Jonathan Anastas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Education | University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA) University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, (Executive MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Gaming, entertainment, media, marketing, and sports executive, musician |
Jonathan Anastas is an American gaming, entertainment, media, marketing, and sports executive and musician.
Anastas grew up in Gloucester and Cambridge, Massachusetts. [1] He began playing the bass when he was 14, and went to all-ages shows at alternative venues including Gallery East, where he met other musicians. [2] His father, Peter Anastas, was a writer. [3]
Anastas attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied political science and economics and served as student attorney general. He became interested in marketing and advertising after working on student political campaigns. [4]
During the 1980s, Anastas co-founded the Boston hardcore bands, DYS and Slapshot. He recorded the DYS album Brotherhood when he was a sophomore in high school. [5] In addition to playing bass, Anastas wrote songs for both DYS and Slapshot. In a 1986 review of Slapshot's debut album, Back on the Map, Maximum Rocknroll described Anastas as "assaulting his bass with sheer brutality combined with a ton of muscle overdrive." [6]
Both DYS and Slapshot were straight edge: they abstained from alcohol, drugs, and smoking. [7] DYS was known for their early role in the crossover movement, where hardcore punk bands attempted a more commercial hard rock sound and looked toward recording deals within the mainstream major label system, inventing the idea of a "hardcore power ballad" to describe a track on their second metal-influenced album. The band broke up in the mid-1980s. [8] In 2009 they reformed for the first time in over 20 years, performing at the Gallery East Reunion Festival. Their performance was filmed for the documentary xxx All Ages xxx. [2]
Anastas wrote the song "Slam", which appeared on Modern Method Record's This Is Boston, Not L.A. collection. The track was used to score MTV's Santa Claus, the Man, the Myth, the Slam Dancer holiday promo, which ran for over 15 years. [9] [ better source needed ]
His contributions to punk were documented in several books, including All Ages: Reflections on Straight Edge, [10] and American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush. [7] He was featured in the film adaptation of the book, which was released by Sony Pictures in 2006. He also appeared in Chip on My Shoulder: The History of Slapshot, directed by music video director Ian McFarland. [11]
Interested in advertising since college, Anastas worked in the media and client services departments of Mullen Advertising in Wrentham, Massachusetts following his graduation. He spent three years at Mullen before moving to DDB Needham in New York. He was subsequently director of interactive marketing at Saatchi & Saatchi in Los Angeles; he worked with Toyota when the company first started using the internet. [4] After shifting his focus to brand marketing, he served as VP/head of marketing at Atari [12] and as a senior marketing executive at Activision. [13] He was the chief marketing officer at LiveXLive Media and global CMO at Singapore-based ONE eSports before becoming the CEO of ClashTV in March 2023. [14]
Anastas's work has been recognized by publications including Silicon Alley Reporter, The Industry Standard, Adweek, and Ad Age . [15] His campaigns have won EFFIES and Cannes Lions, among other awards. He has spoken at digital, mobile, content, gaming, and marketing conferences. [16] [17]