Our people are the driving force behind the excellent results we produce for clients. We are a team of 50+ passionate and results-oriented professionals from diverse disciplines. These include technology, communications, marketing, psychology, education, and intelligence. Each team member excels in their own discipline, in addition to their commitment to client and partner relationships that are at the center of our company culture.
Our Leadership Team
-
Sam Michelson
CEO & Founder
×
Sam Michelson is the CEO and founder of Five Blocks. He is a global leader in digital reputation management, consulting for leading businesses and prominent executives around the world.
Over the past 13 years, Sam has built Five Blocks into the premier digital reputation management partner of many leading PR and Public Affairs firms. Aside from the professional relationships, Sam has developed close friendships with many of his partners, and has learned a great deal from them.
With a BA in Psychology from Yeshiva University and a Masters in Management from Boston University, Sam has always focused on people. Sam believes that a company’s most important assets are its employees, its partners, and of course, its clients.
Sam enjoys the creative side of technology and business, and is the inventor of two US patents – one in the area of self-tuning knowledge bases and text categorization, and the other in the field of interactive digital advertising.
Sam enjoys traveling, scuba diving, mountain biking, and photography. He is married and has eight children.
-
-
Hillel Davis
Chief Operating Officer
×
Hillel is a veteran business leader with close to 25 years working in senior human resources positions at Citibank, Republic National Bank of New York and IDT. At Five Blocks, Hillel oversees the day-to-day operations of the firm, its people, and finances. Prior to joining Five Blocks in 2012, he spent eight years as the Vice President for University Life at Yeshiva University where he oversaw the non-academic portion of the student experience for undergraduate and graduate students. Hillel has a BA in Math from Yeshiva University, as well as an MA and a PhD in Organizational Psychology from New York University.
-
-
Ofer Mizrahi
Chief Technology Officer
×
Ofer Mizrahi serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Five Blocks Inc. where he is responsible for overseeing the company’s proprietary technological products and infrastructure. As a member of the senior management team, Ofer leads the IT department on strategic technological planning as well as product research, development, and marketing.
Prior to joining Five Blocks, he spent ten years as manager of Ping Mobile, where his skills as a veteran digital communication strategist, product developer, and planner helped create new products and build an international client base. Ofer’s programming skills have served several companies in developing digital products and launching business and technology initiatives.
He has a BA in Science and an engineering degree in Computer Science.
-
-
Daniel Wolf
Director of Account Management & Systems
×
Daniel is a veteran educator, manager, and programmer with more than two decades of experience exploring and testing the interaction between technology and human learning and development. He oversees all of Five Blocks account engagements; manages and trains the team of account managers; and sets policies and procedures for the firm’s outstanding client service. He is also the lead on Five Blocks’ ethics policy, interfacing regularly with external experts.
Prior to his current role, Daniel spent eight years as the firm’s Director of R&D, where he developed hundreds of web-based applications and scripts that are central to Five Blocks’ client service model. Daniel has a Masters in Judaic Studies and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science.
-
-
Sara K. Eisen
Director of Brand & Marketing
×
Sara K. Eisen is a veteran creative director, brand and communications manager, content consultant, and journalist. Before joining Five Blocks, Sara worked in the non-profit sector as Chief Communications Officer for Masa Israel Journey, and, at the Jewish Agency, as both Sr. Advisor to the Director General and Head of Marketing Content.
In the earlier stages of her career, she was an independent marcom consultant and copywriter, working with both established corporations and startups. She co-founded two startups and has worked as a journalist in the fields of hi-tech, lifestyle, and culture.
Sara holds a degree in Psychology and English. She has a strong preference for outdoors over indoors, an inclination formed while parenting boys.
-
-
Aharon Zeff
Director of Business Development
×
Aharon is an expert in online reputation management. For the last decade, he has worked with strategic clients, from Fortune 500’s to several of the world’s largest hedge funds. Aharon oversees the business development team and provides strategic consultancy and support to our partners. Aharon was previously responsible for overseeing US Sales and client account strategy at Five Blocks’ New York office.
Aharon’s frequent international travel makes him a citizen of the world, able to work seamlessly with partners and clients in many locations and cultures.
Contact: azeffATfiveblocks.com
-
-
Romi Sussman
Director of Content
×
Romi Sussman has been the Director of Content for Five Blocks since 2009. She oversees the members of the Five Blocks writing and content team, working in tandem with the account managers to process all writing requests and needs. Prior to joining Five Blocks, she worked for a number of e-commerce sites writing web content, press releases and other deliverables. Originally trained as an English teacher, Romi worked in education for over a decade before turning to marketing and content writing full time.
-
-
Julie Waldman
Product & Project Director
×
Julie manages the products at Five Blocks, helping her team to improve our core software and to innovate new products so we can stay cutting-edge as we research, analyze, and follow data and trends relating to search and reputation management.
She has been managing products for over 25 years in a variety of industries including digital publishing, alternative health care, and autonomous vehicles. Julie has also freelanced for a large variety of startups, many in the mobile field, and has experience in marketing and business development. She once founded her own company in the tourism industry.
Julie spends her time reading about Agile and UX, when she is not ferrying around her kids to their various social activities. She has a degree in literature from Barnard College, and was an editor at Cambridge University Press before making the leap into hi-tech.
-
-
Chaya Gottesman
Manager, Finance & Operations
×
Chaya manages Five Blocks’ finances and administration. She oversees budgets, expenses, and billing. Prior to joining Five Blocks, Chaya spent 11 years at Primedia and Bertelsmann as the Manager and then Director of Corporate Benefits. Earlier in her career, she served in actuarial roles at KPMG and Mercer.
-
-
Ari Roth
Account Director & Team Leader
×
Ari directs activity for a strategic group of Five Blocks clients and account managers, and is the company’s internal expert for all things relating to technical search optimizations. He is also responsible for ongoing technical training and consultations for Five Blocks’ account management team.
Ari has been working in digital marketing since 2011, with expertise in pure SEO, PPC, app store optimization, social media, and much more. His detail-oriented focus and analytical mindset has benefitted clients spanning a wide variety of industries, including sports, finance, healthcare, and consumer products, among others.
Ari is married and has two rowdy children who are always keeping him and his wife quite busy. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in Finance and a minor in Economics from Yeshiva University, where he was the lead radio broadcaster for the school’s basketball team. He is a third-generation New York sports fan who is loyal to his teams despite their recent performances.
-
-
Yaacov Goldstein
Account Director & Team Leader
×
Yaacov’s expertise is corporate strategy, accompanying clients who rely on Five Blocks to be their trusted advisor for all things online. Since joining Five Blocks in 2015, Yaacov has built and maintained some of our largest and most successful business relationships. Using his analytical mind and dedication to both his clients and the team he manages, he proactively finds new ways to keep our programs cutting edge, and our clients engaged and informed.
Yaacov began his career in the cell phone business, spending eight years at one of Europe’s largest electronics retailers. While there, he managed digital marketing spend as a procurement professional, and launched live chat on the eCommerce site.
-
-
Emma Sevitz
Account Director & Team Leader
×
Emma’s primary area of expertise is corporate engagement and brand building. Her key skills are high industrial proficiency and expert communication. This unique blend of both technical and people skills allows Emma to build successful long-lasting relationships with her clients. She is an out-of-the-box thinker whose eclectic approach to problem solving delivers the best results and added value to her clients.
Emma brings over 15 years of experience in digital media and communications to her role at Five Blocks. She continues to closely follow the current trends and developments in the field, allowing her to bring up-to-date and highly relevant insights to her role. She graduated from Bristol University with a degree in Political Science.
-
-
David Sedley
Account Director & Team Leader
×
David manages the accounts of both corporate and individual clients, helping them unravel tough problems by keeping a close eye on industry insights and via his unorthodox thinking style. A Five Blocks veteran, he has served as the onboarding mentor for many of our newer account managers, lending both his professional insights and life wisdom.
Previously, he served as a community rabbi in the UK; an educator; and a journalist. He has also translated and co-authored several books, and has a special interest in historical quirks. David has a master’s degree in education from the Open University of Great Britain and a post graduate diploma in adult education from Nottingham University. His undergraduate degree is in English literature and the history and theory of music. In his spare time, he writes blogs, listens to music, and plays guitar.
Originally from New Zealand, David now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.
-
-
Menucha Zimmerman
Account Director: Innovation & Strategy
×
Menucha is responsible for conceiving, planning, and managing internal company projects designed to help us achieve our organizational mission. She helps organize and run professional excellence initiatives for the Five Blocks team. Additionally, Menucha leads several strategic accounts with a specific focus around developing clear, compelling digital narratives for her clients.
Menucha has a background of almost 15 years in SEO and digital marketing, with a strong emphasis on analytics-driven strategies and data stories.
In her free time, Menucha enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, hiking, getting lost across Europe, and discovering niche, independent cartoonists.
-
-
Dani Landman
Account Director: Innovation & Strategy
×
Dani works at Five Blocks to devise creative solutions to tricky problems and to promote and nurture the spirit of ingenuity that characterizes the Five Blocks team. Along with the accounts he leads, Dani is also Five Blocks’ expert on Wikipedia strategy and navigating Wikipedia’s disclosed paid editing process.
Dani previously worked as an intelligence officer at a security intelligence company, where he specialized in advanced social media searching. He has also been a teacher, writer, translator and copy editor.
Dani lives in Elazar with his wife and four children. He moonlights as a professional crossword puzzle constructor; his puzzles have been published in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal.
-
-
Howard Opinsky
Special Advisor
×
Howard Opinsky is the founder and Managing Partner of Opincon Strategies,
an issues and reputation management consultancy for corporations, non-
profits, and high-profile individuals. Howard has spent his career at the
intersection of reputation, public policy, and public opinion. He utilizes a
combination of experiences from the highest levels of business and politics to
deliver insights and achieve outcomes for clients.As Special Advisor to Five Blocks, Howard provides strategic counsel and
insight to the company. For over 15 years, Howard was a senior consultant
and leader at Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Weber Shandwick where his
clients included several global corporations, NGOs, high-profile individuals,
and governments.He has a wealth of experience advising Fortune 500 CEOs, public board
members, and other senior executives on issues management, thought
leadership and corporate strategy. Howard has also helped several major
corporations develop and maximize their corporate social responsibility
activities and digital engagement strategies. Howard began his career as a
political strategist and communication advisor to candidates and causes
including U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign, a national
political party campaign committee, and several legislative candidates in the
U.S. and around the globe. -
