William R. Robinson

William R. Robinson ("Relentless Bill") (Born November 30, 1958) is a businessman, entrepreneur, marketer. strategist, award-winning columnist and TV journalist perhaps best known for his pugnacious and passionate analysis of Business, Technology, Marketing & Entrepreneurial issues of the day.

He has written regular columns for "The Wall Street Journal Europe"; "Fortune Small Business" ("The Relentless Marketer" column); "The Financial Times"; "Forbes.com" ("Forbes Focus" and other columns); "Upside Magazine" (the "On Location" column); United Airlines' "Hemispheres Magazine"; "easyJet Magazine" ("The Big Debate" column); "Marketing Magazine" (UK); "Tornado Insider"; and Cisco Systems' "iQ Magazine". Robinson also wrote the popular "TechScape" column for The Register. (www.theregister.co.uk)

Appearing regularly since 1997 on CNN, PBS, Bloomberg, the BBC and having his own regular segment on SKY News in London, Robinson has provided consistently questioning commentary on the Internet Giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo, eBay, Google and others while trying to make the connection between these technology companies and what he calls "real-world" companies he says are better investments.

Becoming A Rock 'n Roll Roadie

While studying business, Robinson worked as a machinist, tended bar and drove a taxi. Around this time, some of hi Long Island friends were joining or developing bands. On a lar, he began roadi

Becoming A Businessman

After college, Robinson's first job was at a New York City employment agency or "headhunting" firm, 5th Avenue Personnel Consultants.

Becoming A Journalist

The way Robinson himself recounts the way he got his first appearance on CNN, highlights his relentlessness. "I was on the phone with CNN holding for a day and time for a client to appear, and suddenly thought to myself, 'You idiot! You're booking your client on CNN, why don't you book yourself on CNN too?!' When the CNN producer came back on the line, I told him I wanted to schedule myself as well. Incredulously, he asked what in the world I'd talk about. I told him I'd discuss 'how Microsoft violates every antitrust, anti-competitive law ever written.' He booked me, I appeared that time for much longer than they had set aside and the rest was history."

Simultaneously Robinson wanted to develop his brand on the print side and his first break here was with Fortune's FSB or Fortune Small Business which catered to a decidedly passionate entrepreneur readership. In writing his first regular column, "The Relentless Marketer," Robinson learned how to give an editor what they needed and how to deal with the resulting red-penning that would be returned to him. It didn't sit well with him, but he did benefit from it in the end. Additionally, FSB has a circulation of approximately 3 million readers, when the parent publication itself had about 750,000.

Writing the "On Location" column for Silicon Valley "granddaddy of them all" tech pub, Upside was next for Robinson and this was the real catalyst for his intense interest and subsequent concentration on Technology as a beat for his writings, travels and discovery.

Robinson's interviews with notable Technology legends such as Sir Arthur C. Clarke in Colombo, Sri Lanka for his regular segment on SKY News; Ray Kurzweil [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/23/one/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/23/one/] ; former BT CTO Peter Cochrane [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/22/peter_cochrane_profile/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/22/peter_cochrane_profile/] ; Chris Deering, "Father of the PlayStation" [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/02/chris_deering_interview/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/02/chris_deering_interview/] ; and three-part series with "Father of the Internet," Vint Cerf [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/29/vint_cerf_interview_one/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/29/vint_cerf_interview_one/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/31/vint_cerf_interview_two/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/31/vint_cerf_interview_two/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/16/vint_cerf_interview_three/] [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/16/vint_cerf_interview_three/] .

Robinson who has been called a "Technology Truffler," has traveled to more than 76 cities in 44 countries in search of interesting and new technologies and sniffing out the facts around established ones.

Biography

Robinson was born in White Plains, New York to W. Rodman Robinson and his wife Barbara during a violent snowstorm. The senior Robinson was successful banker at Chemical Bank in New York City and rose to the number three position at the bank with a real chance to become its Chairman. This was not to happen however, as an untimely divorce when Robinson Jr. was aged 13 would throw a monkey wrench into the elder Robinson's career trajectory. From this point on the junior Robinson's life was to change dramatically from one of beautiful homes in Westchester County, NY where he wanted for absolutely nothing and private schools to a constant see-saw living relationship between his mother's and father's now separate homes.

References