Bulldog 100 Profile: David Cogdell (ABJ ’76, MA ’83)
Bulldog 100 Profile: David Cogdell (ABJ ’76, MA ’83)
This is one of a series of interviews honoring Grady College alumni who have been recognized as Bulldog 100 recipients in 2026. The Bulldog 100 is sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association and celebrates the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni.
David Cogdell (ABJ ’76, MA ’83), is the president and founder of PinDot Media, a full-service mobile, interactive, social and traditional advertising agency based in Roswell, Georgia. Since 1992, PinDot Media has delivered customized search and branding initiatives for clients across the US and Canada.
How did your time at grady college shape your career aspirations?
While at UGA, I tried four or five majors before I settled on journalism. I received my BA with a concentration in public relations and decided to pursue a master’s with a concentration in Advertising. While working on my master’s, I was a grad assistant in graphics for two quarters, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I apparently made the right educational decisions because I have spent the last 42 years in advertising.
What was your first job in the communications field, and how did it set the stage for your career growth?
In 1984, I took a job with BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Company. While I was at BAPCO, I sold local yellow pages ads to businesses but only in selected markets. I always felt that it would be better to work with their whole programs and budgets. This led me to leave BAPCO in 1992, start Ad Ventures, Inc. dba PinDot Media, and quickly become a Certified Marketing Rep. As a CMR, my company could work with all yellow page publishers across the country, which allowed us to work with regional and national clients. About 15 years ago, we saw a shift in the yellow page industry, so we started adding in interactive products such as YP.com, Yelp, etc. Since then we have added in multiple products such as Angi, Thumbtack, Best Picks and many more. All the products are similar in that they respond to customer need, similar to the yellow pages that brought us to the table.
What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?
The main challenge was the introduction of the Internet. Once that happened, print yellow pages value started to decline. We had to either pivot or die on the vine. This is when we expaned out offerings to include digital products that were similar in use to yellow pages. We tried to add in other services, but ultimately came back to what we knew.
How do you define success in your career, and has that definition changed over time?
I think success can be defined by providing a quality product or service that exceeds your clients’ expectations and being able to look at yourself in the mirror and feel good about what you do.
Cogdell is one of nine Grady alumni named to this year’s Bulldog 100 list, named by the UGA Alumni Association. They will be celebrated on Feb. 7. The list of Grady College alumni and their businesses include:
- Greg Abel (ABJ ’95), Tailfin Marketing
- Selby Hill (ABJ ’14), Yonder Yoga
- Robin Burnett (ABJ ’99, BSFCS ’00), Robin Burnett Design
- Elizabeth Newton (ABJ ’99), enewton design
- Josh Cagliani (ABJ ’09, MED ’10), Big Apple Services, Inc.
- David Cogdell (ABJ ’76, MA ’83), President of Pindot Media
- Jason Russell (ABJ ’96), Stable Kernel
- Catherine Denham (ABJ ’05), Catherine Denham Travel
- Stuart Watson (ABJ ’97), WinGen by Swordpoint Services
Author: Sarah Kate Maher, skm01341@uga.edu