Next in Media
Everything we know about the media, marketing and advertising business is being completely upended thanks to technology and data. We're talking with some of the top industry leaders as they steer their companies through constant change.
Episodes
This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao to get an inside look at the company’s transformation in a fast-evolving media landscape. From the explosive rise of YouTube on connected TVs to tackling fragmentation across platforms, Karthik breaks down how Nielsen is reinventing itself with big data, AI, and a mission to future-proof measurement.
We talked about the company’s response to public challenges, its r...
Robert Wheeler — longtime communications leader at WarnerMedia, AT&T/Xandr, and GroupM — shares why he left the corporate world to build At the Moment Media (ATM), a people-first, video-led publication spotlighting personalities across advertising, technology, and media.
He walks through how the brand came to life — from the black-and-white design and animated “M” mascot to its 5–6 minute storytelling format and short-form social cl...
Google Ads just turned 25, and it’s entering a new era—one driven by AI, conversations, and context. In this episode, Dan Taylor, VP of Global Ads at Google, joins Mike Shields to unpack how the search giant is transforming its ads business for the age of AI Overviews, Performance Max, and long-form conversational queries. He explains why this shift feels bigger than mobile, how advertisers are adopting AI faster than ever, and why...
In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields speaks with Peter Hamilton, Head of Ad Innovation at Roku, about the rapid evolution of connected TV (CTV) advertising and how Roku is bridging the gap between big-brand budgets and small-business accessibility.
Peter shares what’s really happening behind the scenes as digital-first advertisers and DTC brands move into television, the challenges of onboarding thousands of SMBs, and how ...
In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields sits down with Jordan Matter, the YouTuber, photographer, and entrepreneur behind one of the most surprising creator success stories of the year. What started as a simple series of dance photography videos turned into a global family brand with more than 300 million monthly views—and now, a Sephora skincare line that drew an unbelievable 87,000 fans to its launch.
Jordan opens up about ...
In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields sits down with Janina Lundy, EVP and Head of Marketing & Brand Partnerships at Hartbeat, the production company founded by comedian and actor Kevin Hart. Heartbeat has become a creative force at the intersection of comedy, culture, and branded entertainment — developing hit shows like Cold as Balls with Old Spice and original films like Group Therapy with AXA.
Janina and Mike discuss ho...
In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields sits down with Michael Komasinski, CEO of Criteo, to unpack how one of ad tech’s best-known companies has reinvented itself for a privacy-first world. Once synonymous with retargeting, Criteo has successfully evolved into a powerhouse in retail media, supporting more than 230 retailers and $160 billion in GMV.
Michael shares how the company’s early investments in addressability technolo...
Next in Media talked to Michael Wayne, co-founder and CEO of Kin, about his nearly 20-year journey building a media company alongside YouTube's evolution. Wayne shared how his company navigated multiple business model shifts—from the MCN era to working with traditional celebrities on digital platforms, licensing content to streaming services and cable networks during the pandemic, and experimenting with FAST channels. The conversat...
Next in Media talked to Selina Sykes, Global Marketing Transformation Leader for Beauty and Wellbeing at Unilever, about the company's ambitious goal to allocate half of its media budget to creators. The conversation explored how a legacy CPG giant is reimagining its marketing model to stay relevant in a social-first world.
Sykes discussed Unilever's shift from traditional broadcast advertising to a "many-to-many" model that harness...
Next in Media talked to Dhar Mann, Creator and founder of Dhar Mann Studios, and Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios, about building one of YouTube's most successful scripted content operations. They discussed creating family-friendly scripted series at scale, working with brands beyond traditional advertising, and expanding their studio model to support other creators.
Mann and Atkins also covered why scripted content is breaking...
🔖Chapters:
[00:01:12] - Kelly's Background: From Soccer to Ad Tech
[00:03:22] - Making the Move from Meta to Amazon
[00:04:44] - Amazon DSP's Evolution from Single to Multi-Purpose
[00:06:10] - Adapting to the Streaming TV Revolution
[00:07:31] - Technical Differentiators and Competitive Positioning
[00:13:30] - AI Integration and the "Crystal Box" Approach
[00:16:54] - The Future of Automated Advertising Agents
[00:18:03] - Impact of Cha...
🔖Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and DAZN Overview
01:12 - DAZN's Global Sports Streaming Scale
03:58 - Creating the FIFA Club World Cup Tournament
07:43 - Managing Complex Global Live Streaming
14:26 - The State of Sports and Streaming Industry
18:40 - Lessons from Amazon's Thursday Night Football Launch
27:30 - DAZN's US Growth Strategy and Original Content
💡Takeaways:
🌍 DAZN operates as the world's largest sports streaming service, ha...
Next in Media spoke with Drew Muller, VP and General Manager of House of Highlights, about how the Warner Discovery-owned property is looking to bridge sports fandom with top creators' content via the Creator League. The event, founded in 2023, features top creators such as Kai Cenat, Jesser and FaZe Rug playing a series of tournaments in sports such as slamball, dodgeball and basketball for big prize money, both on social platform...
Next in Media chatted with Rich Bloom, GM, Creator Programs & EVP, Business Development at Tubi, about the Fox-owned streamers new creator program, which has quickly expanded for five to 50 participants. Bloom also talked about Tubi's overall growth, Gen Z misconceptions, and whether TV needs to adopt more YouTube-like qualities.
💡Takeaways:
- 🎬 Creator Content is Blurring the Lines with Traditional TV: The distinction between co...
Next in Media spoke with Marketecture CEO Ari Paparo, author of the new book "Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance" about how Google was able to build a monopoly on programmatic ads, despite so many people in the ad industry shouting about it for years - and whether we can stop the next one.
💡Takeaways:
- 🏛️ The initial small scale of programmatic advertising in the early 2000s made it dif...
Next in Media spoke with WPP Media's Jessica Brown and Spark Foundry Worldwide's Kelly Metz, focusing on YouTube's growing role in the TV marketplace, the shift towards holistic video measurement, the increasing importance of AI and streamlined approaches in media buying, and the evolving challenges and opportunities in creator partnerships and cross-platform attribution.
💡Takeaways:
- 📺 YouTube's Growing TV Presence: YouTube is ...
This episode is brought to you by Walmart Connect. From homepage to home improvement. Win Carts and Minds with Walmart Connect.
Next in Media spoke with Sarah Hofstetter, chairwoman of Profitero, a division of Publicis, about the haves and have nots in retail media, whether the big players TV presence is going to cause a bifurcation in the market, and what agentic shopping might do to the whole category.
💡Takeaways:
- 💸 Retail Med...
In this episode of Next in Media, Mike Shields interviews Dani Mariano, CEO of Razorfish, about their research into Gen Alpha, highlighting this generation's unique media consumption habits, brand maturity, and influence on household purchasing decisions, as well as Razorfish's "creator collab" program designed to meet the evolving demands of creator-centric marketing.
💡 Takeaways:
- 👶 Gen Alpha is more "Gen Z than Gen Z" at age ...
Grace Kao, CMO of Snap, discusses Snapchat's unique position as a platform focused on authentic connection and creativity, highlighting its diverse audience (consumers, B2B, developers) and innovative features like Promoted Places on the Snap Map and opportunities for brands in Chat, emphasizing the platform's ease of use and its appeal to a generation valuing real self-expression.
💡Takeaways:
- 📸 Camera-First Communication: Snap...
Chief Media Officer at Known, Kasha Cacy, discusses YouTube's growing prominence against traditional television, despite challenges for brands regarding content predictability and measurement. Cacy, also touches on the evolving landscape of big creators acting as media companies and the current economic outlook from a business perspective.
💡Takeaways:
- 📈 YouTube's Continued Growth: YouTube consistently gains viewership from trad...
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