“Be thoughtful to make decisions”

Jeff Yapp is an accomplished entrepreneur who has built an incredibly successful career on his unique ability to see opportunity where it isn’t readily apparent. He has been referred to as a visionary, a thought leader, and an innovator by his colleagues and peers. His strength lies not only in his highly inspired ideas but also in his ability to get things done regardless of the obstacles that lie in his path. These unique talents led him to his current position as Founder and CEO of WutzNxt, a strategic consultancy that specializes in bringing creative ideas from conception to fruition. The WutzNxt team has been a premiere partner to Microsoft for over 13 years, leading strategy, marketing, communications, and business growth initiatives.

Over the past three decades, Yapp has worked at a variety of Fortune 500 companies, including leadership roles at Viacom MTV, PepsiCo, NewsCorp, Twentieth Century Fox, Cablevision, and Kraft Foods. His vision and determination helped to launch a number of successful products and brands, including Vice Media, the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video game series, the Jackass television and movie series, and stuffed crust pizza. He was also the driving force behind the re-release of the "Star Wars” franchise, for which we are all eternally grateful.

“I’ll never forget going to Skywalker Ranch and being led into the Stag Theater to meet with George Lucas,” Jeff recounts. “I was trying to convince him to relaunch the Star Wars franchise, but Lucas said he had absolutely no interest. At the time he was more focused on shifting into gaming. I elected to invest my own money and told Lucas that I’d do it on my own. My determination must have impressed him. He turned right around to hop on board, and the rest is history.”

Yapp is no stranger to being told no, only to press forward undeterred. While working at MTV he was dealing predominately with violent first person shooter games, which was the face of the gaming industry. Yapp had the idea for rhythm and music games, a category that didn’t exist at the time. While most others rejected the concept, assuming it was imprudent to invest in accessory-based gaming, he ran with the idea, seeing something that others didn’t. Within three years they launched Guitar Hero and Rock Band, creating a multibillion dollar business. Alex Rigopolus, Founder and CEO of Harmonix, said “At MTV, Jeff was one of the few people who understood the potential of Guitar Hero and Rock Band from the very beginning. More important though, he had the conviction to back that vision with action.”

“The ability to recognize, align, and execute creates tremendous value for organizations and individuals,” says Yapp. “Most of my career has been spent at the ugly tip of innovation for larger companies. The journey from seeing something first, helping others to understand, and actually executing the idea and turning it into reality is what drives me and my business.”

While working for Kraft Foods, Yapp was told to discontinue Country Time Lemonade. He noticed that the brand was still successful in the South, and started exploring that demographic to see if he could keep the brand alive. Instead of discontinuing, he found a marketing opportunity through a regional sport that no one above the Mason-Dixon line had heard of, NASCAR. “The idea was not well received, and I had to bet my job on it when presenting to the CEO,” says Yapp. “I took that bet, got into sponsorship, took the cars to local places to show off the Country Time Lemonade logo, and the business exploded! This was a result of me paying attention to the current demographic, crossed with that group’s interests.”

Yapp developed and completed a joint venture with Vice Magazine to produce the highly successful Vice Media. At the time, the internet was not being used as a streaming platform. They revolutionized the industry, and Vice is now one of the hottest media networks in the world. “Jeff Yapp is a true visionary, and I mean that literally,” said Shane Smith, Founder and CEO of Vice Media. “That word gets bandied about a lot these days, but I have firsthand proof, it’s called Vice.”

Throughout his career, Yapp has been committed to bringing innovation to the corporate environment as well as assisting and educating aspiring entrepreneurs and thought leaders. He is involved with the Entrepreneurial Program at KSU as an advisor and speaker and is often asked to speak to the digital marketing program at the local high school his kids attended.

“Something that has and will resonate with me for the rest of my life is one simple question, asked by my grandmother,” says Yapp. “She used to ask me, ‘Are you happy?’ This question changed my perspective on everything and has led me to become a much bigger optimist. Life for me now is so much less about the problems. You can’t worry about what others think, it matters what YOU think. This question guides my life and has presented me with countless opportunities.”