MotiveLab is a rainmaker for leading edge IT solution providers. We build reservoirs that produce consistent flow. MotiveLab generates market activity around the advanced technology solutions we know IT decision-makers need, because we talk to them every day.
Chris has spent his career in Silicon Valley at the intersection of media, technology, and marketing—beginning as a journalist during the internet's first transformation of media, then moving into software publishing, technology trade media, and agency work during the dotcom era. That early exposure to rapid technological change shaped his focus on how companies navigate digital transformation.
Chris’s agency experience includes launching one of the first integrated marketing practices focused on technology, followed by a role as senior strategist at a premier CMO organization, where he led global research programs on digital transformation and CRM technologies. He founded SocialRep, a media intelligence platform that applied machine learning and AI to extract strategic market insights from customer conversations, earning a patent and serving thousands of users across social marketing and sales functions.
In his consulting practice, Chris has advised more than 300 technology companies and trained thousands of marketing and sales professionals on integrating technology with marketing fundamentals. On the side he’s an accomplished mountain bike coach, having helped lead high school teams to three California State Championships, a discipline that informs his approach to executive and team coaching.
Russell has focused his career on technology marketing, and brand strategy—guiding global enterprises, growth-stage companies, and startups through competitive market development. Starting on the agency side, he led brand identity and go‑to‑market programs for hundreds of B2B and B2C companies, from Ascend and Copper Mountain to Safeway and Sony, then moved into senior in‑house roles directing marketing for software, HR tech, and international travel platforms.
Russell’s leadership experience includes owning multiple marketing agencies and serving as the Director of Marketing for HumanConcepts and Triton, where he managed global teams, and complex, multi-channel campaigns. He has driven successful repositioning initiatives such as moving HumanConcepts from boxed software to SaaS, building HP’s partner social selling programs to more than 3,000 active partners in 90 countries, and launching international brands across North America, Europe, and Asia.
In his consulting and training work, Russell has advised scores of technology companies on marketing strategy, customer segmentation, and demand generation, while delivering advanced social selling training to over 60 organizations worldwide. He has designed brand systems for more than two dozen startups and established new service offerings in web development, UX/UI, SEO, and competitive intelligence. Outside of client work, Russell draws on a foundation in fine art and an MBA in marketing to teach design and social media, blending creativity, analytical rigor, and hands‑on leadership in every engagement.