Educational Track
Analytics & Measurement
Speaker Bio
Jim Knutt prides himself on setting new standards of originality and creativity in the sales, marketing and advertising industry. A recognized visionary in the field, he has won over 50 industry awards including both national and international awards such as the New York Film Festival, Emmy, Addy, and Promax. Jim is a 25-year agency veteran with an additional 10 years in television station creative production. He brings a wealth of expertise in electronic media, strategic and creative development, digital marketing and advertising, and website/online application conceptualization and development.
Driven by a love for technology and a desire to seek answers for challenges, Jim has proven himself to be an adept technology entrepreneur, founding three companies. His most recent business is YuVie video, a next generation video marketing startup. Founding these companies has given Jim the ability to leverage his experience in marketing and advertising, technology, media, retail, entertainment, health care, hospitality, automotive, and home industries among others.
His longer running business, which he has led for the past 25+ years, is Tropic Survival Advertising and Marketing. The company has always prided itself on adapting to new and future technology. Jim has directed its core business not only creative but also towards building proprietary online video technology and publishing applications, 360-degree camera technology and the development of holographic screens. Tropic Survival is a multilingual advertising agency which has worked with companies such as Holman Automotive, Sunset Automotive, Lazy Boy, Lexington, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Leon Medical, Total Gym and the Cleveland Hospital among others. Tropic Survival was one of two agencies tasked with marketing the original launch of The Golf Channel.
In launching CometAds, Jim was quick to take up the challenge provided by long term Tropic Survival clients, who wanted help breaking into digital marketing and brand building. This new venture specializes in digital marketing including SEM, SEO, PPC, in-app advertising and display advertising. Having grown the business from the ground up and worked with large industry leading clients such as Holman Automotive, Sunset Automotive, Lazy Boy and Lexington, he ensured CometAds was client friendly through the use of easy to understand and use marketing campaign tracking apps.
Never one to shirk from a challenge, Jim’s latest venture has him developing a product to help create viral marketing videos in less than 1 minute. The newest startup, YuVie, is currently on track to be launched in 2023. It’s origin lies in a question, “how do you reach those beyond traditional print and traditional digital media?”
Prior to founding his own businesses, Jim spent a decade working in the television medium, producing television commercial productions, and developing future television commercial programs and video presentations for national manufacturers. He began his career with KCCO TV/CBS Broadcasting as a Creative Sales Director before holding the role of Creative Services Producer with WSVN 7 Miami, Hubbard Broadcasting and then an eight-year stint as Creative Services Brand Specialist Producer with WPLG.
When he is not running his own companies, Jim also serves as a member of several boards and an advisor to non-profits. He has also been a board member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a charity that raises money for the children of fallen marines, and is deeply involved with the ALS and Komen charities
A North Dakota native, Jim Knutt graduated Brown College with a major in Broadcast Communications. He also holds a FCC First Class Engineering License. After graduating, he moved to Florida to pursue his love of golf, eventually rising to the position of Sponsorship Director of the Weston Hills Country Club’s Men’s Golf Association.
Jim has been married to his wife Mari for the last 30 years. Their two children, Kelby and Tyler also work within the advertising industry. They enjoy spending family time together and traveling as much as possible.
