I spend considerable time covering IT mergers and acquisitions. Now, it’s time for me to shift the spotlight directly onto our business. Specifically, Nine Lives Media Inc., the company behind MSPmentor, has been acquired by Penton Media. Effective immediately, the Nine Lives Media brands — MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud — are part of Penton’s Technology Group. But don’t call it an exit strategy. This is an acceleration strategy. Here’s why.
As you may recall, Amy Katz and I launched Nine Lives Media in 2008. Our goal was to disrupt established IT media markets, and define emerging IT media markets. The result? Our blog-driven communities have redefined how the IT Channel communicates, collaborates and marches forward.
Our commitment to our mission, our community members, and our sponsors continues under Penton Media’s ownership. We’re not leaving. Instead, our team plans to engage even more deeply with the IT Channel and the managed services market.
Powerful Parent
Indeed, we’re gaining some clear economies of scale. Let me give you some examples. Led by CEO Sharon Rowlands, Penton:
- last year educated 65,000 industry professionals with over 500 webinars.
- attracted more than 90 million individuals to its websites.
- hosted exhibitions and events that attracted 100,000 professionals.
Nine Lives joins Penton Media’s Technology Group — which includes the Windows IT Pro community and other powerful brands. The Nine Lives Media team and our leading IT Channel communities — MSPmentor, Talkin’ Cloud and The VAR Guy — report into Peg Miller, Penton’s Technology Group market leader.
In a prepared statement, Miller said:
“Nine Lives is the perfect complement to our leading IT and developer brands, enabling us to provide both business and technology acumen to the entire technology ecosystem of IT professionals and developers, channel providers, and independent software vendors and hardware vendors. We’ve already seen strong growth in the IT channel with adoption of our newly launched Penton Marketing Services — helping them to run their businesses more effectively.”
So, where do we go from here? Amy continues to run the Nine Lives brands as president, and I march forward running our editorial operations. Our sales and editorial teams also remain fully engaged. Familiar voices like Daniel Berthiaume, Nicholas Mukhar and John Moore continue to blog for MSPmentor. As do I.
Amy and I gave this business combination a lot of thought. When we sat down with the Penton executive team, we had a clear meeting of the minds. Amy, our advisors and the Penton team hammered out the deal. Now, we’ll work hard to impress you with the results.
Read More About This Topic
Share This Post
Posted In: MSP Mentor
Tags: Amy Katz | B2B Media | Blog Acquisitions | Joe Panettieri | Media Acquisitions | Media M&A | Media Mergers | MSPmentor | News | Nine Lives Media Inc. | Peg Miller | Penton Acquires Nine LIves Media | Penton Media | Sharon Rowlands | Talkin' Cloud | The VAR Guy | Windows IT Pro
Interact: Add a Comment | Trackback Link | Permalink
Subscribe: RSS Feed
Take a look at our 
Joe -
I could not be happier for you and Amy. Score one for the good guys! I think the world of both you and Amy and can’t wait to see what’s ahead.
Rock on. And BTW….UMASS getting it DONE!
Justin
Justin,
We intend to rock on. And thanks for the note. I’m fortunate to work with Amy. From 2008 through today, Amy has proven that she’s the smartest, most innovate CEO in the emerging IT media industry. And she’s my best friend — a rather incredible fact considering all of the potential challenges associated with being business partners. Now, we’ll continue the journey together as a division of Penton… which has some rather incredible talent and scale across the IT media market.
We’ve also been fortunate to work with some truly talented folks during our time as an independent company. One bad recruit could have messed up our business — really badly. But from our very first recruit (Senior Sales Consultant Kim Daniels) we’ve attracted great talent across our team of contributing sales pros, bloggers, project managers, etc.
Still, all of our work would be for nothing if we didn’t attract a community of loyal, influential readers — folks like you. Thanks so much for all of your insights. We really appreciate it.
-jp
Congratulations, Joe and Amy! You’ve done a remarkable job with Nine Lives and its brands … clearly achieving your goal of disrupting established channel media and drawing attention to emerging IT markets. Well done!
Lynette
Lynette,
Thanks for all of the briefings you’ve organized with distributors, MSP software providers, etc. Without access to great executives, we couldn’t develop and share unique insights with our community. You’ve opened a lot of doors for us.
-jp
Joe and Amy,
Congratulations, to see what you have done with your business in just a few short years is truly amazing. I look forward to seeing your brands grow to reach more and more members of the IT community.
Lane
Congrats Joe and Amy. Hope this acquisition will benefit the readers of MSPmentor and the sponsors
Lane@5: Thanks for the note. And thanks for teaching me (and our readership) so much about master managed services, NOC services, help desk… and the list goes on.
Lenin@6: Amy and Penton’s Peg Miller see some clear ways for this deal to benefit our sponsors across MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud. Stay tuned…
From the editorial standpoint, there are big benefits as Penton’s audience (IT administrators and developers) and the IT channel seek to master cloud computing and managed services issues. But we promise: We won’t try to be all things to all people. Each of our sites will remain focused on their core audiences.
-jp
Mazel Tov!!! Hard work does pay off…
Joe & Amy,
So proud of you guys, you rock!
Congrats!
-Chris Chase
Biener@8
You’re one of the key people who taught me that you can still smile — and laugh — even while working incredibly hard.
True to that tradition, our discussions with Sharon Rowlands, Peg Miller and the Penton executive team involved some quick-witted humor, even while we explored some really strategic ideas.
Yes, hard work can certainly pay off. But the hard work doesn’t end today. It’s the beginning of some really hard work to leverage the best of Nine Lives and Penton’s Technology Group.
As Amy said in the official announcement, we’re thrilled by this news. But we’re not content. Our journey building and extending the Nine Lives brands continues.
Thanks again, Biener. When I think of our time working together I think of some incredibly great times.
-jp
Amy, Joe, and Nine Lives Media Team,
What an awe-inspiring effort you’ve sustained since 2008, pedal to the metal all the way. Congratulations on your success and great job scoring the nitrous hook up! Buckle up!
Ken Vanderweel
Nimsoft
Chris@9: As an entrepreneur, you’ve inspired numerous MSPs across the industry. Thanks for always sharing your business perspectives with the MSPmentor community. I look forward to seeing you on the road really soon.
Ken@11: Thanks for the note. At some point I will write a follow-up blog that describes why the Penton-Nine Lives deal reminds me a bit of the CA-Nimsoft deal. I remember you and the Nimsoft team describing to me (A) how you gain fantastic resources and talent from CA while (B) maintaining your culture and commitment to customers and (C) accelerating your R&D.
Working closely with Peg Miller and our new parent in Penton Media, we intend to emulate that approach.
-jp
Amy and Joe,
Congratulations on this exciting news! Score one for the good guys. You have proven that you can be good people and run a good business that helps other good people working in a very exciting industry. Very well done and looking forward to reading your future.
Best to you both,
MJ
MJ,
Amy and I have this crazy good fortune: We’ve always run into good people. Like you. On the business side, you were one of the first people to explain potential MSP compensation models to me. And on the personal side, you always managed to ask about my family. I don’t forget things like that.
Great seeing you at CompTIA Breakaway. And thanks for always sharing your honest views with our team. They have helped to shape our content in ways you can’t imagine.
-jp
Congrats, Joe and Amy!
Joe & Amy: Congratulations…and I’m thrilled that you guys are staying on…it’s incredible how, in just about 4 years, you’ve established this blog as a true model for future publications and have become a ‘go-to’ for so many of us.
I look forward to seeing your commentaries here, and to expanded content!
Jim Van
Logicomm
http://www.logicomm-inc.com
Joe,
Congrats! You guys are always on top of the latest trends and news within the channel, this is well deserved! We wish you continued success going forward!
Matthew Harvey
JPR Communications
Amy and Joe,
Congratulations on this exciting news! Thank you for all you both have done and will continue to do for our industry. I am looking forward to see what happens in the next chapter.
Stu Selbst
Stuart Selbst Consulting
http://mspcoaching.com
JP…congrats my friend. I always look up to you and the team at Nine Lives. It is part of my 30-60-30 daily process. You have inspired a number of us in the community to do great things. Thanks for being there over the years…
Stuart Crawford
ULISTIC Inc.
MSP Marketing Professional
DanB@15: Big-time thanks.
Jim Van@16: Thanks for always educating me about “micro” businesses. Small is cool. Micro? Very cool.
Matthew@17: Please don’t tell any other reporters that you are a great resource for story leads
StuartS@18: I think we were on stage together in 2005 or so, looking at each other and saying “this managed services thing… sounds like more than a fad.”
StuartC@19: If you think about it, all we do on the editorial side of Nine Lives is repeat what we hear — connecting the dots between multiple individual conversations to form a viewpoint. And we hear a lot of good perspectives from you. Thanks for the insights.
-jp
To all the Joe and Amy and Nine Lives fans on this thread — I echo your sentiments and I’m thrilled to have the team join Penton. Stay tuned, great stuff coming your way.
- Peg
Hi Joe,
A well deserved congratulations to both you and Amy. The industry wouldn’t be the same without you, Amy and the Nine Lives Media brands. It is excellent to see your hard work and commitment over the years result in an opportunity to take Nine Lives Media to the next level.
Thank you Nine Lives Media for your positive impact and for everything you have done to help turn this industry into a great community! Best of luck with Penton Media – they are lucky to have you both (don’t let them forget it).
Zak
Congrats to two of my very very very favorite peeps.
Zak@22: Thank for the note. And we are lucky — in a major way — to have Penton’s support.
Jeannine@23: It may take a small miracle, but I will try to have my $10 jacket restored and presentable at IT Nation. Sure, I’ve got new threads. But the old stuff is vintage…
-jp
Hi Joe, MSPMentor.net is one of the real true assets to the MSP community and you guys are always being referred to new MSP’s that we come in contact with. Thanks as always for your coverage of LiveVHD. It was only a matter of time that’s all I can say. You guys are on an exciting road ahead.
Cheers,
LiveVHD Team
Joe,
Everyone at Virtual Administrator congratulates you on your success! We’re looking forward to see what happens with this twist of events
.
Keep up the hard work!
-Dan Kolansky
Virtual Administrator
Hi Joe,
Congratulations! Hard work pays off!
-Dan Shapero
Joe, Amy,
You brought a new and powerful voice to our industry, so refreshing, congratulations on your success, not surprised in the least. Look forward to you taking it the next level. So very happy for you/us your loyal followers
Chris May
MarketStar
Joe,
Congrats to you and the team! Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
All the best,
Brendan
Congrats to the Nine Lives team!! This couldn’t happen to better, more deserving people. Thank you for all you do in supporting the channel!
-Eric
Congrats guys. No one works harder than Amy and Joe. You guys deserve the best.
Cheers,
Paul Barnett
VP-COO
Network Depot
congrats Joe!
You sure they’re not just after your patent portfolio? …. just kidding!
Wish you all the Best!
Thank you everyone for your kind words. I am touched by your comments and by all the support you have offered Nine Lives over the last four years. Joe and I couldn’t have done any of this without you. We look forward to great things ahead for the Nine Lives brands and the channel community as a whole.
- Amy
Brian@25: Where would MSPmentor be without NOC and help-desk discussions? Thanks for always engaging in that dialog.
Dan Kolansky @26: Where would small MSPs be without your team’s educational direction?
Dan Shapero@27: In some ways this is all your fault. In Sept. 2007, we showed both you and Dan Wensley the MSPmentor concept. When each of you expressed strong interest, we knew we were onto something. Thanks for trusting us to represent managed services before MSPmentor had critical mass.
Brendan @28: So, you pulled me aside at Kaseya Connect User Conference and told me to get our act together on smart phones. It took awhile… but we look pretty darn good on smart phones now thanks to your early feedback.
Eric Webster @29: We couldn’t “support” the channel without people like you buying into our strategy.
Paul@30: I will always have deep respect for entrepreneurs like you.
Gerson@31: Our patent lawyers will be calling you tomorrow. Joking, of course.
Amy@32: How was your day? Thanks for being you.
OK, I really have to get back to blogging.
-jp
JP….couldn’t be prouder for you. Integrity and honesty do pay off. Thanks for you have done to move this industry forward and we look forward to more from you. A martini of your choice is on me next time I see you.
All the best…..Mike
Joe, Amy and the team,
Congrats from all of us here at CentraStage, inspirational stuff and a credit to your hard work and innovation. Incredible to think you only got going in 2008. Looking forward to seeing where you now take things.
Cheers
Christian, and the CentraStage team
Congrats Joe! Great news and even better news that you will continue as usual!
Best regards,
Brian Dosal
Amy and Joe,
Congratulations on this chapter of your life and career. You are an integral voice in the ecosystem of this industry. Your success in creating and monetizing an innovative model is testimony to that. Continued success in the next chapter.
Warm Regards,
Michael
Mike@35: You’ve educating me about the “industry” stuff (health care managed services) and the “important” stuff (life-work balance). I’m still working on the important stuff and appreciate all your time.
Christian@36: Thanks for being one of the important voices who has helped us to extend our coverage beyond U.S. shores.
Brian@37: I don’t want to say it will be “business as usual.” We’ve got a ton of work to do to make sure this integration with Penton goes well. The goal is to accelerate our brand growth — without messing up what we already have in place.
Michael@38: Amy and I have long admired the masterIT’s leadership team. You and Gary are proof positive that executive partnerships can thrive in the managed services market. We look forward to tracking masterIT’s next moves.
-jp
JP and Amy,
My heart skipped a beat when I first read the headline thinking in the back of my mind that I might read on to find you were exiting the business. I’m selfishly grateful you are not as I’ve come to enjoy my daily habit of consuming your blogs and tweets. You have always been fair and honest in your coverage of the industry, treated delicate situations with care and decency, and often called a spade a spade – even if it was one of one of your advertisers. I’ve truly admired your ability to keep the facts the facts yet tactfully tease or taunt your audience with bit of speculation or even a full blown commentary or two that kept things interesting. Your hard work has truly delivered value to the readers and advertisers. No matter what the terms were, Penton got the better deal on this one. Congrats and thank you for 3 1/2 great years of blogging, and I trust many more to come.
Regards,
Mark
Congratulations! This speaks volumes to the impact you have on this industry. Also nice validation of Nine Lives Vision – you jumped into the Blog-as-Media space before it was cool. That’s a pretty nice double play…you’ve helped redefine your own industry at the same time you’ve helped change ours!
Great job…Just please keep doing what you’re already doing!
Joe (and Amy),
I’m happy to pile on in congratulating you both on an entrepreneurial home run. You two created a business enterprise of tremendous value from the ground up, and it’s obvious how hard you both worked to achieve this milestone.
Joe, given the breakneck pace at which you’ve historically been moving, it’s hard to imagine what acceleration might look like! Best of luck in the next chapter of your (ad)venture!
Joe and Amy,
What absolutely wonderful news for both you and your team – and your new teammates at Penton. Having had the pleasure and the privilege to know you both has been fabulous. To have worked with both of you in different venues and in so many ways over the years has been a plus. I wish you both the very best now and in the days to come. You both truly deserve it. I really hope that the Penton folks know just how fortunate they are to have you. -SV
Joe,
With several clietns in the MS arena, I read your site religiously and it no surprise that you are getting the recognition your publication deserves. Congratulations and keep up the excellent work!
Best,
Maria B.
Nicely done! Keep on bringing the goods to the community.
Mark@40: I promise… we’ll continue to deliver the facts while teasing, taunting and speculating while remaining some decency around here. I often call the approach “responsible speculation.” I hope it continues to apply.
Michael@41: Yes, blogs are at the center of our media world. But brand extensions (FastChat Videos, Annual Research, Webcasts) ensured we weren’t a one-planet universe.
Bob V@42: Thanks for the note and for accurately positioning this as the “next chapter” of our Nine Lives adventure. We’ll move fast by delegating to our talented team members while also innovating in some key areas.
Steve@43: Thank you for offering up a desk and broadband when I needed it most in 2008. I will never forget that.
Maria@44: We promise to keep delivering great content if you promise to keep coming back. Actually, let me rephrase that: We’ll strive to earn your visits every day.
Kevin@45: More goods comin’. We promise.
-jp
Joe, You are a class act. It could not happen to a better act. I look for great things from you and your team. You have done a world of good in just a short time. When you are in Vegas call me and we will celebrate!!
Lester
This is great news Joe. I will continue to tap into the resources that you have always provided.
Lester@47: Thanks for that note. And I have to clarify… It’s not “my” team. It’s the Nine Lives team, part of Penton’s Technology Group. I’m thrilled to be part of that larger team.
Al@48: We promise not to let the wells run dry.
Best
-jp
Joe, Amy & Crew,
Congrats on moving on and up to Penton. To be associated with Penton shows you suceeded in carving out a strong niche and following.
Hopefully we won’t be getting more emails per day than we already do :~) you seem to have it about right at 1.33 emails a day lol.
Seriously, from all of us here at the Link High Technologies MSP team, good luck and keep up the great content and niche growth at Penton.
Larry
Congrats Joe and Amy! Well deserved – you two have done a fantastic job.
Mike
Larry@50:
Thanks for the note and we will take your feedback to heart. Generally speaking our readers can only receive up to 4 messages from us per week…
1. TalkinCloud Newsletter
2. MSPmentor Newsletter
3. The VAR Guy Newsletter
4. Webcast invite
If we start spamming our database with endless marketing and invites we will destroy our community and the good faith we’ve built with readers. I promise: We won’t violate that trust.
Mike@51: I’ve long respected your ability to continually launch new initiatives/companies. This industry wouldn’t be the same without your energy and know-how.
-jp
Joe and Amy – congratulations to you both – Penton is fortunate to have you two and your brands join their family of fine publications! All the best!
Dan Rubinetti
Tuesday Media Consultants, Inc.
Dan,
Thanks for all of your time and guidance during our time at Ziff Davis Media. And thanks for the note above.
-jp