Bradford Shellhammer

{{Infobox person

| name = Bradford Shellhammer

| image = Bradford Shellhammer New Year's Eve 2009.png

| caption = Shellhammer on New Year's Eve 2009

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1976}}

| birth_place = United States

| alma_mater = {{nowrap|Goucher College (B.A.)
Parsons School of Design (A.A.S.)}}

| occupation = {{Hlist|Entrepreneur|designer}}

| employer = eBay (2016–present)

| known_for = {{Hlist|Queerty|Fab|Bezar}}

| spouse = {{Marriage|Georgi Balinov|2013}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/wedding-guide/vows/2013/04/12/bradford-shellhammer-georgi-balinov|title=Bradford Shellhammer & Georgi Balinov|date=2013-04-12|work=Out.com|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en}}

| website = {{URL|bradfordshellhammer.com}}

}}

Bradford Shane Shellhammer (born 1976) is an American entrepreneur, designer, and tech executive who co-founded the e-commerce companies Fab and Bezar and the blog Queerty. Shellhammer was an admissions counselor at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum and part-time fashion and nightlife blogger who became a writer for JC Report, A&F Quarterly, and Gay.com before becoming the founding editor of Queerty. In 2016 Shellhammer served as eBay's Chief Curator and later went one to become Vice President of Buyer Experience and the Chief Product Officer of Reverb.com, a subsidiary of Etsy. He is currently Chief Marketing & Product Officer of Rent the Runway.

Early life and education

Shellhammer was born in 1976 to Peg Kendall of Pasadena, Maryland, and Richard L. Shellhamer of Baltimore.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/fashion/weddings/georgi-balinov-bradford-shellhammer-weddings.html|title=Georgi Balinov, Bradford Shellhammer - Weddings|date=2013-03-31|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en}} He attended high school in Anne Arundel County and went on to study at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, where he earned a bachelor's in communications and media studies in 1998.{{Cite news|url=https://www.goucher.edu/documents/quarterly/Goucher-Quarterly-Spring-2014.pdf|title=Out Loud|last=Kotz|first=Vanessa Mallory|date=2014|work=Goucher Quarterly|access-date=2018-07-31|publisher=Goucher College}} Later, Shellhammer received an associate degree in fashion design from Parsons School of Design.

Early career

In 1999, Shellhammer met Jason Goldberg, with whom he would later become business partners, at Roxy NYC. Goldberg offered him the opportunity to be his assistant at his company in Silicon Valley. The two traveled to San Francisco, where Goldberg was studying at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Both were laid off four months later. Shellhammer remained in San Francisco and worked as an admissions counselor at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3016269/how-high-can-fab-climb|title=How High Can Fab Climb?|last=Sacks|first=Danielle|date=2013-09-09|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US}}

Shellhammer also blogged about his experiences in fashion and nightlife. He wrote for an online magazine called JC Report where he observed and commented on fashion trends, as well as for A&F Quarterly, and The Baltimore Sun.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2005/09/queer-blog-for-the-straight-web/|title=Queer Blog for the Straight Web|last=Penenberg|first=Adam L.|date=2005-09-01|magazine=WIRED|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US|author-link=Adam Penenberg}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/garden/23divorce.html|title=After the Breakup, Who Gets the Lake House?|last=Scelfo|first=Julie|date=2009-07-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en}} In August 2005, he assisted in the founding of Queerty, an online magazine about trends and lifestyle within the gay community.{{Cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/body-of-an-american-0000320-v21n5/|title=The Immigrant Who Conquered Porn and Became One of the Most Powerful Gay Men in New York|last=Sunderland|first=Michael|date=2014-06-03|work=Vice|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-us}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24|title=Meet the bloggers|date=2006-05-09|publisher=The Advocate|language=en}} Shellhammer also worked part-time at Design Within Reach (DWR) as a freelancer. Between 2008 and 2009, he worked for several furniture and design stores in SoHo, Manhattan.

Involvement in Fab.com and subsequent projects

In 2010, Goldberg approached Shellhamer with the idea to launch Fabulis, a company that would serve as a social media network to provide travel advice and reviews to the young gay community. Shellhammer agreed to sign onto the project, and in February 2011, the company's name was shortened to Fab. During Shellhammer's tenure as chief design officer, Fab expanded rapidly and was valued at over $1 billion at its peak.{{Cite news|url=https://qz.com/300825/how-fab-com-went-from-a-1-billion-valuation-to-a-15-million-fire-sale/|title=How Fab.com went from a $1 billion valuation to a $15 million fire sale|work=Quartz|access-date=2018-08-16|language=en-US}} By 2012, the site had over 10 million members and offered over seven million unique products.{{Cite news|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/cool-nyc-companies-behind-the-scenes-office-tour-of-fab?package_id=44780|title=Cool NYC companies: Behind-the-scenes office tour of Fab|work=Time Out New York|access-date=2018-08-16|language=en}}

Shellhammer left Fab in November 2013 and launched Shellhammer.co, a consulting company for business design, digital merchandising, and branding.{{Cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bradford-shellhammers-next-move-2014-1|title=Coming Off The High: Fab Co-founder Bradford Shellhammer's Next Act|last=Lopez|first=Linette|date=2014-01-17|work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-07-30}} He remains a stakeholder in and advisor to Fab.{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3021037/fab-cofounder-chief-design-officer-bradford-shellhammer-leaves-company|title=Fab's Chief Design Officer Bradford Shellhammer Leaves The Company|last=Chaey|first=Christina|date=2013-11-01|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US}} In 2014, Shellhammer became the chief design officer for the retailer Backcountry.com.{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3028298/fab-cofounder-bradford-shellhammer-named-chief-design-officer-at-backcount|title=Fab Cofounder Bradford Shellhammer Named Chief Design Officer At Backcountry.com|last=Greenfield|first=Rebecca|date=2014-03-27|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US}} In 2015, he founded Bezar and served as the company's chief executive officer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.inc.com/zoe-henry/fab-co-founder-bradford-shellhammer-bezar-taking-risks.html|title=Fab.com Co-Founder on Starting Over and Starting a Rock Band|last=Henry|first=Zoë|date=2015-05-29|work=Inc|access-date=2018-07-30}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040452/fab-cofounder-bradford-shellhammer-is-launching-design-sales-site-bezar|title=Fab Cofounder Bradford Shellhammer Is Launching Design Sales Site Bezar|last=Greenfield|first=Rebecca|date=2015-01-08|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US}} {{Cite news|url=https://www.recode.net/2016/3/24/11587262/fab-co-founder-bradford-shellhammer-lands-at-ebay|title=Fab Co-Founder Bradford Shellhammer Lands at eBay|last=Del Ray|first=Jason|date=2016-04-24|work=Recode|access-date=2018-07-30}} In 2016, Shellhammer was brought onto the executive team at eBay to serve as chief curation and merchandising officer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.recode.net/2016/3/24/11587262/fab-co-founder-bradford-shellhammer-lands-at-ebay|title=Fab Co-Founder Bradford Shellhammer Lands at eBay|last=Del Rey|first=Jason|date=March 24, 2016|work=Recode|access-date=2018-11-11}}

Personal life

File:Bradford Shellhammer and Michael Lucas talking about gay sociology (2842440182).jpg in 2009.|alt=|150x150px]]In March 2013, Shellhammer married partner Georgi Dimitrov Balinov, an investment banker at Barclays and a graduate of New York University. Actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard led the ceremony at New York's Russian Tea Room which also included performances by Billie Ray Martin, Marcella Detroit, Andy Bell of Erasure, and Latrice Royale. Lady Bunny was the dj.

Shellhammer maintained a home in Sparrow Bush, New York and later Stuyvesant, New York. His weekend home and NYC apartment were both published in Architectural Digest. He is a noted art collector and was reported to have a number of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring pieces in his possession in 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://wwd.com/eye/celebrity-real-estate/fab-com-founder-bradford-shellhammers-quirky-manhattan-condo-10952939/|title=House of the Week: Fab.com Founder Bradford Shellhammer's Colorful Manhattan Apartment|last=Hopkins|first=Kathryn|date=2017-07-30|work=WWD|access-date=2018-08-16|language=en-US}} Shellhammer's San Francisco home was featured in The Telegraph for its vibrant colors and "Warholian" interior design.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/interiors/home/house-ebay-built-inside-colourful-world-bradford-shellhammer/|title=The house that eBay built: inside the colourful world of Bradford Shellhammer|last=Sunshine|first=Becky|date=2017-07-07|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-07-31|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|url-access=subscription }}

Awards and honors

Fast Company magazine named Shellhammer one of the "100 Most Creative People in Business." He has had several profiles in the same publication under the same category. Forbes called Shellhammer the "King of Quirk."{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bal-insider-bradford-shellhammer-honored-by-goucher-20150427-story.html|title=Isn't he fab? Goucher grad, Fab.com co-founder receives alumni award|last=Williams IV|first=John-John|date=2015-04-27|work=Baltimore Sun|access-date=2018-07-30|language=en-US}} In 2016, Goucher, Shellhammer's alma mater, recognized him as a distinguished alumnus.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goucher.edu/alumni/aagc/awards/distinguished-alumnaei-award|title=Distinguished Alumnae/i Award {{!}} Goucher College|website=Goucher College|language=en|access-date=2018-08-16}}

References

External links

{{Official website}}
{{IMDb name}}
[https://lifehacker.com/5965839/im-bradford-shellhammer-founder-of-fab-and-this-is-how-i-work 2012 Interview] with Lifehacker
[https://www.dezeen.com/2013/09/24/bradford-shellhammer-fab-interview/ 2013 Interview] with Dezeen

Category:Living people

Category:Goucher College alumni

Category:Parsons School of Design alumni

Category:Fashion journalists

Category:American gay writers

Category:American LGBTQ businesspeople

Category:American retail chief executives

Category:American company founders

Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers

Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers

Category:American male bloggers

Category:American bloggers