Ben Kaplan

Ben Kaplan is the founder and CEO of PR Hacker, a Top 100 PR firm in the U.S. and the fastest growing viral publicity company in the world.

Kaplan is a rare "quadruple threat" PR and media expert: Over the course of his 15-year career in the media, he has been featured on 2,000 TV and radio shows (such as Oprah and Good Morning America), served as a media spokesperson for major brands (such as Dr. Pepper and Discover Card), founded a boutique PR firm (with clients like Citibank and Sallie Mae), and worked as a syndicated columnist and commentator (including columns for The New York Times and TIME).

Kaplan is regularly featured and quoted in worldwide media about how to spread ideas and "go viral" -- including how to build an audience for your YouTube video, thought leadership platform, worthy cause, or new product launch. He is also an accomplished coder, startup founder, and Harvard-trained economist.

Additionally, Kaplan is the best-selling author of 'How to Go to College Almost for Free' (HarperCollins Publishers), the leading book in the genre with more than one million readers worldwide. It is based on his experiences in winning two dozen scholarships worth $90,000—enough to cover virtually the entire cost of his Harvard degree.

Since launching the book in 1999, he has saved tens of thousands of families half a billion dollars in college costs. Kaplan was named the "Top Student Leader in America" by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.