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There are internet marketers and affiliates, and then there are legends. Ken McCarthy is one such legend. From his groundbreaking work on the commercial potential of the internet to his community work in Hudson and New Orleans, he is the prophet who saw the potential of the web long before anyone else.

McCarthy graduated from Princeton University, where he worked as program director for the radio station. He produced many concerts while attending the school, including several for his roommate, jazz/fusion bassist Stanley Jordan. McCarthy studied neuroscience and cognitive psychology.

He worked for two of the top investment banks in New York and became a lecturer on educational psychology at leading universities. Besides these achievements, McCarthy owned a few small businesses, one of which produced an Oscar-winning documentary. McCarthy also worked as a consultant for an online service in Japan named Biglobe. McCarthy wrote The Internet Business Manual, which was the first book devoted to web business published in Japan.

McCarthy’s early company, E-Media, holds the distinction of being one of the world’s first internet-based businesses. E-Media began in 1993, soon blossoming into Amacord, Inc. Its focus is to provide advice and assistance to other businesses.

In 1994, McCarthy and E-Media held the first-ever conference dedicated to the business potential of the web. Up until then, the internet was pictured as the domain of outsiders and technical wizards. McCarthy featured several internet business pioneers as keynote speakers and helped launch the commercial aspect of the internet. One of these speakers was Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape.

He is credited with the development of the banner ad and e-mail advertising. He is also a pioneer of pay-per-click advertising and internet video. McCarthy gave a famous speech at Pac Bell, where he described a method of marketing provided by the internet. His method was later termed The Long Tail, foreshadowing the marketing methods used by Amazon .com and Netflix.

McCarthy used his influential position to fund community building projects. He organized a conference dedicated to developing the compassionate potential of the internet. Out of this conference came one of the first detailed studies of election fraud and a virtual museum dedicated to San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood. He has also worked with communities such as New Orleans, helping them use the internet to organize citizens and bring about public change.

Through all his work on the internet, McCarthy has remained at the forefront of the technological revolution. He is also co-founder of one of New York’s first digital audio post production studios and is a technical communications consultant on Wall Street.

Check out one of Ken Mccarthy’s presentations below…