Jim VandeHei vs Jim Bankoff

Jim VandeHei

CEO of AXIOS

BIO: Jim VandeHei was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and graduated from Lourdes High School in 1989. In 1995, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh with a double major in journalism and political science. As an undergraduate, he interned at The Brillion News in Brillion, WI the summer of 1993, and with Democratic Senator Herb Kohl in 1994, which led to his decision to become a political journalist. After working as a sports reporter for the Oshkosh Northwestern, VandeHei moved to Washington, D.C. In 1995, began working for Inside Washington Publishers. In 1996, he was hired by "Inside the New Congress," a weekly newsletter that focuses on the House and Senate. In 1997, he began working as a reporter for Roll Call, which covers Capitol Hill. While at Roll Call, VandeHei broke the story of House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston's affairs in 1998. He was the first to report in 1998 that Republicans were formally planning to impeach Bill Clinton. After a stint as a national political reporter for The Wall Street Journal in 2000, VandeHei joined The Washington Post and in 2006, VandeHei left The Washington Post to found a new political publication, Politico. In 2016, Jim left Politico and launched Axios.

Jim Bankoff

CEO of Vox Media, Inc.

BIO: Jim Bankoff (@bankoff) is the Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Vox Media, the leading independent modern media company. Bankoff oversees all aspects of the company, which includes storytelling that spans 13 influential editorial networks, a studios division that produces television series, streaming video, podcasts, and film; premium advertising solutions; a print magazine; and innovative publishing technology that enables media businesses across the industry. In 2019, Bankoff led Vox Media’s merger with New York Media, the publisher of the iconic 50+ year-old New York Magazine, as well as the company’s acquisition of the Academy Award-winning Epic nonfiction storytelling studio and the Coral platform dedicated to building safer online communities. Under Bankoff, Vox Media has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in Media,” an Inc. “Company of the Year,” Digiday’s “Best Company for Parents,” and one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign.