Andrew Paulson Founders and President of the publishing house "Afisha" Country: USA

1. Biography of Andrew Paulson
2. Early Life and Education
3. Career in Publishing
4. Transition and New Ventures
5. Expansion and Acquisitions

Biography of Andrew Paulson

Andrew Paulson is an American entrepreneur and the founder and president of the publishing house "Afisha". He is currently residing in Russia. In 2006, together with Alexander Mamut, he created the company "Soup" and became its president. Before that, he worked in the publishing business and was the creator and president of the publishing house "Afisha".

Early Life and Education

Andrew Paulson was born in 1958 in the United States. In 1981, he graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in modern French literature. After completing his studies, he spent a significant amount of time in France, engaging in literary experiments while working as a clerk in New York for several months each year. Despite his efforts in literature, he was not successful and turned to advertising photography. He established a small advertising agency called Pourriture Noble in Paris.

Career in Publishing

In 1993, Paulson came to Russia and settled in Moscow, where he began working in the publishing business. He led magazines such as "Delovye Lyudi" (Business People), "Ponedelnik" (Monday), and "Vechernya Moskva" (Evening Moscow). In 1998, he became one of the founders and the president of the publishing house "Afisha", which started publishing the eponymous magazine in 1999. Subsequently, the magazines "Bolshoi Gorod" (Big City), "Afisha Mir" (Afisha World), and the website afisha.ru were launched.

Transition and New Ventures

In 2005, all the assets of "Afisha," including the 15% shares owned by Paulson, came under the control of Boris Jordan's investment group "Sputnik." In January 2006, the publishing house was sold to Vladimir Potanin's holding company, "Prof-Media," and Paulson left his position. In the summer of 2006, Paulson used the funds from Russian entrepreneur Alexander Mamut to create the company "Soup," where he became the president and one of the main shareholders.

Expansion and Acquisitions

In October 2005, "Soup" entered into an agreement with the American company Six Apart, becoming the service provider for the Russian-speaking segment of the popular blogging service LiveJournal. Paulson's company also acquired the websites LJ Plus, Championat.ru, and the advertising agency Victory S.A. To focus on social media, a new advertising agency called +SOL was established. In December 2007, "Soup" fully acquired LiveJournal from Six Apart, and a registered company, LiveJournal Inc., was created in the United States for global management of the service.