No matter the endeavor, Paul J. Caine has always found himself at the helm. His career has spanned a spectrum of media and major companies, including well-known names like Time, WestwoodOne and Bloomberg. He has held the titles of president, chief revenue officer and CEO among others, but he doesn't define his career as "leadership."
"I never thought about it as ending up in leadership roles. I just get very passionate about ideas and how to better serve people," Caine said. "When I see an opportunity in the market, I get very excited."
Today, Caine is chairman of the boards of video advertising firm Telaria Inc. and global marketing agency Engine Group, and CEO/founder of investment advisory organization PC Ventures.
He started his career in advertising at J. Walter Thompson after graduating from IU in 1986 with a degree in telecommunications and a minor in business.
From there, Caine moved on to USA Today, where he was the company's then-youngest-ever salesman. He did a brief stint at Psychology Today before he was recruited to join the sales team of one of Time Inc.'s most coveted titles: People magazine.
He spent over 23 years rising through the ranks at Time. He wrote the business plan and led the launch of Teen People, a publication that would become a major voice for American teens.
Caine later served as publisher of Entertainment Weekly and People, where he spun off titles including People StyleWatch and People.com. By 2011, Caine was executive vice president, chief revenue officer and group president of Time Inc., overseeing all U.S.-based brands, including People, Time, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Real Simple and many others.
In 2013, he left Time Inc. to become CEO of Dial Global, the leading U.S. radio syndication company with an audience of over 250 million Americans per week. During his tenure, he renamed the company to WestwoodOne and helped orchestrate its sale to radio broadcasting company Cumulus Media. Today, WestwoodOne remains the largest audio network in the U.S.
Caine left WestwoodOne and joined Bloomberg Media as global chief revenue and client partnerships officer. He left Bloomberg in 2016 and has since devoted his professional time to Engine Group, Telaria and PC Ventures.
PC Ventures' investments include Blue Marble, an organic ice cream company that sells to companies like Starbucks and Whole Foods, and Wolf + Friends, a social networking and content platform for mothers of children with special needs.
Caine has a particular passion for issues related to families, mothers and children. In 2007, Caine and his wife started Griffin Cares at Englewood Health in New Jersey in memory of their son, Griffin. Griffin Cares supports families who have experienced infant loss.
"Pam and I always felt that everyone has the opportunity to help make other people's lives better. Griffin Cares was created to carry on Griffin's legacy and help support families in our community who have experienced this type of devastating loss," Caine said.
Caine is a member of the Advertising Hall of Achievement and the MIN Hall of Fame, and has been recognized with many industry awards, including Radio Ink's 40 Most Powerful People in Radio, the Adweek 50, Crain New York's "40 Under 40" and the Advertising Club of New York's President's Award. In 2010, Caine received the Distinguished Alumni Award from IU's College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association.
Caine is proud to serve on The Media School's Dean's Advisory Board.