Meet the teamAdam Kleinberg

CEO. Thought Leader. Bonsai pruner.

Adam Kleinberg
CEO

Adam Kleinberg

Born and raised in New York, Adam bought a one way ticket to California after graduating from Cornell. From an early age, he was attracted to art and technology— programming video games on a PET computer in 6th grade — so the exploding digital scene in 1996 San Francisco felt like home.

In the entrepreneurial spirit, he bought a book on Photoshop and declared himself a web designer. After a few years at a handful of agencies, he had officially earned the title. In 1997, he was blogging before the word “blog” was coined. In 1998, he was the resident Flash guy at Think New Ideas, a hot integrated agency. In 2000, he was recruited to help start the SF office of Tribal DDB.

Adam and his partners founded Traction in 2001 (in the spare bedroom of his apartment) on the principle that doing great work is easier with talented people you like and admire. Twenty great years of collaboration with some of the world's greatest brands have borne out that philosophy.

In 2019, he led the transformation of Traction into a marketing accelerator to better serve the needs of brands in today's fast-paced, data-driven environment. He plays a hands-on strategic role with Traction's clients to help ensure that their business objectives are aligned with the needs, desires and behaviors of their customers.

A prolific writer, Adam has spoken at dozens of industry conferences around the world and published over one hundred articles in industry publications such as Adweek, Ad Age, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and others. In 2013, he was a MediaPost All-Star, an award given to the three most influential digital creatives in the US each year. He is an amateur bonsai artist and can occasionally be found at Lake Merritt in Oakland practicing tai chi.

Recent articles
The Futureproof Dinner in New York City
Friday, April 5, 2024The Futureproof Project: Driving Growth with AI

The Futureproof Project's "Driving Growth with AI" event in New York was honored to have Cezanne Huq, VP of Growth at HelloFresh join us as our special guest.

Campaign US Agency of the Year 2024 Ceremony
Thursday, March 28, 2024Traction named Talent Management Team of the Year

UPDATE: WE WON! Traction was named the Campaign US Agency of the Year in the Talent Management category.

The Futureproof Project: Generative AI
Wednesday, March 6, 2024The Futureproof Project: Savvy Marketing in the AI Era

Our latest Futureproof Project event in San Francisco, "Savvy Marketing in the AI Era," was a profound exploration of how AI reshapes our understanding of marketing, innovation, and societal norms. I had the honor of sitting down with Shiv Singh, a vanguard in the intersection of marketing and digital innovation.

Core Team
Kristen Bergman
Kristen BergmanClient Partner
Chelsea Huber
Chelsea HuberProgram Manager
Caroline Crawford Fish
Caroline Crawford FishSenior Program Manager

Traction is a new breed of marketing agency and consultancy—a marketing accelerator for brands and their in-house teams.

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