Dmitry Beniaminov to be presented with the 2020 Digital Publishing Leadership Award

Award sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation
Prix commandité par la Fondation Reader’s Digest

Beniaminov is a York University graduate, with a Bachelor in Computer Science/Engineering and Psychology, and is certified with the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB). Since graduating, Beniaminov has accumulated nearly 20 years of experience working as a technology consultant and digital marketing advisor and, as of 2016, offers his services via, Pixel Studioz, his web design firm.

“Dmitry was a pioneer when publishers were evolving into the digital space,” writes Margo Bock, a consultant at Margo Bock Media Solutions. A pioneer, and a “godsend,” according to Joyce Byrne who, in 2019, worked with Dmitry on the Avenue Calgary websites and digital ads. “He’s a great communicator and an even better technology expert. He always delivered what he promised, and then some.”

Tanja Hutter, Online Manager for Canada’s History Society—who also worked with Beniaminov in 2019—refers to him as their “Google Guy.” He was originally brought on board for SEM, though Hutter quickly realized “there was no shortage of topics that we [could pick] his brain about: from above-the-clouds overall digital strategy down to in-the-weeds tweaking of ad execution.”

It seems many of Canada’s digital publishers have picked Beniaminov’s brain; he’s worked on projects for The Walrus, Running Magazine, Toronto Botanical Garden, Cycling Magazine, Avenue Calgary, Electric Autonomy, Canadaland, Outdoor Canada, Cottage Life, Canadian Living, Elle Canada, The Hockey News, Toronto Life, Fashion Magazine, Wedding Bells, and Quill and Quire. Outside of publishing, he’s consulted for the University of Toronto, Seneca, Ad-Server start-ups, and Autism Services portals. Beniaminov’s testimonials make clear why his client base is so wide-ranging. “He’s helpful, kind, positive and eager, and he never breaks a sweat, including and especially when those around him have every right to be freaking out,” says David Topping, Newsroom Director, Newsletters at Torstar. “In the two years I worked with him, I was consistently impressed at his ability to keep so much in his brain, and how generous he was with sharing it.”

This generosity extends to Beniaminov’s ongoing volunteerism. He contributes to organizations and community-based projects, which have included PEN Canada, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, and the Movember Foundation. 

Those who nominated Beniaminov for this award were also quick to point out the impact of his work: “He has helped all of our sites grow from a small web presence to traffic of about two million monthly page views,” says Sam Cohen, Publisher at Gripped Publishing Inc. Bock echoes this: “He led us through all the digital opportunities that we could develop for the audience, and in turn, convert to advertising revenue. He had a keen understanding of what digital audiences want and how to monetize it, which was much needed to grow division revenue as print advertising was shifting to digital.”

It’s not just Beniaminov’s clients who recognize his talent—he is an award-winning creator, with accolades from IAB, the National Magazine Awards, and the Digital Publishing Awards. 

A pioneer, a godsend, a Google Guy—a clear leader in the field of Canadian digital publishing whose creativity and dedication is inspiring. For this, the National Media Awards Foundation is proud to present the Digital Publishing Leadership Award to Dmitry Beniaminov. Our sincerest congratulations, Dmitry! 

Enjoy Dmitry’s acceptance speech here: