June 2-3, 2020

Amit Agarwal is the recently appointed president of Shop LC Global Inc. in Austin, Texas. Agarwal is a long-standing employee of the VGL Group, parent company to Shop LC, in which he has proudly served for more than 14 years. Prior to joining Shop LC, he served as the Managing Director of The Jewelry Channel, Shop LC’s sister channel operating in London. Known for his strong P&L management, focused cost-control, and building strategic teams, Agarwal is quickly embracing the Baldrige methods. Agarwal holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an M.B.A. in marketing. Agarwal, his wife, and their two children have made their home in Round Rock, Texas.

Michaela Giovengo is the director of performance marketing at Hulu, where she is responsible for leading the team focused on driving Hulu’s direct-to-consumer brand advertising revenue. Since joining Hulu in 2012, Giovengo has been instrumental in the development and growth of the Hulu performance marketing unit, which has tripled in size and has resulted in expansive revenue growth year-over-year. Prior to joining Hulu, she spent more than six years at NBCUniversal as an account executive across a number of the network properties, including USA, Oxygen, Bravo, and SyFy. Giovengo was born and raised in Chicago and holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Fordham University. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and their two children, Siena and Luke.

With more than 25 years of global marketing and commercial operations experience, Denira Borrero has launched and led hundreds of direct-to-consumer, traditional brand, and B2B marketing campaigns. She was recognized by the Direct Response Marketing Alliance as Member of the Year in 2015 and also served on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Retailing Association. Borrero regularly publishes articles in business and industry journals on the state of the U.S. Hispanic market and performance-based marketing. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia University and held numerous leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson for 15 years prior to joining Omni Direct as COO.

Matt Fisher serves as president of the retail division at Tristar Products. He worked independently with Tristar for 13 years before joining the team for the past seven years. He oversees the company’s growth with a focus on sales, operations, and strategy. Before joining Tristar, he was vice president of sales at LiveOps Inc., the world’s largest home agent call center. Fisher specialized in working with enterprises to develop award-winning customer service systems and solutions. He was previously head of project management for Lycos Global Media Group and worked closely with the core engineering team at Netscape. Fisher also served as a director of the Electronic Retailing Association. He holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of California, Davis, and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jack Ferry is an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of BakerHostetler. He brings hands-on experience to the firm’s Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team as he helps clients navigate regulations to run compliant advertising campaigns. He has represented clients before the National Advertising Division (NAD), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state attorneys general, as well as in federal court, on a range of advertising-related matters. He also serves as clients’ day-to-day advertising lawyer, focusing on issues such as claim substantiation, sweepstakes and promotions, and social media campaigns. Ferry has in-depth experience with laws governing automatic renewals, gambling and sports betting, CBD, loyalty programs, unclaimed property, the TCPA, consumer reviews, and children’s advertising. He has advised numerous companies on the sale and distribution of CBD, as well as related claims in advertising.

Greg Miller brings more than a decade-and-a-half of experience in media planning, TV data management, and technology to his role as vice president, associate media group director at Eicoff — a full-service advertising agency using the power of television and the precision of digital for such clients as Stride Inc., Metromile, and James Hardie. In that role, Miller works closely with direct response advertisers to use data strategically and intelligently to maximize sales with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. A graduate of Illinois State University, he joined the Eicoff team in 2006.

Phyllis Silverstein is an experienced, direct marketing professional with a career that spans 30 years on both the client and agency side: from Richard Simmons’ “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” to the George Foreman Grill to Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company. She is a senior director for Tranzact as a business owner on the Life & Supplement team. Silverstein has established herself as a leader in the direct-to-consumer industry by building amazing teams to create winning marketing campaigns and strategies that drive results. Her passion for her work, her dedication to her team and their goals, and her ability to think beyond the “spots and dots,” has allowed her to find success over the years.

Adam Hassle

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is the vice president of sales and business development at Launch2Retail, a Minneapolis-based sales representation agency. Hassler has worked in the retail industry for more than 16 years and has experience on both the retail buyer and vendor seller sides of the industry. Prior to his current role, he was a senior buyer at Target Corp., where he held roles in supply chain, sourcing, and buying. Hassler enjoys learning new disciplines, building new relationships, striving for innovative solutions, and developing stronger businesses with a unique perspective. At Launch2Retail, he partners with vendors to help bring their business models, brands, and products to life and to help them grow.

Chris Bishouty, chief operating officer at ProMedia, joined the company in 2014 to help clients maximize the performance of their campaigns and to assist in molding and guiding the direction of the agency into a suite of full-service capabilities. He is the driving force behind proprietary in-house SaaS development that not only helps increase agency efficiency and performance, but also differentiates ProMedia within the industry as an innovator and thought leader in technology.

Will Offeman joined WideOrbit in 2000 and leads strategy, design, and development for all products, from its flagship WO Traffic software to extended solutions for analytics, demand aggregation, digital proposals and order management, digital ad serving, and payments/collections. Offeman leverages decades of experience with TV and radio broadcasters, national cable networks, and digital publishers, to inform WideOrbit’s product roadmaps. As the media landscape continues to shift, he is focused on evolving WideOrbit’s media operations platform to advance the unification of digital and linear advertising.

Jennifer Karlson co-leads the direct response sales team at ViacomCBS. She has been a part of that group for 20-plus years and is lucky enough to have sold across all 18 networks. She is responsible for growing the direct-to-consumer business across all linear and digital platforms.

Doug Bognar is vice president of sales and new business for Apex Media Partners Inc. He has spent virtually his entire 30-year career in the direct-to-consumer industry. He has been a media director/senior manager with a top-40 media buying agency as well as having held director-level sales positions at both rep firms and networks, responsible for eight-figure budgets. A seasoned, data-driven professional, Bognar has extensive experience developing direct-to-consumer networks and worked for several years building aggregated programmatic platforms. As vice president, he takes on growing the Apex Media portfolio of client-focused services, including short-form media buying, station representation, ad sales, and navigating the rapidly expanding and complex world of over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

Karen Kluger founded TouchPoint Integrated Communications in 2005 out of a true need in the media arena. That need remains relevant today: a data-driven, channel-agnostic, integrated media offering with a singular focus — clients’ KPIs. TouchPoint’s practice, RoundTable IntegrationTM, has been built to support and adjust with the changing media environment. With the fragmented path to purchase requiring a multitude of touches, it is imperative to understand what combination of interactions delivers the strongest against each client’s goals. Kluger couples this philosophy with her entrepreneurial style of business building and 30 years of experience working in both the general and direct response industries. Prior to founding TouchPoint, she held executive leadership positions at McCann Relationship Marketing, Wunderman, Ammariti, and other IPG affiliates.

Edward Glynn offers his clients decades of experience in advising leading consumer products and services, pharmaceutical and dietary supplements, and advertising and marketing companies on federal and state regulatory matters, government investigations, and litigation. He provides strategic business counseling involving consumer protection, marketing, and trade regulation issues. As a former senior official in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Glynn’s practice includes advising clients facing federal and state regulatory investigations, including FTC investigations; and reviewing advertising campaigns for compliance with regulatory requirements. He also actively represents clients in proceedings before the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

At THOR Associates, Lori Zeller is responsible for providing out-of-the-box turnkey solutions for operational efficiencies. Previous experience in both the marketing and healthcare industries have provided her with insights-driven leveraging skills. As a strategist, Zeller's strengths lie in offering marketing redesign initiatives for increased revenue. She is a senior executive with a passion for project management and product development. With excellent change management and leadership skills, Zeller is a behind-the-scenes traditional and digital geek, ensuring the sustainability of THOR Associates and THOR’s client roster.

Linda Goldstein is co-leader of BakerHostetler’s Advertising, Marketing & Digital Media team. She provides advertising counsel and regulatory advice to leading Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. She represents clients in investigative and enforcement proceedings brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other federal and state agencies. Goldstein spends a considerable portion of her time advising clients on how to minimize the legal risks associated with mobile marketing, e-retail, social influencers, native advertising, email and telemarketing, and more. Goldstein’s commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC’s TODAY Show, Adweek, Advertising Age, and the National Law Journal.

Bill Ranta is the vice president of revenue at Verde Payments, a position he has held since 2019. Verde’s platform is a full-stack direct payment processor in high-risk verticals such as direct marketing, cannabis, gaming, gambling, firearms, and supplements. It is a specialist in electronic payments, ACH, and alternative payment forms worldwide. Prior to Verde, Ranta was an executive at PaySafe, Nuvi, and WorldPay, where he dealt with the general management of North American sales and operations for high-growth global payment processing. Additionally, Ranta was vice president of sales and senior sales director at Litle and Co., which was purchased by Vantiv in 2013 for a record multiple. He has 19 years of experience in card-not-present (CNP) payment processing best practices and in building valued products to assist direct selling/e-commerce merchants with innovative payment platforms.

Brian Judge helps lead one of the largest direct response teams in the industry at Discovery Inc. In his current role as director of integrated media sales, DR, he is responsible for managing a team of account executives selling linear networks in the portfolio, as well as spearheading all things digital, OTT, VOD, and programmatic. He started his career on the agency side andwas a director on a media buying team priorto joining Discovery. Judge resides in New Jersey with his wife, Sophia, and his three children: Liam, Ethan, and Kiera.

Jenny Paul — CEO, Intent Entertainment, and executive producer/creator/”Jane” of Adulting With Jane — is an award-winning actress, producer, content creator, and teacher based in New York. She holds a magna cum laude degree in theater arts from Brandeis University and a business certification from Harvard Business School. Her best-known credits include Hulu’s The Looming Tower, Netflix/Marvel’s Jessica Jones, the internationally acclaimed series' That Reminds Me... and Adulting With Jane. In addition to credits on dozens of other award-winning films, theatrical shows, and commercials, Paul is the founder and CEO of Intent Entertainment, with a mission to bridge the gap between narrative storytelling and branded content, bringing products and services to their target audiences in the way they want to receive them. Adulting with Jane is Intent Entertainment's herald interactive/shoppable content brand.

Founded out of the need to help the ones we love, MONTKUSH was created by a dad looking to help his daughter. Anthony “Sully” Sullivan spent two decades selling products all over the world on television, but after seeing the success CBD had on his daughter, Sullivan knew he had to not only support this industry — he had to be at the very heart of it. An entrepreneur and TV personality, Sullivan is best-known as the spokesperson for OxiClean and at the helm of Sullivan Productions where he has produced and appeared in dozens of commercials for practical consumer products, including Swivel Sweeper, Tap Light, Sticky Buddy, and H2O X2 Steam Mop. He has a stable of clients including OxiClean, Arm & Hammer, Carrabba's, Nutrisystem, McDonald's, and more.

Kevin Hayes has headed up sales for American Target Network for the past 10 years, generating more than $100 million in sales. ATN provides advertisers and agencies with the opportunity to insert on premium cable, streaming, and broadcast properties for peak media and efficiency. Before joining ATN, Hayes sold sponsorships and advertising for the YES Network (Yankees Entertainment & Sports). Prior to YES, he worked at CBS in New York where he specialized in client partnerships. Hayes started his career in media selling “The Howard Stern Show.” When not working with ATN’s great clients, he can be seen working on his golf and tennis games and hitting the slopes in the winter.

Amazon expert Shannon Roddy is the founder of Marketplace Seller Courses, an online course designed to help brands, inventors, and entrepreneurs make the most of their Amazon selling experience. He has consulted with more than 90 companies during the past seven years, helping them to set up, optimize, and launch their Amazon storefronts, as well as successfully promote and protect their brands on Amazon.com. Roddy has not only helped numerous sellers increase conversion rates and sales but also helped obtain No. 1 New Release rankings for several products — as well as assisted with multiple No. 1 Best Selling products on Amazon. His innovative approach to empowering sellers with practical takeaways and helping them focus on the essentials creates tremendous value opportunities. Roddy resides with his family in Atlanta.

Amit Khubani is a 15-year direct response industry veteran. He is executive vice president and director of international at Ontel Products, an industry leading, retail-centric direct response company. Khubani manages many facets of the retail business, including digital, live shopping, mass retail, mass hardware, and off-price retail. During his tenure, he has overseen or contributed to nearly $4 billion in retail sales of DRTV items.

Michael Keohane is an 18-year veteran of the digital media space, having led sales teams at CNET, communications startup Meebo, and now iHeartMedia. As senior vice president of podcast sales, Keohane leads strategy and monetization efforts across iHeart’s industry-leading 177 million monthly podcast downloads.

Alexandra Megaris is partner at Venable LLP in New York. Megaris focuses on complex regulatory investigations and government enforcement matters involving state attorneys general, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), state regulatory agencies, and the U.S. Congress. She also works closely with Venable's government affairs team in advocating for clients before these agencies. She has extensive experience with consumer protection laws, such as state unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices (UDAAP) laws, the FTC Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, and product-specific regulations including those regulating credit reporting, loan servicing, and debt collection.

Brian Handrigan is co-founder and CEO of Advocado, a real-time data and analytics platform bringing increased transparency, performance, and relevance to advertising. Handrigan is a proven entrepreneur with a passion for transforming marketing/advertising measurement and effectiveness. He is a true innovator, committed to expanding the intersection of technology and communication and has been a founder or co-founder of multiple companies.

Dave Zohrob is the co-founder and CEO of Chartable.com, the podcast measurement company. Chartable helps podcasters understand and grow their audiences, and empowers advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their ads.

Dan Kelly oversees general market and direct response sales efforts for our Central and West Coast based sales teams. He is charged with leveraging DISH Media’s entire suite of advertising offerings across DISH’s satellite and Sling TV properties. His teams are dedicated to elevating the brands’ presence at a market level, while simultaneously providing the latest advanced ad solutions to their clients. In his spare time, Kelly is an avid skier and youth sports coach. He earned a B.S. in marketing from Pennsylvania State University, and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Penny, and their three children.

Alex Rullo is an account executive on the direct response sales team at Xandr. His primary focus is on the growth of OTT/CTV in the DR/DTC space and how brands can better leverage Xandr’s robust data capabilities to inform their media buys and extend reach in a more fragmented media landscape. With more than eight years of experience in direct response — five of those at Xandr — Rullo has had a front row seat to the seismic changes in the industry and excited to help usher in the next phase.

Shira Witelson founded RSLT.IO to help marketers and media buyers make the most out of their advertising budgets. Leveraging machine learning, the platform provides attribution metrics for TV and digital advertising. RSLT monitors advertisement fatigue and recommends where to invest next. Witelson worked in the analytics space with top brands and agencies in New York. She earned a master’s in statistics from Columbia University, a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and management from the Technion, and a bachelor’s in statistics from the Hebrew University. She has spoken at numerous conferences on big data and analytics. Witelson resides in New York with her husband and three kids.

Brian Norris is senior vice president, direct to scale, at NBCUniversal and leads the direct to scale and direct response sales team. Norris brings almost 20 years of management and leadership experience driving television revenue in linear, addressable, and digital media. Before joining NBCUniversal, he served as vice president of DISH Media Sales. He’s also held sales roles at Viacom and Lifetime Entertainment Services. Norris volunteers with Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of NYC and currently serves on the board of the nonprofit International Radio and Television Society (IRTS). He also serves as an undergraduate volunteer interviewer for Brown University’s Alumni Association.

John Yarrington is co-founder and chief executive officer of the Performance-Driven Marketing Institute (PDMI) and co-founder of Definitive Media Group (DMG), an event and trade publishing company. Prior to co-founding PDMI and DMG, Yarrington was the publisher of Response Magazine and executive director of Response Expo and the Direct Response Marketing Alliance (DRMA). With nearly two decades of serving the direct response, direct-to-consumer, and performance-driven marketing industry, he has become an experienced leader and seasoned veteran at building community platforms that unite, grow, and propel industries forward. Yarrington received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from California State University, Fullerton.

Robby Barnett is the senior director of strategic partnerships in Viant’s business development organization. He is responsible for identifying and developing strategic partnerships across the business. Barnett has been with Viant for nearly a decade, most recently overseeing all inventory partnerships for Adelphic, Viant’s industry leading omnichannel DSP. He has played a significant role in the design, development, and marketing of many successful media products during his tenure. Barnett’s career has been spent building media-owner relationships for some of the world’s largest brands across traditional, digital, and programmatic media channels. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal State Northridge and certifications in data science and predictive analytics from UC Irvine.

As president of Lockard & Wechsler Direct (LWD), Asieya Pine is responsible for the agency's day-to-day operations. She also leads the planning and account services group, which optimizes media for the agency's 80-plus clients. Under her leadership, LWD has grown year after year for 20 years, becoming one of the largest privately held performance marketing agencies in the country. Pine’s experience covers a wide range of direct response disciplines, including advertising for consumer products, lead-generation, and e-commerce brands.

Steve Silbiger is the co-founder and CMO of Top Dog Direct, a key part of the small team that finds the next hit DRTV product. Currently, Top Dog has Clean Zone, Mighty Thirsty Mop, Nuzzle Pillow, and six other items on TV. Silbiger runs both television and internet marketing for the company, and is author of the international bestselling “Ten-Day MBA,” published by Harper Business.

Edwin Yuen is the senior director of product marketing at iSpot.tv, leading the messaging and positioning of iSpot's solutions. Prior to iSpot.tv, Yuen was vice president at Nomad Go AI, an AI-driven solution for retail companies and building operators. He has been a marketing and sales executive at leading companies such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, as well as being an industry analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. Yuen lives in the Seattle area with his wife and two daughters and spends his free time focused on his family and uploading old TV advertisements to his YouTube channel.

AJ Brown is the co-founder of LeadsRx, a leading SaaS platform for marketing analytics including multi-touch attribution and customer journey analytics. As an early entrepreneur in the software industry, Brown was instrumental in advancing the concepts of relational databases, data warehousing, data mining, marketing analytics, and more. For nearly five decades, he has been helping mid-to-large enterprises deploy systems for advanced analytics and data management. This has given him a unique perspective across industry segments into the best practices and principles that can drive revenue, reduce operating costs, and deliver insights that ultimately help humans be better at their jobs.

Anat Freed joined Kingstar Media just after it was founded in 2003, as junior assistant and has worked her way up to senior vice president, media, and manages a team of 25. Skilled in media buying, customer service, analytics, and business development, Freed is committed to driving positive experiences and ROI for all clients — and demonstrating how lucrative and worthwhile it is to include Canada in your media and marketing plans. Kingstar Media is Canadian advertising agency based in Toronto, specializing in response-based, measurable media across multiple platforms including TV, radio, out-of-home, and — most recently — digital.

Michelle Green boasts a solid track record in broad-based campaign management and creative marketing from overall conception to media launch, rollout, and aftermarket and retail strategies. The name of her agency — Two Twelve Direct — reflects the temperature at which water begins to boil and serves as a metaphor for the profound impact one degree of difference can have on campaign results. With more than 26 years of experience, Green has collaborated with some of the most successful direct marketers including Beachbody, BioTab Nutraceuticals, Cable Shopping Network, CarShield, Guthy-Renker, and HSN. Aside from serving as president of her agency, she is a devoted mother and passionate yogi and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from New Mexico State University.

Alex Hamilton is a subject matter expert in identity, analytics, and data solutions at Kount, an Equifax Company. He has held multiple roles at Kount, including heading the sales enablement department. Previously, Hamilton worked in an enterprise sales capacity at a fintech start-up, and ran the Advanced Management Program for Omnicom Group in Shanghai, China.

Dan Kelly is the vice president of national sales for BrightLine, where he and his team are working to help clients enhance their CTV campaigns by interacting with consumers across the entire CTV landscape. By utilizing BrightLine's Accelerator technology, clients are able to not only engage with consumers but also gather important information in regard to the effectiveness of their advertisements. Prior to joining BrightLine, Kelly spent ten years heading up West Coast and Central media sales for Dish Media. While at Dish, he worked across all aspects of its satellite TV and Sling offerings, including addressable, CTV/OTT, programmatic, and direct response. Before his time at Dish, Kelly held sales roles at the NFL, Reelz, Discovery, and Warner Media. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Pennsylvania State University and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. In his spare time, Kelly is an avid skier and youth sports coach.

Les Kollegian is a serial entrepreneur. He founded Jacob Tyler Brand & Digital Agency in 2000 and has been responsible for its growth and development ever since. In 2020, Kollegian co-founded The Raw Botanics Co., a health and wellness company using only natural ingredients, including functional botanics, mushrooms, and adaptogens. He holds a master’s in communications design from the University of Baltimore and has more than 25 years of experience building brands and designing marketing campaigns. Kollegian is a certified Google speaker and speaks regularly at design conferences and universities on the topics of web design, omnichannel marketing, and creative strategy.

Jason Manly is an undefeated mixed martial artist and only the fifth MMA fighter in the world to receive a jiu-jitsu black belt under the legendary Cesar Gracie. Manly has more than 20 years practicing jiu-jitsu and MMA and more than 10 years coaching the world’s most elite UFC fighters. Manly is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and is ranked No. 7 on the Cal track-and-field all-time list in the 100 meters. Manly is a co-founder of the KoreHealth brand, which provides performance and recovery tools for athletes all over the world.

Jane Pak serves as CEO and chair of POOPH, Inc, a company focused on bringing extraordinary, odor-eliminating technology into the hands of the average American consumer. POOPH currently focuses on pet odor elimination, a $7 billion industry, where market share is flocking to the brand promise of instant, total, permanent odor elimination that is safe for people, pets, plants, and the planet. During her 20-plus year career, Pak has delivered results for national and global consumer product companies, non-profit organizations, and U.S. government agencies. Her track record demonstrates expertise across multiple organizational functions and performance areas with significant strategic changes. She specializes in combining the power of agile operational efficiency, optimization of financial infrastructure, culture-driven talent development, and building amazing teams that do extraordinary things. Pak holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and resides in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

Matt Pharr is an analytics executive and managing director at Accenture Song with 20-plus years of experience specializing in advanced analytics, experimentation, and marketing communications strategy. At Accenture Song, he is responsible for leading a team of data scientists, strategists, and marketing technology experts to deliver meaningful and relevant experiences that deepen customer relationships and drive growth for Song’s clients. Pharr has worked in both agency and consulting settings to design and manage data-lead programs across a variety of industries, including technology, consumer goods, automotive, and financial services.

Cody Tesnow is an accomplished and self-loathing "ad man," a writer of many things, and a director. He’s also a surfer, sailor, builder, potter, painter, and damn good cook. Tesnow is a capability junkie who likes to know how to do as many things as possible. But, first and foremost, he is a director. Tesnow believes his greatest skill is getting disparate creative personalities to do their absolute best work together in pursuit of the goal of great content. He also believes that existential crisis is imperative to the creative process, that telling connective and collective stories is the most important human activity, and that there are no rules.

Gina Pomponi — president and COO of Bluewater — has three passions: her Aussies, Tango and Brooklyn; fronting her rock band for St. Pete music enthusiasts; and positioning Bluewater clients to maximize revenue opportunities. For more than 30 years, she has developed strategies and managed successful campaigns across retail, insurance, financial, high-ticket lead generation, drive-to-web, and direct sell. While managing over $100 million in billings at both Mercury Media and Direct Response Media, she honed her skills to become one of the savviest media thought leaders in the industry. Pomponi joined the TV media department at Bluewater as president and built it into a multi-million-dollar diversified business supporting a constantly growing staff. She’s driven well over 11X in media growth and created Bluewater’s account management team to provide direct client support. Her leadership has been instrumental in building the web development division, e-commerce marketplace division, and expansion of the analytics team. Pomponi’s most recent accolades include: Tampa Bay’s Business Woman of the Year for 2018; the Stevie Award for Woman of the Year in 2019 in the category of Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations; and the Stevie Award in the Lifetime Achievement category of Business Service Industries.

As president of Lockard & Wechsler Direct (LWD), Asieya Pine is responsible for the agency's day-to-day operations. She also leads the planning and account services group, which optimizes media for the agency's 80-plus clients. Under her leadership, LWD has grown year after year for 20 years, becoming one of the largest privately held performance marketing agencies in the country. Pine’s experience covers a wide range of direct response disciplines, including advertising for consumer products, lead-generation, and e-commerce brands.

Shahin Rothermel is a partner in Venable LLP’s Washington, D.C., office. She counsels and defends clients on issues involving advertising, marketing, e-commerce, privacy, social media, promotions, sweepstakes, and subscription programs. Rothermel regularly represents clients before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, district attorneys, the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureaus (NAD), and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), in addition to handling complex consumer class actions and competitor disputes in federal and state courts.

David Schwarzberg leads strategy and partnerships at Flowcode, a QR technology and offline-to-online leader, where he is responsible for vertical go-to-market strategies and business development. He has more than 12 years of experience in consulting, digital strategy, and operations. Schwarzberg joined Flowcode from AlixPartners. Prior to that, he spent 5 years at AOL as head of sales strategy and business operations. He also spent his early career at NERA as an economic consultant. Schwarzberg is a graduate of Brandeis University, where he studied economics and business. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.

From healthcare to insurance and home financing, Amie Smith — executive media director at TCA — has worked with a wide variety of businesses and verticals in the media marketing space, assessing performance for efficient ROI delivery. As a key player in strategic development, road map initiatives, and analytics, she uses data and creative thinking to drive decisions. With a true passion for data driven performance, Smith enjoys providing clients with insights about both their businesses and customers, while marrying the information through compelling storytelling. Why? Because, as Simon Sinek so easily explains it, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”

Ron Steblea is executive vice president, e-commerce, at Cannella Media. He is responsible for leading Cannella’s e-commerce division with a focus on all things Amazon. His extensive knowledge in product marketing and distribution — and direct-to-consumer best practices — provides a solid foundation from which the company continues to innovate and grow. Prior to Cannella, Steblea held a variety of leadership roles within the DTC industry, most recently as president at Allstar Marketing, before branching out and founding campaign management and Amazon-based E-Commerce consulting businesses.

Mark Sullivan has been with Paramount for 17 years and is responsible for co-managing a team of 11 sales executives across 22 cable networks and digital platforms. Its top networks include Nickelodeon, MTV, Paramount Network, and Comedy Central. Sullivan and team specialize in driving convergent performance media growth across the full Paramount portfolio. Before joining Paramount, Sullivan also held sales roles at Lifetime Entertainment Services and Oxygen. He lives in Hoboken, N.J., with his wife and three sons.

Jennifer Malloy is counsel in the Los Angeles office of Venable LLP. She advises clients on issues related to federal and state advertising laws and guidelines. Malloy counsels clients on consumer-facing advertising for compliance purposes in both direct-response and retail sales channels, including television, radio, inbound telemarketing, websites, print, digital, social media, and labels/packaging. She also negotiates domestic and international transactions involving mergers and acquisitions, foreign restructurings, IP licensing, software development services, entertainment, joint ventures, online content, book publishing, and celebrity endorsements.

Shane Allor is an account executive at Kount. Allor is part of a team that drives sales efforts in risk mitigation/payments and helps manage a portfolio of more than 150 merchants — more specifically, focusing on eliminating chargebacks and driving efficiencies for e-commerce merchants across the globe. A big part of the goal for the team he is a part of is to continue to allow customers and brands expand their revenue streams, while protecting the overall brand experience. In his spare time, Allor enjoys skiing, working out, and catching a concert or comedy show. He played golf at Boise State University, where he earned a B.A. in business and currently lives in Boise.

Daniel Kaufman is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of BakerHostetler and brings nearly 25 years of experience with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, recently leading the 450-person bureau as acting director, where he oversaw all consumer protection matters, including investigations and cases involving privacy, data security, advertising, influencers, endorsers, and other marketing practices. As deputy director of the bureau for most of the past 10 years, Kaufman was involved in virtually every high-profile consumer protection and privacy case brought by the FTC during that time. A preeminent thought leader and subject matter expert in advertising and data privacy issues, he is a frequent speaker on consumer protection matters and can provide context for the challenges marketers face regarding privacy and consumer advertising. Kaufman originally joined the FTC as a staff attorney in 1998, where he litigated cases challenging unsubstantiated health and disease claims in the Division of Advertising Practices.

Jill Albert, president and founder of Direct Results, is a recognized leader and innovator, developing strategies to drive change and deliver action. Her specialty is matching products and services with audio influencers who engage listeners to shift consumer behavior. She has developed and implemented nearly a billion dollars in successful, response-driven campaigns empowering consumers to take immediate action. Clients include FEMA, Veterans Affairs, Angi, Omaha Steaks, Toyota, Children’s Hospital, AAA, Burlington Stores, Hershey, USC, UCLA, and many others. In 2009, Albert developed a groundbreaking, ROI-based audience analytics database application that raised industry standards for response-driven advertisers. Using such response data and access to culture, music, and social media influencers is key to Direct Results’ impactful strategies that earn over 96% success for advertisers. Albert has twice been recognized as a “Top Women in Sales and Marketing” by American Women in Radio and Television and has numerous awards for strategic media innovation. She brings more than 30 years of experience managing successful national, regional, and statewide advertising campaigns all with clearly defined metrics. Albert is an expert at developing partnerships which bring additional exposure, community participation, excitement, and relevance to campaigns.

As chief strategy officer, Cordie DePascale is instrumental in PremiumMedia360's success, evangelizing its innovative technology solutions, driving customer acceptance and sales execution, and stewarding its internal strategic planning process. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and advertising technology, DePascale has a deep understanding of the market, the customers, and the products that make up this space. After graduating from Manhattan College in New York, he spent the first years of his career at J. Walter Thompson and then at IPG. He then moved to advertising technology, spending six years at COREMedia and 12 years at Mediaocean, where he was responsible for product management, quality assurance, and partner management. DePascale has been a longtime supporter of the innovative technology pioneered by PremiumMedia360.

Chris Reinmuth is executive vice president of business development at FlexPay. He is an experienced business development and sales strategist with 20-plus years’ experience in direct marketing. Reinmuth served on the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) Board of Directors and, in 2014, was nominated as chairman. In 2016, he was appointed interim CEO where he successfully merged the ERA with MCI. In recent years, Reinmuth re-embarked on his first love, and is back to the payment side of the house, partnering with long time client and friend Darryl Hicks to launch one of the hottest FinTech startups in the market.

Tom Wolfe is the senior vice president of business development at Viant Technology. He is responsible for driving strategic business partnerships to support the company’s growth and business strategy. Wolfe is an accomplished industry veteran, with more than 25 years of experience in content distribution, advertising, and technology focused on connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) video. He has launched and led multiple businesses at industry leaders such as Roku, YuMe, Tivo, and Comcast, and has advised companies including VIZIO, Vice Media, and more. Wolfe earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at Lehigh University. He has been a guest lecturer at New York University and Drexel University.In his free time, he, his wife Lisa, and their two sons enjoy skiing, golfing, making music, and serving their community as active board and committee members of St. James the Less Episcopal Church.

Roger Colaizzi has significant trial experience in Intellectual Property Rights, including Lanham Act false advertising, state deceptive trade practices, trademark, trade dress, patent, copyright, unfair competition, direct to consumer marketing, social networking, affiliate advertising, and other e-commerce matters. He has represented clients before regulatory agencies such as the FTC and self-regulating bodies such as ERSP and NAD, and in state AG investigations.

Steve Arentzoff is senior vice president of marketing at FlexPay. He is a modern, results-oriented marketing executive with more than 20 years of senior technology marketing leadership, building high-performance marketing organizations, category leadership, marketing and sales alignment, and accelerated company growth rates. Before joining FlexPay, Arentzoff was vice president of demand generation at Medallia, and senior vice president of global digital marketing at Cision. He helped lead these companies through their IPOs, and played a critical role driving growth as senior director of marketing at Dealertrack, helping drive a $4.5-billion acquisition of the company.

With almost 15 years in direct-to-consumer advertising, David Tiberia has diverse, hands-on leadership experience in most major disciplines of multichannel D2C advertising. A true, modern advertising “renaissance man,” he’s embraced a career of constant evolution and growth. He currently supports Bluewater as a partner and vice president of data and analytics, leading a team of talented data scientists and analytics pros to develop advanced solutions that give brands deep insight into consumer response. Tiberia and his team developed a leading-edge visualization platform and continue to find new opportunities for innovation. Prior to his current position, he started out on the creative side, producing and directing award-winning commercials, developing stories to create response, and driving growth for both startups and Fortune 100 brands. Pushed by an innate curiosity about the rest of the advertising business, he moved into media and rapidly developed sharp instincts and a strong ability to build TV media strategy. Outside of advertising, Tiberia is an avid bass guitarist and drummer, and enjoys distance running as well as spending time with his wife and two sons.

Teddy Pritikin is vice president of direct response at DirecTV Advertising and a proven sales leader in the industry. Prior to his 11 years at DirecTV, he was vice president of ad sales at Veria and an account executive at Game Show Network. Pritikin is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In his free time, he enjoys crushing opponents on the basketball court with his killer crossover. Pritikin and his wife are enjoying their lives as empty nesters in Morristown, N.J.

Federico Garza, senior vice president, research strategy and insights, leads all of research, insights, and analytics to inform programming, marketing, and digital strategies across Telemundo’s portfolio. A seasoned consumer-insights professional with more than 20 years of experience and ample expertise across multiplatform data, audience measurement, and marketing strategies, Garza oversees and develops comprehensive research plans through consumer insights, data capabilities, and multiplatform measurement to achieve Telemundo’s business goals. Additionally, Garza will oversee primary and secondary research and drive data-driven recommendations to enhance Telemundo’s multiplatform strategy and deliver on the content needs of the growing Latino consumer. He was previously the executive vice president of research and insights at iHeart Media, where he spearheaded thought leadership, developed analytics, and led cross functional strategic programs. As a consultant at Bain & Company for a decade, he conducted extensive management consulting work and developed business growth strategies based on data-driven insights for multinational companies across a variety of industries including airline, beverage, food, consumer goods, and financial services. Garza completed an undergraduate degree in computer system engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Monterrey, Mexico, and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Meng Williams is the senior director, finance at Bold.com, where she leads the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) team. As well as managing budgeting, forecasting, and reporting for the fast-growing company, Williams also manages Bold's global payment strategy where she uses a data-driven approach to optimize conversion rates and LTV. She is also responsible for improving profit and reducing fraud and chargeback risks. During her time with the company, Williams established an effective budgeting, forecasting, and monthly review process and built the FP&A team from the ground up. Williams holds CFA and CPFPP designations, as well as a Data Science for Finance certification.

Paul Wahlgren is the co-founder and chief marketing officer at BeautyStat Cosmetics. He has 30-plus years in the retail and wholesale business, having held senior management and business development positions in beauty and luxury goods companies across the U.S. and Europe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from SUNY Buffalo, an M.B.A. from Nyenrode Business Universiteit in Breukelen, The Netherlands, and completed the Digital Marketing Strategy Program at Harvard University.

Chris Harris is vice president of advanced TV sales at AudienceXpress, a Comcast Company. In his role, Harris leads a team of sales professionals working with agency and advertiser partners to provide unique solutions to find and engage with audiences across the video ecosystem. He joined AudienceXpress in 2013, where he helped achieve 300-percent growth, leading to an acquisition by Comcast in 2015. Harris brings more than 20 years of media experience and prides himself on bringing a consultative approach to helping clients solve for the challenges impacting the overall media landscape.

Matt Timothy is the executive vice president of customer success, sales and marketing at Blockboard, where he leads all of the company’s customer-facing efforts. He started his career in video and TV advertising at CBS where he rose from account executive at KPIX-TV to vice president, general manager of both CBS.com and CBSNews.com. Timothy also has held leadership roles at Broadband Enterprises, Vindico, Sorenson Media, and Extreme Reach.

Kyle Patten is vice president of direct response at Univision. Based in New York, he has a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. Skilled in broadcasting, advertising, sales, digital marketing, and social media, Patten graduated from New York Institute of Technology.

As CEO of QuickBox Fulfillment, Irene Scharmack is passionate about helping D2C and omnichannel brands streamline operations, delight customers, and grow their businesses. With 25-plus years of experience in the logistics industry and a common-sense approach, she has a track record of driving results, building high-performing teams, and ensuring client satisfaction. Scharmack joined QuickBox in 2021. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to four locations, ensuring fast delivery to customers across the U.S. Previously, she held leadership roles at Impact Fulfillment Services, GEODIS, Network Global Logistics, and The Complete Logistics Company. In addition, Scharmack has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Distribution Management Association and was an advisor to the United Way Board of Directors. She is a graduate of Mt. San Antonio College.

Sialoren Spaulding is a marketing and advertising professional who has spent more than a decade immersed in the study and practice of quality communication. As a former ad woman turned client, with both an honors BA and MA in communication management, she has a breadth of experience in a variety of verticals, but is particularly well-versed in QSR, e-commerce, and financial services. Having spent time on both sides of the creative process, Spaulding is passionate about, and committed to, developing award-winning work that delivers for the business. She is the director of advertising for Farmers Insurance by day, and an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication of Journalism by night.

A media savant, Raphael Rivilla — chief media officer of Marcus Thomas LLC — delivers optimized cross-platform messaging in sync with the customer life cycle and has worked his magic for SEGA Games, Caesars properties, Sherwin-Williams, SafeAuto, Troy-Bilt, and March of Dimes, to name a few. Under his leadership, Marcus Thomas has become the largest media buyer in Ohio and the first Cleveland agency with its own real-time media trading desk. It’s also won OMMA, Creative Media Awards, and was an Effie finalist for its media work. The agency is also a Google Premier Partner, which only 3 percent of U.S. agencies can claim.

Lori Lasky, vice president of strategy at Media Culture, has more than 20 years of experience developing comprehensive omnichannel strategies (across linear, digital, retail, radio, email, and out of home) to drive brand awareness and increase sales. Her combined passion for marketing insights, media trends and analytics to improve an organization’s bottom line, and talent for building cohesive teams has helped to deliver success for many brands. Lasky has held positions on the brand side at Nautilus Inc. and the agency side as the lead for campaigns such as eHarmony, Conair, Cuisinart, Bare Minerals, Tracy Anderson Method, Dremel, and Rubbermaid.

Brooke Davis is the manager of product marketing at Contour Products, where she leads the cross communication between departments and partners for new product launches. She has spent many years at Contour working on the B2B side before shifting to D2C and focusing expanding current product offerings. Now, Davis works with directly with both brick-and-mortar and direct consumers to research trends, identify niche marketplaces, and implement innovation within the comfort-and-support category. Davis holds a dual bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in entrepreneurship & innovation and marketing.

Kevin Gaffney is executive vice president of product strategy at CoreMedia Systems. He has been with CoreMedia for 25 years and is a skilled client advocate, providing leadership for the business development, new product development, and workflow enhancement. He played a key role in syndicating CoreDirect, the industry’s leading media management tool that processes more than $10 billion in performance media annually. Before joining the company in 1996, Gaffney was a media buying supervisor and account executive at Time Buying Service and was part of the successful TBS Direct startup.

Senior executive with more than 15 years in management and leadership. Nicolas Pietropinto has an entrepreneurial attitude with a passion for technology, finance, and operations. He is a proactive leader and business relationship catalyst possessing a heightened sense of responsibility and ethics. Pietropinto considers himself an overachiever and highly competitive, while enthusiastic about winning through a collaborative team effort. He is a consultative and hands-on executive that leads by example, and is adept at creating, analyzing, and reporting results-driven business metrics. Pietropinto is known for strong multicultural awareness and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Since starting her career, Stacy Durand has been an industry pioneer, running and founding some of the largest agencies in the performance video marketplace. After serving as executive vice president of Mercury Media for 15 years, Durand joined Revenue Frontier as president in 2004. After orchestrating an acquisition, she formed Media Design Group with her partner Ben Zimmerman in 2008. For 16 years, MDG has been one of the leading performance video agencies in the industry and has now joined forces with Mark Zamuner and Juice Media. With MDG’s buying power and philosophy of “measure everything,” Juice Media's MMM offering and advanced measurement platform are a perfect fit. Between the two agencies, the shared client list includes ZipRecruiter, Wix, Tractor Supply Co., MyFitnessPal, Bartesian, Great Wolf Lodge, and many more. A serial and successful entrepreneur, Durand’s energy and dynamic leadership continue to drive growth and innovation for the agency’s employees, clients, and the industry. Her professional success does not distract her from an active and engaged personal life. She earned her executive M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, is the head of hospitality at the National Charity League, teaches spinning, and is involved in her two children’s academic and athletic organizations.

Lauren Gross, SNHU

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Steve Raizes is executive vice president, podcasting & audio, for Paramount Global where he oversees the strategy, marketing, operations, and creative for the company’s successful audio business. Under the banner Paramount Audio, he and his team produce award-winning podcasts such as The Daily Show: Ears Edition, MTV's Official Challenge Podcast, On Fire With Jeff Probst, 48 Hours, and more. As the audio production arm for all of Paramount Global, Paramount Audio is in a unique position to utilize the vast IP from the entire company and bring it to the world of podcasts. Paramount Audio collaborates with leading entertainment brands including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, SHOWTIME, and others to develop fan-forward podcasts that drive deeper engagement with iconic and beloved franchises. His role speaks to his background as both a business and creative executive, allowing him to tell stories that create meaningful connections between fans and world-renowned IP. Raizes is based in New York.

As COO of Eicoff, the nation’s leading DRTV agency, Delia Marshall has played an instrumental role in guiding her company and clients through the ever-evolving world of television. She has helped advance new methods of TV measurement and optimization. Marshall has embraced the use of data not only to gain insights into consumer behavior but to spark creative ideas and shape the advertiser’s message. Her passion is partnering with clients to drive results and growth for their businesses through a wide range of marketing objectives from immediate sales to agent lead generation to long-term branding. For Marshall, it all starts with connecting the right message to the right audience at the right time — all to motivate an action.

Christine Georgakakis is senior vice president of advertising sales and marketing for the Reelz Network. She is responsible for leading the entire sales efforts of the organization, encompassing national ad sales and performance advertising. Georgakakis began her career at Lifetime. Her expertise building teams that solve challenges and foster innovation have positioned multiple media organizations at the forefront of industry. In 2018, she was named one of the top women in media by Folio and in 2020 she was named an industry leader by Cynopsis. Georgakakis, who holds a bachelor’s degree in mass media and communications and has studied executive leadership at Cornell University, serves on the Workshop Council and Women’s Leadership Council of the PDMI, and is a committed member of the She Runs It community.

Sheilagh Bryan serves as senior vice president of media at Modus Direct. She has gained a wealth of knowledge after being in the DRTV industry for 16-plus years, working in-house and on the agency side for clients such as Humana, Nutrisystem, JG Wentworth, and Wayfair. One of the most enjoyable parts of Bryan’s career has been seeing the growth and change of media across all platforms, allowing for opportunities in CTV, streaming, OTT, display, and linear television as client needs continuously change. Her leadership has excelled in TV marketing strategy, including offline channel expansion and new creative development across brand and product portfolios. Bryan currently resides in Asheville, N.C.

As mass media manager for leading international mobile gaming company Playtika, Shani Dar-Gispan leverages her years of experience planning and activating global marketing campaigns to deliver growth across key verticals for multi-brand companies. She is well-versed in TV, video, audio, digital, OOO, IP, and sponsorship, and maximizing their impact on gaming brands’ goals. Her role provides clarity to her external agency and vendor partners by compiling all teams’ feedback and goals into actional plans of attack. Dar-Gispan leverages global partnerships and close vendor relationships to deliver profitable results for Playtika.

Max Koenig is the senior performance marketing manager at National Debt Relief, where he has focused his time launching the CTV program and scaling the streaming audio channel. With more than 10 years of performance marketing experience, Koenig has spent the bulk of his time on programmatic media buying, leading teams of ad ops and media buying professionals. When not attempting to squeeze out incremental gains for his marketing programs he can be found with his wife, daughter, and dog somewhere outside or on the road, probably with a book in his hand.

Shannon Ellis serves as the chief revenue officer at JuiceMedia.AI, bringing more than 25 years of distinguished experience in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) industry. Ellis excels in driving results, specializing in boosting acquisition performance and revenue for brands. He skillfully manages and inspires sales teams, fostering a wide network of DTC professionals to ensure sustainable growth. Known for innovating customer relationship management strategies and pioneering business processes, Ellis' steadfast commitment to excellence and innovation has solidified his reputation and positioned him as a key figure in the DTC domain. JuiceMedia.AI distinguishes itself as a data-centric, omnichannel media activation platform that merges growth strategy, omnichannel media buying, and analytics with cutting-edge ad technology.

As COO and head of media and analytics, Matt Kelley leads a talented group of marketers and analysts at GainShare in the shift to a consumer-first approach for increased marketing effectiveness. He is responsible for driving innovation and ROI through the intersection of people, process, and technology by maximizing the use of consumer intent signals at every touchpoint to deliver more relevant experiences. Prior to joining GainShare, Kelley held senior management roles at Dentsu/iProspect, Leapfrog, and Leo Burnett.

Mari Mazzarri, digital sales director for NBCUniversal Local South Florida, is a sales professional with more than12 years of experience leading innovative, cross-platform advertising strategies, with a focus on the U.S. Hispanic Market and specializing in solutions that leverage the power of NBCUniversal’s digital and streaming portfolio. Mazzarri also has held strategy and sales production roles, where she excelled in overseeing the creative execution of digital initiatives, driving ROI for clients through successful campaigns tailored to diverse markets nationwide.

Beth Johnson has more than 25 years of performance media expertise spanning across categories including finance, healthcare, insurance, retail, DTC, and lead generation. In her current role as senior director of media at Omni Direct, she leads all multichannel media strategy, planning, analytics, and ROI performance for clients looking to reach the large and growing Hispanic market. With Johnson as part of the leadership team, Omni Direct has been recognized as a fastest-growing agency by Inc. 5000, Adweek and the South Florida Business Journal. Prior to joining Omni Direct, she spearheaded the formation of the Hispanic media division for Eicoff, an Ogilvy & Mather company, where she built and led the high-growth business for more than 12 years. Johnson enjoys being an integral marketing partner for her clients by identifying new market opportunities, relentlessly optimizing media, and extracting timely insights from data mining and attribution.

Chris Kasdorf brings more than a decade of sales and marketing expertise to his role as sales manager at Dial800, a leading provider of memorable numbers, call tracking, and AI analytics for the direct response industry. With a proven track record of driving client results, Kasdorf joined Dial800 in December 2022, following tenures at GaggleAMP and HubSpot, where he specialized in helping SMBs to grow their marketing and sales strategies. A graduate of Hamilton College, Kasdorf combines his passion for business with a keen understanding of customer needs to deliver scalable business solutions.

As CEO of TCA, Natalie Rutledge oversees operations to produce new business, shape client strategy, and drive ongoing company integration. She promotes a goal-oriented, collaborative environment where employees treat client budgets as if they were their own, driving TCA’s culture of focused execution and accountability. Rutledge has created success across a wide range of products and services — including fintech, senior products, health and beauty, video and mobile gaming, as well as home and auto insurance — by converting media metrics into measurable business outcomes and activating an innovative blend of audience targeting, strategic channel planning, and real-time campaign optimizations. Her fast-paced career is fueled by her need to be a disruptor, innovator, and, at times, a rebel with a competitive streak. She aims to influence and inspire.

As the marketing performance analyst at Southern New Hampshire University, Lauren Gross is instrumental in supporting the success of the university's mass media marketing campaigns. She specializes in creating and analyzing mass media reports to drive SNHU's initiatives. Recently, Gross spearheaded the in-house development of QR codes integrated into SNHU's linear and OTT creatives, maintaining key relationships with QR-code vendors to ensure a seamless system. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of New Hampshire and recently earned an M.B.A. with a concentration in project management from SNHU. Outside of work, Gross loves to crochet and runs an Etsy store featuring all of her creations.

Jack Kirby is considered among the most successful omnichannel marketers in the world today. The product of an ever-changing media landscape, Kirby’s career trajectory has spanned virtually every modern media platform: linear television and CTV, audio streaming and terrestrial radio, digital media platforms including social, organic + paid search, influencer marketing, as well as new technologies for hyper-targeted email and direct mail marketing. He has led the direct-to-consumer marketing efforts on behalf of diverse brands including Norton/LifeLock, The Hartford Insurance, NordicTrack, DraftKings Sports, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the USO, supporting the United States armed forces. Currently, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of TCN: The Creative Network, a 26-agency consortium of omnichannel performance marketing organizations. Response Magazine named Kirby one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Direct Response Marketing, and, in 2016, he was inducted to the Direct Response Hall of Fame.

Leif Welch is a 25-year ad tech veteran, entrepreneur, and CEO with deep expertise in programmatic advertising. He founded JamLoop in 2018 as a demand-side platform purpose-built for quality CTV advertising. The company serves mid-market agencies and SMBs who want to reach targeted streaming TV audiences across the U.S. Prior to founding JamLoop, Welch ran the mobile advertising division of Cox Media Group and platform sales for ad-tech platform Adify, a division of Cox. He co-founded dynamic display provider, AdMission, which was a spinout from IPIX and was sold to ADP in 2008. Welch spent the earlier part of his career as a financial analyst, after earning an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in marketing from the Kellogg School of Business.

Michael Weinstein is a veteran entrepreneur and seasoned marketing executive, as well as a fractional chief marketing offficer for Ideal Living, responsible for maximizing marketing and media efforts for DRTV media, e-commerce, digital advertising, social media, and Amazon. Previously, Weinstein was chief marketing officer at Allstar Products Group, and is also responsible for co-founding and taking to market, the mitten-shaped wet wipe viral sensation called Shittens. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master's in business management, and is a frequent public speaker on invention licensing, direct response marketing, and digital advertising.

Mike Tang is the head of media and agency at Flowcode, the offline-to-online company building direct connections between brands and consumers through next-generation conversion technology. Tang is focused on onboarding new partners that want to add a layer of direct response to their advertising, collect first-party data and sales. Prior to Flowcode, he was at Google on the new business and agency partnership teams. Tang attended Miami University and enjoys trying new restaurants in his free time.

With 30 years of successful experience and expertise, Ken Kerry — co-founder and executive creative director at Script to Screen — enjoys the hunt and the process of solving business and marketing challenges. His passion is to help businesses and entrepreneurs. It gives Kerry true satisfaction to know that he has shared knowledge that has made a true results-driven impact for individuals and businesses. His ambition is to develop team members and to see them thrive. Kerry’s track record of successful campaigns includes more than $6 billion dollars in sales for his client’s businesses, Fortune 500 brands as clients, proprietary campaign management excellence, building direct-to-consumer businesses for online and offline companies, integrity, and being an industry leader for 30 years.

David Koye serves as the co-founder and chief product officer at tvScientific, a connected TV (CTV) advertising and attribution platform. During the past 20-plus years, Koye has been instrumental in transforming traditional media landscapes into digital frontiers. He has a deep understanding of product strategy and development, partnership and business development, go-to-market planning, and sales. Koye’s leadership has been pivotal in the application of performance marketing strategies in television. His vision and expertise have provided the foundation for tvScientific's recent success, including fundraising from notable investors such as NBCUniversal, Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4S Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Hearst Ventures, BDMI, Progress Ventures, and Aperiam Ventures. As a leader, Koye is known for his strategic approach and ability to navigate the complex dynamics of the digital media ecosystem. Koye lives with his wife and sons in Virginia.

Cass Baker serves as the CEO and president of GainShare, an integrated performance marketing and analytics agency operating across North America. Baker leads efforts to drive revenue growth for brands through full-service performance marketing strategy, marketing, creative, and advertising. With more than two decades of experience, he has been instrumental in the inception and growth of two companies, including Leapfrog Online and, now, GainShare. Baker’s professional journey includes significant contributions to both startups and Fortune 500 companies. His portfolio boasts work with notable brands such as GoDaddy, Discover Financial Services, TruGreen, Comcast, Allstate, Charter Communications, and General Motors. Also, Baker is dedicated to mentoring and advising, currently serving on the advisory boards of three marketing and advertising companies while sharing his rich experience to foster growth in others.

As a three-time CMO — at SERVPRO, UnitedHealthcare, and HealthMarkets — Mike Stahl is an innovative and pragmatic C-level executive, advisor, and board member focused on achieving fast, measurable results. He has a track record of delivering on large strategic initiatives resulting in significant bottom-line growth and meaningful equity outcomes. For more than 20 years, at both private equity and publicly traded companies, he has successfully guided organizations across multiple industries including health insurance, property-and-casualty insurance, and home services through significant transformation, acquisitions/dispositions, and business development activities.

Jenni Moseley is a NetSuite marketing strategy manager based in Austin, Texas. With more than six years of experience in creative agencies and marketing, she has worked with brands such as IKEA, Coors, Topo Chico, and Mattress Firm. She's led client relationship and strategy campaigns across digital, social, TV, and more. When she’s not working, she’s playing tennis, reading, or traveling.

Andy Latimer, the founder/CEO of Bluewater Media, is a proven director/producer with more than 25 years of experience in the television and film industry. He takes a client's vision and creates a story worth watching — making concepts reality. Latimer’s storytelling ability crosses genres and categories, delivering results in sales by eliciting immediate response directly from consumers. After launching Bluewater in 2000, he led the way in creative and production, being the first-ever end-to-end, fully digital studio in Florida. With a focus on performance-based strategies, he seamlessly led Bluewater in the launch of its media division to integrate creative and media under one roof. Then as the market shifted, he led Bluewater Media through the evolution in direct-to-consumer strategies, becoming an expert in the digital, social media, influencer marketing and e-commerce marketplace management. This converged agency strategy has put Bluewater on Adweek’s 100 Agencies to Watch list and has seen it honored as an Inc. 500 company and as one of Florida’s fastest growing companies. With clients ranging from entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 500 Companies and a deep hit list including Magic Jack, The Philips Smokeless Indoor Grill and AirFryer, Blackstone Griddles, Johnsonville, Soda Stream, Thundershirt, and Tommy John, Latimer has proven his ability to adapt to any market and to drive real branded response success in the increasingly important world of direct-to-consumer marketing.

Andrew Farrar co-founded HandsOnToys (HOT) in 1994 with Rustam Booz. HOT launched worldwide hits, including two Toy of the Year Finalists (TOTY), Toobers&Zots® and FLOAM®; Dog Toy of the Year (APPMA), the Wiggly Giggly® Ball; and the Craft Innovation Toy of the Year (HIA) — Crunch Art®. Beginning with the DRTV success of FLOAM, the company transformed to HandsOnConsulting, focusing exclusively on integrated direct response (iDR™), which includes targeted utilization of multiple media, digital, and sales platforms to promote and sell products. HOC’s successful iDR campaigns have included FLOAM, Happy Nappers, Flipazoo, Wobble Wag Giggle Ball, Bubble Ball, Gym 1 Indoor Playground, Vmagic, and SweetBee Magic.

Brij Shah is head of strategic growth at Effectv/Comcast Advertising. Amongst his responsibilities, Shah drives strategic partnerships by leveraging Comcast’s deterministic first-party data, combining traditional linear TV and streaming, to drive growth for DTC and performance brands. He has had held several regional and enterprise roles at Comcast during the past decade, prior to which he spent more than 10 years at Ampersand.

Joe Melaragno is head of revenue strategy and performance demand at Samsung Ads, where he works with major agencies and holding companies to drive success for their clients through strategic partnerships, data integrations, and upfronts. He also has launched and leads programmatic sales efforts for Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s ad-supported OTT service. With more than 15 years of experience spanning across programmatic, video sales, media, and technology, Melaragno is a leading professional in the connected TV space. Prior to Samsung Ads, he led global agency partnerships for AOL (now Yahoo) and served as a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting, where he assisted Fortune 500 companies through digital transformations. Melaragno earned a bachelor’s degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Ranjit Mulgaonkar is the founder and CEO of Flatworld Group, a full-service Amazon Agency that helps product companies maximize the benefits of Amazon. He brings 25-plus years of senior executive management experience in online marketplaces, e-commerce, SAAS, internet, and digital imaging. Mulgaonkar has multifaceted leadership experience in general management, business development, corporate development, global partnerships, and international operations. His experience includes executive positions at Amazon, Avalara, Telebrands, DNA Response, Adobe (Aldus), and Xerox.

Randi Tutelman is the chief customer officer at Flowcode, the offline-to-online company building direct connections between brands and consumers through next-generation conversion technology. Her role in cultivating client relationships has led to substantial revenue growth and market share expansion. Notably, Tutelman has successfully onboarded 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies and managed major accounts including BMW, NBCU, and Hearst. Prior to Flowcode, she directed client success at INTURN, where her strategies generated millions of dollars in transactional value. Tutelman holds an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in engineering from Lehigh University.

Andrew Donato has been senior vice president at XR-Extreme Reach’s direct response division since 2014. He started in DRTV ad distribution in 1990 and, in 1996, co-founded Treehouse Media Services, which he co-owned and managed until 2010. He has helped distribute thousands of successful long- and short-form TV campaigns and also serves as an integral strategic partner to many successful agencies and brands. XR-Extreme Reach is the global leader in creative logistics, powering brands and agencies everywhere with an all-in-one platform for the activation of omnichannel campaigns.

Cristina Ferruggiari brings a wide array of experience to Lockard & Wechsler Direct with 17 years of management and negotiation experience in the TV and video marketplace. Ferruggiari joined the LWD team from Havas Media Group, where she rose through the ranks leading omnichannel media strategies on behalf of her clients. As executive vice president of advanced TV, she plays a pivotal role in shaping LWD’s go-to-market investment strategy, meticulously allocating resources to maximize client ROI. Ferruggiari’s approach is rooted in a blend of quantitative analysis and qualitative insights, ensuring that every campaign is not only backed by data but also resonates authentically with the target audience.

Gregory Silvano, CEO of Mojo, has white water rafted down all 300 miles of the Grand Canyon, scuba dived the Blue Hole in Belize, and — in two weeks — will summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He was a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army and, in his downtime, runs Buyist.

As TCA’s senior business strategist, Paul Sylvia helps both his TCA team and OMG IATs earn new business, deliver outstanding service and growth advisement, and source the strongest possible solutions across the full Omnicom portfolio. During 15 years at TCA in both media and business development, Sylvia has evolved alongside his team and clients in the constantly changing media landscape to deliver meaningful, transparent business impacts — for brands at all stages of growth and across a wide range of categories and customer journeys. He never gets over the thrill of seeing the impact of tailored media strategy and agile optimization drive results beyond a client’s expectations

Marcelino Miyares has spent 30 years evolving the Hispanic marketspace. Known for his market intelligence and resourcefulness, he co-launched d2H Partners in 2014 to lead more "crossover" clients to their Hispanic consumer path-to-profit. Miyares truly believes that brands need to “Enculturate or Die!” His marketing experience includes DRTV (Great Health Works, InvenTel, Telebrands, Capital Brands, Hearthware, and others); branded DR, lead-generation and retail work (Matrix, Lincoln Heritage, Hulu, Citibank, AT&T, PepsiCo, American Stores, and McDonald’s); and traditional direct marketing (Oxford Health, Sirius XM, Toys”R”Us, Home Depot, and others). Miyares is a Cuban-American native of Chicago and currently lives in Santa Monica.