Founder & CEO : Chairman of the Board
Edward ‘Ted’ Murphy is a serial entrepreneur who has founded six companies since 1994. Today he is Founder and CEO of IZEA. Murphy has been called the father of paid blogging and is largely credited for creating the social media sponsorship industry. Ted’s vision for democratizing content and influencer compensation is now a reality in most marketing strategies, from top brands and agencies to small businesses.
Murphy has bootstrapped companies off credit cards, been VC backed and most recently brought IZEA public. His disruptive approach and leadership have enabled him to raise over $21 million in equity for his entrepreneurial endeavors in both public and private markets. Murphy’s backers have included top tier VCs Draper Fischer Jurvetson and Village Ventures as well as billionaire Dr. Phillip Frost.
Murphy has consulted for some of the world’s largest marketing organizations including FOX, Bombardier, General Motors, SeaWorld and Disney. He has also negotiated deals with celebrities such as Kim Kardashion, Diddy and Bob Villa. Murphy is a prominent visionary, speaking and presenting to marketing and Internet professionals around the world.
Featured in/on : CNBC, Wired, USA Today, Forbes, New York Post, Business Week, PC World, CNN Money, Fortune, Fortune Small Business, Business 2.0, Create, HOW, Adweek, Advertising Age, Orlando Business Journal, Los Angeles Times, iMedia, Search Engine Journal and TechCrunch
Ted has grown the IZEA network to over 750k registered influencers and 50k registered advertisers in 147 countries. The company has successfully completed more than 3.5 million social media sponsorships across the company’s platforms including Staree, IZEA Media, Sponsored Tweets and SocialSpark.
Murphy served as Chairman of the IZEA Board from May 2011 to January 2013. Immediately prior to IZEA Ted founded interactive agency MindComet. In 2005 he introduced PayPerPost to the social media marketplace which broke off from MindComet in 2006 and later became IZEA.
An avid athlete, Ted has completed 14 marathons and lives in Orlando with his family: wife Tara, son Zane and dog Bonzo. He is active in the Orlando community and supports a variety of charities, including Habitat for Humanity and Rock for Hunger.
