James Harris

Cofounder & CEO, N4MD

Atlanta

James Harris is co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Storyteller of N4MD. He has more than 17 years of experience in the interactive industry. After co-founding Elemental in 1994, he served as its chief executive officer until the company’s purchase by Grey Global Group in December 1999.

In 2001, Grey Global Group created an in-house interactive agency, GCI Interactive. Elemental Interactive subsequently continued to operate as the chief interactive division of GCI Interactive. In May 2003, Harris repurchased Elemental Interactive from WPP, which retains a minority ownership stake in the new company, Elemental Interactive LLC. Elemental Interactive continues to operate under the Elemental Interactive Design and Development (EIDD) brand.

Over its 10-year history Elemental’s client list has included AFLAC, Ameritrade, AT&T, Avaya, Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Cingular Wireless, Canadian National Railroad, The Coca-Cola Company, Compaq, General Motors, Georgia-Pacific, Holiday Inn, IBM, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Pfizer, Rayonier, Triarc, Turner Network Television, UPS, Worldspan, and others.

James’ interest in interactive media was sparked in the multi-media laboratory at Tennessee Technological University where he obtained his B.Sc. in Management Information Systems. He launched his own consulting business in 1992 and began working with such clients as Turner Broadcasting and BET on new media strategy and converting video content into new media properties. He also worked with Floyd Design (which later became IXL) as a programmer and project manager and with A.D.A.M. Software developing consumer CD-ROMs for retail. As part of leading Elemental, Harris helped prototype IBM’s first Intranet and developed The Coca-Cola Company’s first Web site. He also led the team responsible for the design of the UPS Web site during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and developed the initial Website for the launch of Pfizer’s allergy drug, Zyrtec.

James is regularly selected to judge awards competitions in the interactive industry, particularly annual report competitions. Elemental won more than two dozen design awards including two Standard of Excellence awards from the Web Marketing Association, three Gold Awards from the International Academy of Communications Arts and Sciences, the Distinction in Technology Communication Award from American Graphic Design, the Applied Arts Annual Design Award, and a Silver Medallion from the New Media Invision Awards.

In 1999 Harris was recognized as Tennessee Tech’s Outstanding Young Alumnus. He is working to develop Camp Freedom, a camp for inner city children that will specialize in teaching environmentalism, mathematics, and technology in the foot hills of Tennessee.