A Detailed Overview

Robin Raskin has been involved with kids, parenting, technology, and education for her entire 30+ year career. She’s committed to working with kids and parents to give them the information they need, packaged in a way that’s both illuminating and entertaining.

As an editor, columnist, journalist, book author, TV and radio personality, event creator, and media consultant, she has worked with most of the big name companies in children’s media and entertainment. (Raskin says she’s never met a media she didn’t like and prides herself in having the right sensibility for telling the best story for the appropriate medium.)

Here’s a brief listing of some of Raskin’s most relevant activities. Additional materials, tapes, books, and tear sheets can be furnished at your request.

PUBLISHING

Editor, PC Magazine: As the editor, Raskin won awards for her columns and was responsible for the editorial, including large lab-based reviews. Raskin brought a sense of storytelling and a voice of the people to what had been a very elitist technical publication.

Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, FamilyPC: Raskin spearheaded the creation of a joint venture between Disney Publishing and Ziff Davis to create FamilyPC, a magazine that focused on raising kids in a digital world. The magazine grew to 750,000 readers. Raskin initiated new concepts like Family Tested and worked on a number of lucrative brand extensions, including a high tech exhibit at Disney’s Innovations, computer courses on The Big Red Boat cruises, SchoolPC magazine, and more.

Editor-in-Chief, Raising Teens: A magazine created as an insert to Family Circle magazine.

As a freelancer, Raskin has contributed to Parents, Parenting, Real Simple, Redbook, Newsday, The Economist, and others.

BOOKS

Raskin’s most recent book is A Parents’ Guide to College Life, Random House 2006. She’s the author of Parents, Kids, and Computers (Random House), Your Child’s Education (Simon and Shuster), and the series editor for three books with the FamilyPC imprint: Homework, Creativity, and Education (Hyperion Press).

TV, RADIO, AND THE WEB

ZDTV and ZDNet: Raskin was a frequent personality on ZDTV, a network devoted to exploring technology. She also served on the cross publication efforts to build a single-branded website for Ziff Davis publications.

USA Today Online: Raskin was a columnist for USA Today online and also contributed to the newspaper with excerpts of product reviews from FamilyPC.

TV and Radio: Raskin was a regular correspondent for shows including CBS Up to the Minute and Lifetime Networks’ Midday Show. She’s a frequent contributor to ABC radio and ABC news. She’s appeared on TV shows that span from Dateline to the Today Show, Fox, and others. For a few years, Raskin had her own production company that produced a series called The Internet Mom that was fed to network affiliates nationwide.

You can find Raskin’s writing on Yahoo! Tech, robinraskin.com, and Discover card’s website for cardholders (https://www.discovercard.com/cardmembersvcs/edge/app/categoryPage?catId=TECH).

GOVERNMENT AND POLICY

Raskin served on the National Academy of Science Committee under ex-Attorney General Dick Thornburgh to study the problem of inappropriate materials available to children via the Internet. She’s testified before the FTC and the COPPA Commission. She was active in the Clinton administration’s efforts to protect kids on the Internet and was a regular member of a contingent of women editors called to the White House to discuss women’s editorial.

EDUCATIONAL COMPANIES

Raskin served as the Director of Communications for The Princeton Review, helping them create and execute their strategies, including investor relations, media partnerships, and printed materials. At The Princeton Review, Raskin was instrumental in extending Princeton Review’s brand with numerous projects including: The Most Connected Campuses in America; The Best Colleges for Women in America; movie ties with Accepted (the Universal movie); the National Vocabulary Bee; and others. Raskin still consults for Princeton Review on their web strategies as well as for a number of other educational companies, including ApplyWise.

EVENTS

Raskin’s most recent projects include a partnership with the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and their annual show in Las Vegas, The International CES. Last year she co-founded The Sandbox Summit, a conference/event that showcased kids’ digital lives. For the 2009 show, she’s tripled the size of the event, now called Kids@Play, and added a new event called The Silvers Summit that looks at boomers and consumer electronics devices. Raskin also runs The Last Gadget Standing at CES, an event which, after seven years, still remains one of the top attractions at CES. This year she’s launching that event in Dubai at CES/hometech.

In addition, Raskin is a frequent speaker for parenting groups and students around the country. Currently the most asked-for topic is Raising Kids in a Digital World or Staying Safe in a Digital World. She’s also hosted events for Nickelodeon, Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, and a host of others.