Joel Babbit

NARRATIVE CONTENT GROUP is one of the nation's leading content marketing companies: creating, distributing, and publishing content for its own websites and in partnership with many of the world’s leading brands, including AT&T, Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Georgia-Pacific, Newman’s Own, Genuine Parts, Delta, Southern Company, and Bacardi. Websites owned by NARRATIVE include Mother Nature Network (mnn.com), its flagship property and the most visited for-profit site in the world for news and information related to sustainability. Founded in 2009 by Joel and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell, NARRATIVE equity partners include CNN and Discovery Communications.

Prior to launching NARRATIVE, Joel spent over 25 years in the advertising and public relations industry. He began his career at McCann-Erickson, where he worked on The Coca-Cola Company account, a client relationship that continues to this day. He was a co-founder and served as CEO of Babbit & Reiman Advertising, which became one of the largest advertising agencies in the Southeast and was acquired by Gold Greenlees Trott in 1991. He later co-founded and served as CEO of 360, which was acquired by WPP's Grey Global Group in 2002. Following Atlanta’s selection to host the 1996 Olympics, he took a leave of absence from the private sector and was appointed the City’s first Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and also served as a member of the Mayor’s cabinet during this historic period.

In 1992, Joel received the John Drewry Award for Distinguished Achievement in Journalism and was awarded The John Holliman Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 by his alma mater, The University of Georgia. He has been active in numerous civic and non-profit organizations including Young Presidents Organization, CDC Foundation Board of Visitors, Management Executives Society, GCAPP, Atlanta History Center, and The Anti-Defamation League. He is a Director of Primerica (NYSE: PRI), GreenSky Credit, and The National Health Museum.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]