J.R. Johnson
J.R. Johnson has launched four websites, in a continued run of entrepreneurial endeavors.  In 2000, Johnson was founder and CEO of the user-generated content website VirtualTourist.com. Under his leadership, VirtualTourist grew to one of the largest online travel communities in the world earning multiple honors, including Time Magazine’s ‘Recommended Travel Forum,’ Newsweek’s ‘Favorite Website,’ and one of Travel + Leisure’s ‘35 Best Travel Sites’.  Johnson then launched online meta comparison tool OneTime.com in 2004, with a focus on booking flights and hotels.  Â
The bootstrapped sites grew to an annual revenue of $18MM and $8MM EBITDA at the time they were acquired by Expedia in 2008 for a reported $85M. Following that acquisition, Johnson founded Lunch.com, to solve the decreasing trust and relevance of online reviews and recommendations.  Lunch continues to grow and foster an active UGC community.
Johnson has authored several op ed pieces, including ”Social Media Can Change The World Through Common Ground” published on Mashable; ”Can Facebook Unring the Privacy Bell?” published in the Silicon Valley Watcher; ”Online, accountability’s hot and anonymity’s not” published in the San Jose Mercury News; ”Obama’s ideas for small business don’t go far enough” published in the San Francisco Chronicle, and ”How Twitter could overtake Google” published on Socialmedia.biz.
A Southern California native, Johnson attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship, he also holds a Juris Doctorate from S.M.U. Law School and is a member of the State Bar of California. An early pioneer in the field of user-generated content and a frequent speaker at industry events, Johnson co-founded the “Lunch for Good” series, a program designed to encourage offline discussions and thought leadership around issues core to the future of online participation.
Johnson grew up in Westlake Village, CA and currently resides in Manhattan Beach, CA with his wife and daughter.
