspects worked together to earn the company a 2013 YNOT Award for Best Emerging Company. This year, Grand Slam is nominated in the Best Traffic Services in North America category.
Jason Hunt is the Canadian company’s global sales executive, and Kelan Stone is head of publisher acquisitions.
YNOT.com: What or who do you credit for winning the 2013 YNOT Award?
Jason Hunt: Our ever-growing client base and the new partnerships we have formed are major accomplishments that led us to Best Emerging Company.
We have been around the industry for more than seven years, but for years we flew under the radar. We did not focus on spreading the Grand Slam name, because we had a “silent and violent” approach. That is probably why we became a presence so quickly in 2008. Nobody saw it coming. You just woke up and we were there.
GSM seen growth for 25 consecutive quarters. How did you accomplish that?
Jason Hunt: We have achieved 25 quarters of continuous growth by building strong relationships, cohesive teamwork and constant innovation. Currently we are 20 employees strong and continue to stride forward, finding ourselves in a position for endless growth as we continue to create new business relationships every day.
It doesn’t hurt that we pretty much live at the office, either!
What makes GSM such a close-knit team?
Jason Hunt: Management has always encouraged employees to take risks. They have instilled confidence in the team and allowed us to make mistakes. Conquering obstacles and learning from our mistakes together has been important in our growth as a team.
Needless to say, we spend more time with each other than with our pets — so much so that our dogs now come with us to the office.
What is your favorite thing about the adult industry?
Jason Hunt: The people! Not only are we lucky enough to travel around the world seeing new places, but we get to build relationships with amazing people all over the world while growing our business at the same time. In what other industry can you have business meetings on a topless beach while sipping mojitos?
What doesn’t the industry know about GSM?
Kelan Stone: That we have a very diverse group in terms of nationalities. We have people who are mixed from all over. Portuguese, Italian, Maltese, Greek, Chinese, French…. It makes for interesting days at the office, to say the least.
GSM’s House of Slam party during Internext in May certainly generated buzz. Do you plan to do that again?
Kelan Stone: The epic House of Slam event featured live performances by Too $hort and Mobb Deep, was emceed by KB and Peachez, and provided an open bar, VIP room and bottle service. The whole thing took place at the historic Republic New Orleans club.
The night was a huge success. The objective of bringing our industry personalities together to create lasting memories and to show our appreciation for the companies we do business with was definitely accomplished.
If you missed out in New Orleans, be sure to circle your calendar for Las Vegas in January. The next House of Slam promises to be unforgettable. The bar was set high in May, so don’t miss out.
