Speakers

Speakers

Daniel Blasko is currently the Senior Manager, Strategy & Business Development for Cars.com where he focuses on formulating and implementing the strategic planning for media and data products as well as product development. Dan has been a member of the IAB T&Cs data sub-committee for agencies and networks and helped formulate the data strategy for Classified Ventures, parent company of Cars.com. He has over 10 years of online marketing experience focusing on behavioral targeting, media technology and direct marketing.

He received his BA from Miami University in Psychology.

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In his current role as Executive Vice President, Global Digital Officer, David Cohen’s central goal is to spearhead Universal McCann’s digital and alternative media offering across the globe and to accelerate, integrate, and intensify a digital best practice throughout the UM universe.

David started the digital practice in 2001 as Interactive Media Director, joining UM from Zentropy Partners, a standalone digital marketing consultancy in the IPG family. In 2002, he became a Senior Vice President, overseeing all digital media strategy, planning, buying, and analysis operations for the New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco offices. In March 2006, he was named U.S. Director of Digital Communications and in April 2011 he was promoted to his present position.

Under David’s leadership, UM was recognized as one of OMMA’s Agency of the Year winners for Best Media Planning & Buying. David was also named an “Online All-Star” by Media Magazine. He currently oversees the efforts of Sony, Johnson & Johnson, Chrysler, MasterCard, BMW, U.S. Army, Kohl’s, Applebee’s, and Brown Forman, representing well over $1 billion in digital billings.

David was elected to Chairman of the $A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) Digital Marketing Committee in April 2009. He has also been at the helm of the industry initiative “Project Reinvention,” a joint taskforce between the 4A's and IAB designed to improve business process and efficiency in the digital industry. David often speaks at seminars and lectures and is frequently quoted in the trade press, as well as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

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Charles Curran joined the Network Advertising Initiative in 2009 as its Washington-based Executive Director. He leads the NAI’s efforts to develop and enforce self-regulatory standards that promote responsible business and data management practices for online behavioral advertising. Prior to joining the NAI, he was AOL's Chief Counsel for Policy and Regulatory matters.

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Adrian D’Souza
Director, Media Revenue Operations
Google
Co-Chair, IAB Ad Operations Council

Adrian D’Souza, Director of Advertising Operations at Google, Inc. is responsible for all post-buy campaign execution in Google’s online non-search businesses. He is also responsible for leveraged services like Partner Support, Yield Management and Technical Media Support and for certifying new rich media technologies. He has actively served on the Ad Ops Council as both member and co-chair for over two years.

Prior to this, he was Vice President of Advertising Operations at CNET Networks and was responsible for evaluating, defining and implementing new ad opportunities and technologies across CNET Network properties and defining Rich Media strategy from an advertising perspective. He led a team of product managers and engineers who deploy new ad opportunities across the multiple properties of CNET Networks. Prior to joining CNET Networks, D’Souza served as the Director of Product Management at Engage Media. He oversaw the product strategy for B2B and B2C products and was responsible for implementing new and exploring emerging technologies in Internet, wireless and streaming media applications. Prior to that, he managed a worldwide product line of enterprise management hardware and software products for American Power Conversion Corp.

D’Souza received a MBA from the R.B. Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech and a degree in Engineering from the University of Poona in India.

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Max serves as Director, Technical Services for FreeWheel, leading a team comprised of the company’s sales engineers, video integration engineers, and technical support engineers. Prior to joining FreeWheel, Max was the Director, Development & Technology at a D2C e-commerce startup, managing their technology branch. Max honed his skills prior to that role serving as Lead Developer at Great White Direct, leading the .NET, SQL, and Java development as well as designing and installing server architecture and overseeing its 24/7 uptime. Max has also held roles in systems administration and video production. He has a B.S. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is based in FreeWheel’s Silicon Valley location.

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George Ivie is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Media Rating Council (MRC), a not-for-profit industry organization created in 1963 at the request of the U.S. Congress to assure high ethical and operational standards in audience measurement services. His background includes almost 30 years of experience in media research auditing, oversight, and consulting. Prior to being appointed the Executive Director of the MRC in January 2000, George was a partner at Ernst & Young and their lead representative and advisor to the MRC, conducting all MRC audits and interacting with MRC management and member organizations. George has a thorough knowledge of research best practices, operations, controls, and information systems in Internet, multimedia, print, radio, and television measurement services.

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Dave Jacobs oversees the continued growth of display and text based third party publisher and monetization partnerships across AOL Advertising's industry-leading network, Advertising.com. Dave also oversees the Advertising.com Group’s ADTECH division, which provides integrated technology solutions for publishers and agencies, across display, video, and mobile formats. He is actively involved with the advertising community as a key contributor to industry events, publications, and trade organizations.

Dave has led a number of different teams since joining Advertising.com in 2000. While heading up Strategy and Business Development, he led AOL’s acquisition of Lightningcast which served as the company’s entry into the third party video space; he also played a key role in the creation of Advertising.com Japan, a joint venture with the Japanese firm Mitsui, in December 2006, where he currently serves in a board capacity.

Prior to joining Advertising.com, Dave spent eight years at Arthur Andersen, most recently as Senior Consulting Manager, where he led a variety of national strategy and operational consulting engagements. Dave holds a B.S. in business administration from Penn State University.

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Nick Johnson joined NBC Universal in February, 2007 as Vice President Digital Media Sales and was elevated in early 2010 to Senior Vice President on the heels of 3 years of dramatic revenue growth overseeing the national sales force. Nick has also driven significant organizational change by pivoting the digital sales team out of individual-site silos into an agency-focused consultative sales group focused on selling the entire NBCU Digital Media portfolio consisting of NBC.com, NBCsports.com, AccessHollywood.com, BravoTV.com, Oxygen.com, Syfy.com and USAnetwork.com.

In mid-2010 Nick added responsibility for the Universal Audience Platform—a “first-party” advertising network, that he was instrumental in creating. Nick has been critical to the growth and vitality of the NBCU Digital Media division through steady stewardship of NBCU’s preeminent and engagement-rich digital video platform and through extensions like the UAP to the core digital advertising businesses.

Nick is a Digital pioneer having spent the last 15 years focused on the Digital space in a variety of sales leadership roles at places like Reuters, Revenue Science and CNNSI.com. Prior to joining the Digital revolution, Nick spent seven years on the agency side of the business in New York and Tokyo.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and resides in Madison, NJ with his wife and three children.

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David Levin is President of Creative & Technology at 360i. In this role he oversees the agency’s robust team of digital design and development professionals, whose talents range from building mobile and social apps to crafting rich online experiences for brands such as Smirnoff, Kraft Foods and Coca-Cola. Under David’s leadership, 360i has garnered accolades from organizations such as OMMA, the Webby Awards, the Internet Advertising Competition and others.

Prior to 360i, David led the digital creative agency i33 and directed the shop’s vision toward core competencies of website design, development and online marketing. 360i acquired i33 in 2008, and i33 emerged as 360i’s Creative & Technology Group.

David graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

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Grace Liau leads the Ad Operations Center of Excellence for the VivaKi Nerve Center. The Ad Operations Center of Excellence (Ad Ops COE) is an internal consultancy focused on establishing a community of world-class digital advertising professionals that develop and lead digital ad operations best practices across VivaKi. In her role, she is responsible for supporting the VivaKi agency teams by assessing and integrating best-in-class technology partners that generate efficiencies in the implementation, procurement and optimization of digital advertising.

Grace is a digital marketing pioneer; driving client businesses with the latest media technologies and helping them keep tabs on the developments.

Prior to VivaKi, she spent time at Digitas, where she led the Media Operations & Technology practice. Developing many bespoke strategies for clients and leading their Advanced Targeting technologies work.

Prior to Digitas, she worked at Family Education Network where she was responsible for yield management, monetizing and setting ad product strategy for all of the company’s sites. She oversaw the integrating of the company's eleven sites into the extended Family Education Network.

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Peter Minnium, formally Managing Director of Lowe Worldwide, the global creative agency network of the Interpublic Group, joined the IAB in 2010 to lead the Reimagining Interactive Advertising initiative tasked with reigniting a creative revolution in brand advertising in interactive media. For the past decade, Minnium served in leadership roles overseeing the international operations of Lowe Worldwide, rising to Managing Director of the global company. He has extensive experience across the globe from Brazil to France to China, among many other countries, in addition to the U.S. He has been an international account leader for several of the world’s iconic brands – including Coca-Cola and Shell – at agencies renowned for their creativity. As an internationalist, Minnium focused on the intersection of creative ideas and borders; At the IAB he continues his obsession with creative ideas and how they cross with technology.

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Dan Murphy
Senior Vice President, Interactive Research and Analytics
Univision Interactive Media
Co-Chair, IAB Ad Operations Council

Dan Murphy, Senior Vice President, Research and Ad Traffic, at Univision Interactive Media, has served as Co-Chair for the IAB Ad Operations Council since its inception.  He has been active in the interactive world since 1994 working with Sportsline (CBS Digital), Relevant Knowledge (comScore MediaMetrix), and Univision Interactive Media.  He also serves on the Council for Research Excellence, IAB Research Advisory Board, and MRC Internet Committee.  He received dual Masters degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology in Statistics and Electrical Engineering.

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Oren Netzer founded DoubleVerify in 2008 determined to bring needed accountability and transparency to online advertising, believing revenue and profit would flow throughout the system once all players could be assured of its integrity.

A 10-year veteran at the executive level with leading online advertising technology firms, Oren was General Manager and Chief Operating Officer for CheckM8, an online ad serving and rich media technology provider, overseeing product development, operations and customer support, as well as managing its Israeli product development offices.

Oren graduated from the Interdisciplinary Center in Israel with a degree in computer science and studied electrical engineering at The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

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Zach Putnam is the Vice President of Digital Revenue Planning and Operations for ABC Television Network. He provides leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for teams responsible for pricing, packaging, and advertising campaign execution across ABC branded digital properties (ABC.com, ABCNews.com, etc.). He is also responsible for advertising systems and solutions integration in support of ABC’s digital advertising sales objectives. Zach has served on the IAB Ad Operations Council Advisory Board since 2006, and is active in several IAB committees and industry forums focused on digital ad operations efficiency, standardization and compliance.

Zach has held a variety of leadership, technology, and ad operations roles within The Walt Disney Company since joining in 2000 with responsibilities ranging from analytics, ad system support, training, ad integration, and ad scheduling supporting all of the company’s digital properties (ABC, ESPN, Disney). He received a BA in Economics and Political Science from The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO.

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A well-recognized name and sought-after authority in the industry, Donna Speciale is the President of Investment & Activation and Agency Operations at MediaVest USA. In this role, Donna leads MediaVest’s integrated digital, broadcast, print and out-of-home practice and oversees investments on behalf of clients including Kraft, Walmart, P&G, and Coca-Cola, among others. She also provides executive oversight of MediaVest’s West Coast operations and serves as an esteemed member of MediaVest’s Executive Team.

A veteran of the broadcast industry for over 20 years, Donna is well known for driving innovation in the marketplace, most recently with the launch of MediaVest Cross Athletes, the industry’s first Investment & Activation workforce of digitally-centric, media-agnostic talent who expertly navigate the full marketplace of opportunities.

Under Donna’s watch, MediaVest has earned a reputation for being an innovative and strategic investment partner to clients and vendors. As a result, Donna has received industry recognition and accolades including Television Week’s TV Buyer of the Year (2006), MediaWeek's "All Star" in the broadcast category (2003), AdAge's "Woman to Watch" (2001) and “Agency of the Year” by both Adweek and AdAge (under SMG) in 2005. Donna has twice been honored by Advertising Women of New York (AWNY): in 2008, she was the recipient of AWNY’s Impact Award, honoring her mentorship work within the industry, and in 2006 she received an AWNY Working Woman Award, recognizing female executives who earned success in their personal and professional lives.

In addition to her professional accolades, Donna is an active member of the 4A's National Broadcast Committee, AWNY, AdClub and is a board member of the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB). Donna is an active advocate for the buying community in high-profile forums including AdAge Upfront Summit, Cable Advertising Bureau Cross Platform Deals and Media Outfront.

Prior to joining MediaVest in January 2004, Donna led the broadcast investment team at Mediacom. Over her career she has managed investments for several leading marketers including Warner Brothers, GlaxoSmithKline, Hasbro, Kmart, Diageo, Staples and Subway.

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Steve Sullivan currently leads the IAB West Coast office as Vice President, Advertising Technology. He draws on his deep expertise in online advertising technology to help the industry improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. He joined IAB from Microsoft Corporation, where he served as Senior Program Manager, Ad Security, within Microsoft’s Online Services Division.

In 2009, Steve was recognized with an IAB Service Excellence Award and has been an active member of IAB committees and working groups since 2005, including the Measurement Task Force and most recently the Ad Ops Council. His career in online advertising technology began in the late 1990s, and he has since earned an industry-wide reputation for working collaboratively with partners and competitors on standards, guidelines, and related data quality issues. Most recently he sat on the Board of Directors of the Media Rating Council (MRC) and was a member of its Internet Committee. Before joining Microsoft, he held positions at Atlas DMT (which was acquired by Microsoft in 2004), Foretelligence, Expedia, and BlueStreak.

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Joey Trotz is the Senior Director, Advertising and Digital Strategy in AMPT—the Audience and Multi-Platform Technology division at Turner Broadcasting System. He works on the policies, strategies, and vision where technology and monetization intersect. He provides guidance to clients across Turner, including the heads of sales, as well as brand owners at CNN.com, NBA.com, TBS.com, PGATour.com, Cartoonnetwork.com, and others. He also serves as Co-Chair of the IAB Digital Video Committee, supporting the development of the VAST and VPAID standards and other initiatives. Previously at Turner, Joey held roles managing enterprise-wide digital advertising technology and product development. He has also directed product development for interactive television and emerging platforms for the company’s web sites and cable networks. He began his career at Turner in executive leadership roles in event coverage, program management, and advertising operations for SI.com, the web site of Sports Illustrated magazine. Earlier in his career, Joey was a photojournalist and digital media executive in the newspaper industry.

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Mike Zaneis is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Mike heads the Washington, D.C. Public Policy office, which he created in January of 2007. In this role he develops and manages the interactive advertising industry’s legislative, regulatory, and policy-making agenda. Mike runs IAB’s Public Policy Council, comprised of over 80 leading Internet and media companies, and serves as the Treasurer for the IAB Political Action Committee. He represents the industry before the United States Congress, federal regulatory agencies, state legislatures, and at public conferences. As General Counsel for the IAB, Mike oversees the legal operations of the organization and provides leadership on key judicial proceedings impacting the interactive advertising industry.

Prior to joining IAB, Mike served as Executive Director of Technology and E-Commerce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest trade association. As the chief technology and telecommunications lobbyist, he oversaw issues affecting the business community pertaining to online and consumer privacy, data security, telecommunications, intellectual property, counterfeiting, piracy, and e-commerce. Mike has worked in the political arena since 1994 and has engaged in government affairs at the local, state, and federal levels. He received his bachelors degree from Michigan State University and both his Juris Doctor and Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Mike currently serves as an adjunct professor for Georgetown University’s Graduate Public Policy Institute.