CEO of Zillow Group to Speak at SPJ/LA's 40th Annual Distinguished Journalists Awards Dinner
The chief executive officer of Zillow Group, Spencer Rascoff, will be the speaker at the annual Distinguished Journalists Awards dinner hosted by the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on April 14.
As CEO of Zillow Group, Rascoff oversees the company’s portfolio of real estate and home-related brands, including consumer brands Zillow, Trulia, StreetEasy, HotPads and Naked Apartments. Rascoff joined Zillow in 2005 as one of its first hires, and served various roles including chief operating officer, until his appointment to CEO in 2010. Since becoming CEO, Rascoff has led Zillow through its 2011 IPO and 11 acquisitions. In 2015, Rascoff co-wrote and published his first book, the New York Times’ Best Seller “Zillow Talk: Rewriting the Rules of Real Estate.”
Last year, Rascoff wrote a piece for Fortune.com on how his high school journalism instructor, SPJ/LA honoree Kathleen Neumeyer, prepared him to lead a major corporation.
Fortune and Forbes both listed Rascoff as one of America's most powerful CEOs under 40 and he is a recipient of Ernst and Young’s National Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Before joining Zillow, Rascoff was vice president of lodging for Expedia. In 1999, at the age of 24, Rascoff co-founded Hotwire.com, a leading Internet travel company, which a few years later he sold to InterActiveCorp (the parent company of Expedia). Before his consumer Web career, Rascoff was in investment banking and private equity. He worked in the mergers and acquisitions group at Goldman Sachs and an associate at TPG Capital. Rascoff graduated cum laude from Harvard University.
Rascoff is on the boards of directors of TripAdvisor and privately held online beauty company Julep. He is also a member of the Young Presidents' Organization, and is on the advisory board of Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
This year, the Distinguished Journalist honorees are: Steve Loeper, West Coast entertainment editor at the Associated Press; Frank Suraci, city editor of the Daily Breeze; Frank Mottek, business news anchor at KNX; David Ono, co-anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News; and Adrian Glick Kudler, senior editor of Curbed LA.
The Freedom of Information award will go to Theodore Boutrous, a partner in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
The chapter will also recognize Don Barrett, who chronicled the personalities behind Los Angeles radio news for nearly 20 years on LARadio.com, and longtime journalism instructor Kathleen Neumeyer, a former reporter with United Press International and a freelance writer.Longtime journalist Sandy Banks will be the mistress of ceremonies.
Tickets for the event are $100 for members, $140 for non-members; tables of 10 are $1000. To make a reservation, contact Alice Walton at AliceMWalton@gmail.com or (310) 595-5612.
The annual awards banquet will be held on Thursday, April 14 at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel in downtown. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.