An Interview with Elisa Camahort Page

Co-founder of BlogHer

Earlier this year, ‘Forbes' magazine asked CBS news anchor Katie Couric to list the Seven Most Powerful People in New Media. In amongst the founders of Google, Twitter and Facebook were Elisa Camahort Page of BlogHer, and her co-founders Lisa Stone and Jory Des Jardins.

In the space of five years, Elisa and her co-founders have developed the BlogHer network to make it not only the Web's top guide to blogs by women, but the host of the world's largest conferences for bloggers (male or female). The first conference in 2005 was attended by 300 bloggers. The fifth, in 2009 attracted 1500 participants, and was sold out months before the event. In 2006 an advertising network was added, which provides women with an opportunity to make money from their blogs.

BlogHer's mission is ‘to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment.' Elisa Camahort Page is at the forefront of that mission and she clearly relishes her role in providing those opportunities. A keen blogger herself (she writes for 8 different blogs), she is a warm and friendly woman who embodies the very best aspects of online female communities.

The Basics

1.    Name

Elisa Camahort Page  

2.    Web/Blog address if applicable

http://blogher.com

3.    Where do you live?

San Jose, CA

a.       Are you from there originally?

Born in Berkeley, lived in Millbrae, CA until 7.

b.    Where else have you lived?

Lived in Acton, MA for two years, then lived in Sunnyvale, CA for rest of growing up.

Went to college at San Jose State, then lived in NYC after college.

Back in Bay Area for last (almost) 20 years.

4.    What is your living situation?

a.    Partner?

b.    Kids?

Married, no kids.

5.    Job?

a.    How long?

Co-founded BlogHer almost 5 years ago.

b.    What other jobs have you had?

Prior to BlogHer: Had marketing consultancy: Worker Bees.

Prior to Worker Bees: Ran product management for a cable broadband technology manufacturer.

Prior to cable industry was in commodities industry.

Prior to that was a starving artist in NYC (actress/singer).

The Tough Ones

1.    Summarize your entire life in 10 words or less.

 A checkered past, but a limitless future.

2.    Tell us what your typical day is like currently.

I get up between 6-6:30. I work from home until the carpool lanes open up at 9am, then drive to the office. Work until 6-7pm, and commute home. Make dinner, watch TV, continue to check e-mail and monitor Twitter until I go to bed between 10-11pm. Invariably wake up at least once during night and spend an hour or two mulling over things I need to do. And then it starts all over again.

3.    Tell us about the person that has had the most profound impact on your life:

a.    During the last five years

My BlogHer co-founders Lisa Stone and Jory Des Jardins.

b.    From the very beginning

My mom was definitely my career role model. She was part of the feminist second wave, going back to work in the 70s...and working to this day.

4.    What is the greatest joy or achievement you have ever experienced in your life and how did that impact you?

Probably welcoming everyone to the very first BlogHer. After 120 days of crazy planning and seeing a community blossom out of seemingly nowhere, to see all 300 people crammed in that room...and hear everyone be so excited to be there...it was amazing. And only the beginning.

5.    Let's pretend your life is a blank slate for 1 year - no partner, kids, job, baggage of any sort. You can reinvent yourself completely and take a year to do exactly what you want without any consequence to your current life. How would you spend that year?

Singing

6.    What (if anything) are you able to do better now than at any other time in your life?

Write

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