Passion and pluck: UF grad blazed trail to success in NYC
Kevin Gentzel now teams with Beyond120 to give UF students a hand up
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Florida and perhaps more self-confidence than his Panhandle upbringing might suggest, Kevin Gentzel arrived in New York City in January 1993, having landed a job, straight from graduation, in the circulation department of Scientific American.
He quickly figured out that his true interest lay more in sales and advertising.
Gentzel vividly recalls the moment of revelation when he overheard two salespeople discussing taking clients to a Yankees game. “I stopped them. ‘Wait a minute. You took people to the Yankees game for work?’,” Gentzel said with a grin. “Could you please explain what you do so I can understand that better, because that sounds like my calling.”
Sitting with his wife, Sandy, in their home north of New York City, Gentzel sketched his path from rookie ad rep to top revenue positions at prestigious publications, including Forbes, The Washington Post, Gannett/USA Today and, currently, Newsweek, where he oversees all commercial operations and revenue streams. Previously, as Yahoo’s head of North American advertising sales, his team achieved $4 billion in revenue. Earlier, as chief revenue officer of The Washington Post, he led the launch of several digital platforms through the company’s acquisition by Jeff Bezos.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a wide aperture of learning and experiences. … It can lead to focus through an internship and then into a career path.
He credits his foundation of knowledge and inquiry gained at UF. “The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences provides a wide aperture of learning and experiences. That enables a person to have a dynamic sense of different experiences, and then calibrate. It can lead to focus through an internship and then into a career path,” he said.
Having shifted through more than half a dozen C-suite roles and witnessed the publishing industry’s transformation from dominance to disruption, Gentzel is clearly aware that careers will change. The key, he believes, is being prepared to adapt to all this change.
Recalling that first winter in New York, Gentzel said he would literally sit in office doorways watching how the advertising salespeople worked.
“I would make them take me on sales calls. I would ask them to teach me the dynamics of that part of the business. Advertising, to me, brings brands into incredible support for incredible journalism, to reach important readers,” Gentzel said.
This fusion of Gentzel’s passions for reading, journalism, sales, communication, empathy, and persuasion served as the driving force that unified his path.
You’re hearing a story of someone who really carved their own path, and it was more of an act of will.
He carries this approach forward to this day, almost 30 years later. “You’re hearing a story of someone who really carved their own path, and it was more of an act of will,” Gentzel said, eyes flashing beneath his stylish pompadour haircut.
He’s convinced there’s an opportunity to provide better guidance for students. “There’s a way that we can build bridges so people can find their path in a less jarring way, in a way where it can be more organic. Maybe they can move forward to support this sector without having to head out on their own.”
A broad liberal arts education has benefits that may not be obvious to those on more career-specific educational paths.
“The art of sales, historically, might have a negative perception. And yet in 2023, whether you’re a board member, a C-level executive, or somebody coming out of school trying to create a career path, the art and science behind sales — conveying an idea, getting buy-in, leading with an idea, whether that’s internally to a customer, or to a colleague — it’s a mission-critical skill set. It’s solving problems creatively,” he said.
Gentzel said he followed his intellectual passions and interests in CLAS, and through that, came to realize what motivated him.
“I think passion equals more success generally in this human journey. How can you tie your passion to purpose, to a business opportunity and a career?”
A Shared Vision
Looking back on an early date to a football game with husband Kevin, Sandy Gentzel recalls the rush of energy she felt when entering a buzzing Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. “In the Swamp, just hearing the kids come together cheering, it’s a place where these young people get to experience being part of a community, to their bones,” Sandy said.
While a UF student, Kevin waited tables, delivered pizza, sold records, and worked at a bookstore, saving as much money as he could to support himself. While he gained a lot of valuable work experience, a formal internship escaped him.
So when the Gentzels first learned about the Beyond120 program, it resonated. “We both just really got excited about it,” Kevin said.
Since establishing an endowed scholarship in 2021, the pair has supported 10 students with Beyond120 scholarships, and the program plans to select four more recipients in spring 2024.
“We believe that through our support — and certainly that of others — we can help students pursue their dreams of an internship, whether it might be in Chicago, New York, London, Tokyo or Gainesville,” Kevin said. “They shouldn’t have to turn that down because of the expense.”
Their support extends beyond the financial. Kevin also serves as a member of the CLAS Dean’s Leadership Council and on the UF Foundation National Board, where he aims to impact UF students by advancing the UF Foundation’s efforts.
“It’s super important to speak with students, to listen to students, just to understand the world through their eyes. This all means a lot to us,” he said.
Read more from the Fall/Winter 2023 issue of Ytori magazine.
