Jeff Kamikow Livingston Biography

Jeff Kamikow Livingston, President and CEO of Cross Audience, has nearly 20 years of media experience including sales and operations management, business development and executive management at companies including Pulse 360, Time Inc. and Ziff-Davis.

Jeff Kamikow Livingston - Co-Founder / Principle @ Kamikow Media

Jeffrey Kamikow Livingston. Jeff Kamikow is a digital marketing expert with more than two decades of experience in a wide range of media industry roles

Jeff Kamikow, President and CEO of Cross Audience

Jeff Kamikow, President and CEO of Cross Audience, has nearly 20 years of media experience including sales and operations management, business development and executive management at companies including Pulse 360, Time Inc. and Ziff-Davis.

Livingston, New Jersey: Rich history, bright future - Jeffrey Kamikow Livingston

You may be familiar with Livingston, New Jersey. You may have grown up with us, eaten at our diners, swam in the town pools, or attended the high school. But even people who grew up here might not know of the town’s rich and lengthy history. To become the welcoming, developed and beautiful Livingston we all know today, it all had to start somewhere. To fully appreciate and understand what it means to live in this area, you need to hear our past.

 

Before Our Township

 Before the 1600’s, the area that would become Essex County was populated by the Lenni Lenape Tribe, Idigenous peoples who were known for their peace-loving nature among other tribes. They made use of the land for gardening and hunting, and in the summers they would travel to the sea to collect oysters and clams.

 

When the Dutch arrived in the early 1600’s, they had little regard for Lenape. Though they would trade guns and rum for pelts and furs, many documented massacres and fights between the Lenape and the Dutch took place. In 1643, Dutch soldiers were ordered to kill the savages and burn as many of their settlements as possible.

The British would arrive around the beginning of 1700 to gain control of the land. By this time, many of the Lenni Lenape in New Jersey had fled. The ones who stayed faced restrictions of land. Disease and alcoholism would continue to kill off many of the remaining indigenous communities.

By 1800, 83 members of the tribe remained in the area. Many of them would eventually move westward towards what is now Oklahoma, and others would move north to New York and Canada to join other Algonquin indigenous tribes.

 

Becoming Livingston

In 1730, British settlers originally purchased the land that encompassed Livingston and Caldwell from the Lenape for 130 pounds. It was not until 1811 that several hamlets would petition to converge together as the Township of Livingston.

The first town hall meeting took place in 1813. The town became mainly inhabited by farmers, and by around the time of the civil war, shoe making and dairy became some of the community’s main exports. Dairy would continue to be the town’s main industry into the 20th century

The population of Livingston stayed at about 1000 until the early 20th century, as the town was not close to any major rail line. It was not until the invention of the automobile and the introduction of hard surface highways that Livingston saw large population growth.

A Commuting Suburb

Due to the town’s close proximity to New York City, it became a popular place for commuters to settle. By 1950, Livingston had amassed a population of nearly 10,000. The population would only continue to grow rapidly from there, reaching over 20,000 by 1950 and peaking at 31,000 by 1970.

 

In 1957, a new form of government, referred to as the council-management system was introduced to Livingston. In this system, an elected council acts as a municipality’s primary legislative body. From this council, a manager is picked to oversee operations and implement policies. (Fun fact: A council-management system is one of five types of municipal governments in the United States.)

An Outstanding School System

Since the establishment of Livingston High School in 1953, Livingston has been ranked one of the top places for education in the country. This, along with an easy commute to Manhattan, make it a desirable place for people to raise families. In 1997, the public high school was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence by the United States Education Department. It has also frequently been ranked as one of the best high schools in the state and one of the top rated schools nationwide.

 

Throughout its history, many notable names attended Livingston High School and went on to have successful careers in all different fields. Graduating from the school in 1964, Frank Biondi would go on to study psychology at Princeton and Business at Harvard. Beginning his career on Wall street, he would later go on to become the president and CEO of Viacom and chairman and CEO of Universal Pictures.

 

With a passion for magic as a young boy, Jason Alexander (aka Jay Greenspan) grew up in Livingston and graduated from Livingston High School in 1977. He studied voice and theatre in town while in school, starring in a the LHS production of Guys and Dolls alongside fellow local celebrity Julie Montgomery. His career began on Broadway, where he has appeared in dozens of productions, ultimately earning him multiple awards, including a Tony and two Drama Desks. Jason would go on to have a wildly successful career on television and film, most notably playing the role of George Costanza on the hit sitcom Seinfeld.

The Present Day

 Livingston in the present day is a desirable and welcoming community to all families. Known for its diversity, education, and community involvement, the town is still recognized as a commuting suburb, with many convenient ways to get to nearby New York City. With a newly renovated town hall, two community pools, and various tennis, basketball, and baseball fields, Livingston offers its residents many recreational opportunities. In a recent census, the population sits at about 30,000. Many residents are involved in volunteer boards or committees, with over 40 existing.

“It’s just a great place to live,” says resident Jeff Kamikow, who has raised two children in the township. “While it offers an easy commute to the city, I was able to set up my business in one of the many local office complexes, so I can work here, support local businesses throughout the day, and be home for dinner with my family.”

Though there are many attractive physical attributes of Livingston in the present, so much of what makes this town unique and significant lies in the many stories of how it came to be. Without a full understanding of Livingston’s history, we cannot appreciate everything people worked for to help it become the thriving township it is today.