Scott Arpajian

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scott Loewen Arpajian (* 1973 in Mount Kisco , New York ) is an American technology manager, entrepreneur and author, best known for being the co-founder of the software download website Download.com. He is currently CEO of the Spanish download website Softonic.

Early life and education

Arpajian was born to Lee Arpajian and Stephanie Fay Arpajian and grew up in Westchester County , New York. When Arpajian was 4 years old, his family moved to Chappaqua , New York. Arpajian got his start in technology as a teenager, using CompuServe , Prodigy, Bulletin Board Systems, and the IBM PC Jr.

Arpajian's education took place at Horace Greeley High School, from 1988 he studied at Boston University. In 1992 he received his Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies. While at Boston University , Arpajian was Creative Director for the University College of Communication's AdLab, a full-service, student-run advertising agency in Boston .

Career

In 1993, Arpajian got his first tech job as Associate Editor for ZDNet, a popular online service operated by Ziff Davis . He stayed there until 1996.

CNET Networks and Download.com

In April 1996, Arpajian joined CNET Networks in the position of Executive Producer, Software Services. During the first few weeks of his employment, he had the idea of ​​taking over one of CNET's domains, Download.com, and using it to launch a software download website. Download.com started in October 1996 and immediately became very popular. The service received the “People's Voice” Webby Award for IT / Hardware in 2005 and won the jury award in the same category in 2007.

Rocket Paper Scissors and Dizzywood

In 2006 Arpajian became an entrepreneur, co-founder of the Tiburon -based start-up Rocket Paper Scissors , along with Sean Kelly and Ken Marden. Rocket Paper Scissor's first project was the massively multiplayer online game Dizzywood in November 2007 . Dizzywood was an online world for kids where they could play free games, discover unique and imaginative places, and meet new friends in a safe environment. Dizzywoods was popular with children ages 8 to 12 and the online community grew very quickly. The game reached over 400,000 monthly users worldwide and was featured in many press channels, including the New York Times. Within three years, Dizzywood's collaborative world grew to more than 1.5 million users. In 2010, Dizzywood was consolidated when San Mateo- based SecretBuilders bought Dizzywood's assets. The game world closed in 2010, but the site with most of the content is still online today.

Walt Disney Company

In June 2012, Arpajian became Vice President Strategy and International of Disney Social Games, part of Disney Interactive . There he was in charge of the areas of acquisition, international trading and franchise strategy until July 2014.

Softonic

In February 2015, leading software download website Softonic announced that it had appointed Arpajian as CEO. This made him the Spanish company's first American senior executive. Immediately after joining the company, Arpajian made the momentous decision to discontinue the company's controversial Softonic Downloader product in an effort to regain user trust. Arpajian later founded Clean and Safe, an initiative aimed at cleaning up the website's software catalog and providing a safer user experience for users. Under the leadership of Arpajian, Softonic was able to return to profitability in just 7 months after a period of economic pressure. This gave Softonic the impetus to consider an expansion again.

Writing activity

Arpajian is the author of three books on technology: How to Use HTML3 , How to Use HTML 3.2 (with Robert Mullen ), and How to Use the World Wide Web (with Wayne Ause ).

Awards and honors

Arpajian is a regular invited speaker at tech conferences across Europe and the United States. In 1997 he received the Computer Press Association Award for Best How-To Book.

Private life

Arpajian has been married to the writer Kirsten Arpajian (née Bollen) since 2002 . They live in Barcelona with their two children .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Download.com | The Webby Awards ”. Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  2. ↑ "CNET Download.com | The Webby Awards ”.  www.webbyawards.com. Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  3. ↑ Slatalla, Michelle (2008-05-08). "The Web Offers Lots of New Ways for Pre-Teenagers to Reinvent Themselves" . The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331 . Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  4. ^ "Consolidation comes to kids casual game sites as SecretBuilders buys Dizzywoods assets (exclusive)" . IT breaking news. 2010-12-17. Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  5. ↑ "Dizzywood | A fun and free game for kids ". dizzywood.com. Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  6. ^ "Softonic, ante su última oportunidad dieciocho años después. Noticias de Tecnología ”.  El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  7. ↑ Bolaños, David G. (June 7, 2017). “Nueva Era en Softonic: ¿Que Hay de Nuevo en Una de las Marca Veteranas de Internet?”  [A New Era at Softonic: What's New at One of the Veteran Internet Brands?]. Cinco Días (in Spanish). PRISA. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ "From Publisher To App Developer: Softonic Engineers A Turnaround | AdExchanger ".  AdExchanger. 2016-05-19. Retrieved on 2017-08-31.
  9. ↑ Berengueras, Josep M. (August 29, 2017). "El renacer de Softonic"  [The rebirth of Softonic]. Periódico (in Spanish). Grupo Zeta. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
personal data
SURNAME Arpajian, Scott
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Arpajian, Scott Loewen (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American technology manager, entrepreneur, and author
DATE OF BIRTH 1973
PLACE OF BIRTH Mount Kisco , New York