Top Takeaways from Cannes 2025

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By: Lynn Leahe

 

Cannes 2025 felt different this year – and the senior executives who were there noticed. The cocktails and caftans still flowed, but the discussions were seemingly less on creative more on tech in the “real world.”

 

 As Omnicom Chief Communications Officer Joanne Trout put it, “another hot, crazy Cannes is in the books, but this year many of my conversations were about tech and AI, versus creativity and awards.” The industry veterans we heard from all seemed to pick up on the same vibe: less talk about what might happen, more focus on what’s happening right now. Here are their takeaways.

 

“This year at Cannes Lions, the common thread across many conversations was the evolution of advertising to shape culture, drive innovation, and lead with purpose. Whether through embracing strategic AI tools, championing inclusive leadership, or advancing bolder investments in trusted environments, the future is about creating a more responsible, effective, and human-centered ecosystem.” – Susan Schiekofer, Chief Media Officer, WPP Media

 

“The money just spent on massive beach tents and branded swag, hotel rooms and rosé bottles – at a time when thousands are losing jobs in big media and tech – represents steroidal-level dissonance. That said… this year’s convening on the Croisette offered more substance than most. Advertising is now THE central discussion of the Media Universe. And transforming the ad economy for the User Centric Era has evolved into a true group effort. 

 

“Still, with so much broken in Media right now, we gotta ask ourselves if the money we just invested on seaside rock shows truly provides the ROMI we’re seeking.” – Evan Shapiro, Media Cartographer, ESHAP

 

“While AI dominated many corners of Cannes 2025 as the driving force uniting marketing, media, and technology, the real focus remained on connections – connections between creators and culture, brands and consumers, and clients and partners. From audience intelligence to data enrichment, and personalization at scale to creative speed, AI will no doubt transform our industry (and continue to change and challenge the agency model).  Even so, this year’s event underscored our industry is still driven by authentic and meaningful relationships and human insights and experiences, which remain vital and irreplaceable in the ever-evolving landscape of AI-powered marketing.” – Crystal Park, Chief Marketing Officer, Horizon Media Holdings

 

“My biggest takeaway from Cannes this year is the undeniable power of collaboration. When we all come together – data partners, tech platforms, media buyers – we’re able to prove something we’ve always known deep down: TV and video really do drive results. Attribution isn’t just some fancy tool; it’s something we all share responsibility for. And now, with better data and stronger partnerships, we’re finally making it work – for advertisers big and small.” – Karen Babcock, Vice President, Advertising Strategy & Partnerships, Comcast Advertising 

 

“There were so many Gen Z and Gen Alpha creators floating around that we called it a Coup on the Croisette at The Ankler. Every brand is now chasing the social media stars, and the social media stars are chasing the higher CPMs. It was speed dating at its finest, and you could feel the ground shifting even more for legacy media.”  – Janice Min, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Ankler Media

 

“We witnessed the energy and power of live thriving at Cannes Lions this year. Across the Croisette, business leaders and iconic personalists dove into how live tentpole moments ignite culture, drive connection, and deliver impact for advertisers. Our well-attended ‘Vive Le Live!’ takeover at FreeWheel Beach further reinforced NBCUniversal as a cultural force, with celebrated stars highlighting the unique lasting engagement live programming and brand storytelling yields.”  – Karen Kovacs, President, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal  

 

“Clarity emerged as a defining theme at Cannes this year. In the CTV space in particular, buyers are asking more pointed questions about signal strength, transparency, and how curation is helping to reduce complexity while in parallel providing more control. Discussions around curation felt more pragmatic and evolved, reflecting a growing awareness that the sell side is no longer just a conduit, but instrumental in shaping outcomes.” – Mike Laband, Group SVP US Revenue at Magnite 

 

“Discussion around AI was everywhere and anywhere. Some of it real, some still science fiction. But the deeper current at Cannes was content. Brands are shifting toward long-form storytelling. Creating work that earns attention, not just buys it. When done right, the return is exponential.” – Agency veteran and documentary filmmaker Daniel Clarke, founder of Unfeatured

 

“People in marketing are early adopters of AI. They have strong points of view on where, when and how AI will disrupt the industry. And the smartest people in media and marketing are looking not just at internal business use cases of AI, but looking outward. I’m convinced the biggest wins will come from paying attention to how this tech will change peoples’ behavior, from shopping to content consumption.” – Sarah Sluis, Executive Editor at AdExchanger and AdMonsters

 

“AI, AI, AI. It was the clear theme of the week. Across AdTech, agencies, and DPSs, everyone is leaning into AI. Amazon’s activation used AI to create custom fragrances tied to product marketing, while Meta offered real-time voice translation.” – Premesh Purayil, Chief Technology Officer at OUTFRONT

 

“In an era where consumer attention is fragmented across countless platforms and devices, traditional broad-reach advertising is no longer sufficient. At Cannes Lions 2025, a significant theme emerged: the effectiveness of accumulating micro-engagements to build robust brand equity. Brands are now focusing on delivering consistent, platform-tailored messages that resonate in brief, yet impactful, interactions.” – Ryan Nelsen, CMO, StackAdapt

 

“For me, the most exciting component is how AI and creativity are colliding to create a new paradigm. We’re seeing a real shift from modelling engines to answers, and with that, a true unlock in marketers wielding commercial answers in tandem with creative ideation. Marketers embracing the creative and answers super-combo will be the marketers not just succeeding in Cannes, but in the wider market over the next few years.”  – Henry Innis, CEO and Co-Founder, Mutinex

 

“Cannes was in full swing. AI dominated – video agents that challenge you, automation, acceleration, and, thankfully, a renewed case for humanity. For BBC Studios, it was a moment to lean into what’s always driven us: storytelling that shifts perspectives, craft that keeps evolving, and a deep commitment to the global creative and cultural industries. In a week where technology dazzled and disrupted, one thing was clear: our greatest edge – and the key to real impact – remains the bold, brilliant, deeply human heart of creativity.” – Jennifer Ball, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Brand for Global Media & Streaming, BBC Studios

 

“A big theme at Cannes this year was how AI is raising expectations, but it can’t deliver without a strong identity backbone. There’s a growing recognition that real outcomes come from connecting the dots across planning, activation and measurement, not blindly chasing the next new tool.” – Chris Feo, Chief Business Officer, Experian 

 

“From Hilton’s community-first approach to Kai Cenat redefining influence and Heinz’s viral Mustaaaard, the message at Cannes Lions 2025 was clear: Powerful brands and creators turn trending moments into authentic, unmissable community experiences that drive loyalty, growth, and lasting impact.” – Lynne d Johnson, Content Director, Communities, AdMonsters + Ad Exchanger

 

“The story of Cannes this year was fragmentation. There have never been more surfaces competing for attention, and with every business acting like an ad network, finding a clear path to real incremental growth is harder than ever. For marketers, this fragmentation makes everything more challenging: measurement, incrementality, and understanding platform capabilities. It takes a lot of sophistication for marketers to build the right channel strategy in this very complex new world of advertising.” – Paul D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer, Moloco

 

“This year at Cannes, Out of Home was undeniably front and center. From JCDecaux’s immersive Avenue experience to OAAA’s ‘Real World Advantage’ event with GSTV, Intersection, Lamar, and StackAdapt in The Female Quotient Lounge, OOH took center stage across conversations and activations. The Croisette itself felt like a living case study in the medium’s ability to create meaningful and engaging brand connections.” – Anna Bager, President and CEO, the OAAA 

 

“Ad tech continues to be obsessed with the ‘outcomes’ meme and the echo chamber is only getting louder. I find that particularly odd – ad tech is all about performance and has always been that way. That’s what makes this industry so competitive and exciting. 

 

“The difference now is that there are new ways to get there: the ecosystem has a new foundation for a brand new identity infrastructure that provides the connective tissue between the sell-side and the buy-side, and we have the incredible opportunities of better execution by leveraging AI.” – Vlad Stesin, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Optable.

 

“A key takeaway from Cannes this year was how powerful collaboration can be when it comes to proving the impact of TV advertising. With new partnerships and data-driven solutions emerging, the industry is finally able to connect ad exposure to real business outcomes. We’ve always believed in the power of TV—now we have the tools to validate it.” – Dawn Williamson, Chief Revenue Officer, Comcast Advertising 

 

“I’ve been going to Cannes for many years, and in 2025 I sensed an increasing urgency to get conversations between marketing and the boardroom right – we need agreed language and metrics that everyone is aligned with for marketers to regain control of the growth agenda. The shift from discussing creative excellence to discussing both creative excellence and business outcomes is real, as evidenced by the invite-only CEO gathering scheduled as part of the official Lions agenda.” – John Sintras, President US and Multinational, Mutinex

 

“There is a growing demand for simpler and more impactful global CTV and FAST advertising. We had seen this in the U.S. but at Cannes it was obvious that this demand has spread to Europe and beyond. The good news for companies looking to tap into the revenue opportunities of CTV is that the consolidation to offer access to this inventory (such as what Amazon and Roku announced) will only make it easier to meet this demand.” – Patrice Courtaban, EVP Global Growth & Business Development, TV5MONDE and CEO TV5MONDE USA

 

“I would say that my biggest takeaway is that the conversation around AI is finally shifting from adoption to acceleration — brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms are all now rolling out true examples of how AI can revolutionize the traditional limits of media planning and marketing. After seeing the trends at Cannes this year, I believe 2026 will be a year of rapid transformation for our industry, especially in terms of how we connect the consumer experience across both physical and digital touch points — to real outcomes and point of sale.” – Katie Secret, EVP, Global Head of Marketing and Go-to Market Strategy, Teads

 

“The most powerful takeaway from Cannes is that AI has shifted from experimentation to execution accountability…past asking ‘whether’ to adopt AI to now demanding proof that it can deliver practical value at scale with transparency and quality control. This is advertising’s maturation moment with AI.

 

“What struck me most was seeing how widespread the awareness has become around the necessity of rapid adaptation… it’s the general consensus. The real opportunity lies in moving beyond one-off chat interactions to repetitive, systematic work.

 

“Another theme was the challenge of scale. When you’re running thousands of AI-powered actions, spot-checking becomes critical. The agencies that will succeed are those building in observability from day one, they need to see the proof of work, not just trust the black box. And a significant undercurrent at Cannes was the conversation around model context protocol, MCP.

 

“While everyone’s focused on flashy AI demos, the forward-thinking agencies and tech vendors are building the infrastructure that will actually enable autonomous AI systems to work across their entire stack.” – Jon Reilly, CEO and co-founder, AKKIO

 

“If you go to Cannes, you are in the game. You can still be in the game if you don’t go, but by being there, you’re in it. What I saw was:

  • People talking AI were actually talking use cases this year, vs. theory the previous years.
  • Content creators are transitioning to TV, beyond just YouTube and TikTok. There were many examples of it happening and many seeking development deals.
  • It’s now just assumed your programmatic connections are in place or scaling up and you’re optimizing your programmatic sales channels.
  • Traditional sellers of TV inventory have been losing market share to new digital players. But now, instead of fighting them, they’re working together like never before – e.g. Sky, ITV, Channel 4 in the UK banding together in order to compete with an Amazon Prime or Netflix.” – Chris Pizzurro, Principal, Leap Media Group LLC

 

“Cannes was more focused on technology, adtech, and AI innovation this year, with marketers demanding accountability and results. ‘Outcomes’ was the topic, looking past the fluff. The bottom-line focus was likely appealing to the high volume of finance types and M&A dealmakers, who would naturally be drawn to what’s real and not just hype. I was glad to hear so much interest in where AI and adtech are taking us in areas like contextual ad targeting and shoppable content, to real-time creative adaptation and how the industry can help brands build bigger and better.” – Gary Mittman, CEO, KERV.ai

 

“Back in 2018, I spoke about Artful intelligence – the idea of human involvement in AI. It’s surprising to me that I spoke about this concept over seven years ago but we’re still seeing artificial intelligence in the hype and hope phase in Cannes 2025. Overall, there is just too much talk about artificial. We need to move past the hype and have real conversations about authentic AI tech that will move the industry forward.” – Doug Rozen, President, Cadent

 

“This year’s Cannes was about the art and science of marketing. The brands leading the way are using both sides of the coin: data and creativity to drive results and make emotional connections. Agentic AI also emerged as a strong theme, showing how AI can elevate both performance and storytelling.” – Angela Hoye, Head of Corporate Communications, LG Ad Solutions 

 

“What really stood out to me is how fast the industry is rushing to ‘prove it’ – to lock down attribution, promise a clear view of ROI, and layer AI as a magic solution. But the biggest opportunity isn’t in meaningless guarantees. It’s having a solid foundation of accurate, consented, and deterministic data. Then, AI can be leveraged to quickly and seamlessly process and integrate disparate data, all while maintaining privacy and accuracy to effectively balance performance with brand-building. If we want real outcomes, we must shift our focus from proving superficial ROI to creating value by enabling strategic outcomes measurement that balances short-term gains with sustainable brand growth.” –Damian Garbaccio, CMO, Affinity Solutions

 

“Cannes left me with three big takeaways. First, we’re witnessing a true evolution, maybe even a revolution, in marketing, driven by brands demanding real outcomes and AI disrupting everything. I’m fired up to push this forward: let’s blow it up, stop wasting money, and get serious about effectiveness. Second, it’s wild how many people talk about personalization and relevance like they’re new ideas. That’s just brand marketing fundamentals, we’ve let performance metrics distract us from the basics. And third, while incrementality is the buzzword, I think the real story is brand insecurity. In this economic climate, teams are desperate to prove value because they lack the tools to plan with confidence.  I believe in incrementality, but we should address the insecurity driving this as the next big thing .” – Bradley Keefer, CRO, Keen Decision Systems 

 

“Feels like last year, every conversation was about ‘identity spines.’ While audience is still important, there seemed to be a shift to effectiveness and accountability vs. just contextual targeting. All of the ecosystem partners were most interested in partnerships and how we start to build platform integration and interoperability. The current environment and the increasing fragmentation necessitates speed and better intelligence around accountability, which is why AI and technology are starting to come more to the forefront. The next step will be audience level modeling, but the data is not there yet. That will be the next stage of the revolution.” – Greg Dolan, CEO, Keen Decision Systems 

 

“The biggest takeaway is that no matter how fast you think the market is moving, the reality is likely that it’s moving even faster. More programmatic marketplace announcements, data accelerating great decision-making, AI at the forefront of almost every conversation, in-housing continues, and yet the power of agency partnerships continue to strengthen the ecosystem. Keeping up with the fast pace is now table stakes and if you’re not doing it, you will fall behind.” – Darrick Li, VP, Sales, North America, Guideline 

 

“1. There’s more money spent and more people than I have ever seen. 2. People are focused on outcomes more and more and trying to understand what drives conversions. 3. Integrations and partnerships help the biggest companies as they can consolidate and make user experience better.  AI was used a lot, but it still needs to connect — meaning they need pipes for AI to get to data, content, etc. Just having AI is meaningless without the connections to multiple companies. And you need partnerships to get everything you need to create marketer outcomes. 4. AI was concentrated in two main areas.  Smarter planning capabilities and creative execution.” – Tyler Kelly, President, Basis Technologies 

 

“This year marked my fifth time attending Cannes since 2014, and one thing stood out more than ever: the rising dominance of Big Tech. From high-profile DoorDash activations to large-scale, tech-driven installations, it was clear that Cannes has shifted – from being primarily about creativity to becoming increasingly centered around technology, with AI dominating nearly every conversation. Among all the activations, the Stagwell Sports Beach clearly stood out. It consistently drew the largest crowds and longest lines across all beach and booth setups—undoubtedly one of the most attended destinations this year.

 

“That said, one area felt notably underrepresented: conversations around the fast-growing Gen Z diverse audiences (now 49% of 12-24). Outside of the important work led by the ANA, the Hispanic Marketing Council, and Salon Culture, the lack of focus on a high growth opportunity for marketers was disappointing. In a US climate where people of color, LGBTQ+ communities continue to face harassment, deportation, and systemic disrespect, Cannes once again missed a crucial opportunity to engage with the moment. Despite that, Sabio had one of our strongest Cannes experiences to date.

 

“Thank you to everyone who helped make this week both productive and inspiring—we’re just getting started.” – Aziz Rahmitoola, CEO and Co-Founder, Sabio

 

“The biggest takeaway I have is actually regarding the TV reaction to YouTube. Of all the major tech companies, YouTube were the only ones to have a major presence on the main beach, however the two announcements early in the week were from broadcasters taking a shot at YouTube. These were the marketplace launched by Sky, ITV, Channel4 and Comcast Universal Ads, aimed at making it easier for small businesses to advertise on TV (typically Google’s heartland), and Netflix’s announcement that they would be distributing TF1’s streaming service on its platform, effectively replicating YouTube’s model as a distribution channel.” –  Rishi Chande, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Captify 

 

“My biggest takeaway from Cannes was the value of smaller gatherings. I participated in a few, including those that we at CivicScience hosted for CMOs each morning. Whether you are a leader of an agency, brand, or publisher, the opportunity for candid, open dialogue with your peers around some of the most pressing topics facing business today was invaluable.” – Gretchen Tibbits, President & COO, CivicScience

 

“Feels like last year, every conversation was about ‘identity spines.’ While audience is still important, there seemed to be a shift to effectiveness and accountability vs. just contextual targeting. All of the ecosystem partners were most interested in partnerships and how we start to build platform integration and interoperability. The current environment and the increasing fragmentation necessitates speed and better intelligence around accountability, which is why AI and technology are starting to come more to the forefront. The next step will be audience level modeling, but the data is not there yet. That will be the next stage of the revolution.” – Greg Dolan, CEO, Keen Decision Systems 

 

“1. Despite all the discussion about AI, this remains a relationship business. It’s always been about relationships and partnerships. That continues to be proven with the value that comes from in-person discussion and meetings with current and prospective partners. 2. Outcomes are moving up in priority and becoming a bigger part of the conversation. Going beyond campaign metrics to business outcomes is the new focus area. 3. Education for planning and buying teams remains important and often overlooked. Seems simple but it’s critical for teams to keep a pulse on the evolving digital landscape and emerging opportunities.” – April Weeks, Chief Investment and Media Officer, Basis Technologies

 

Read the article on Cynopsis. 

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Jake Williams
VP, Brand & Agency Partnerships

Jake Williams is the VP of Brand and Agency Partnerships at KERV.ai. He joined KERV in 2021 as one of the inaugural members of the Brand and Agency Partnerships team. Since then, he has successfully expanded the team of partnership leads and now manages the East Coast portfolio. 

Before joining KERV, Jake held a role at GumGum, where he led partnerships with PHD Media. His career began at Digitas, where he worked on the American Express account. Outside of work, Jake has an adorable dog named Luna—after whom one of our conference rooms is named. Fun fact: Jake is a triplet!

Mark Corte
VP, Brand & Agency Partnerships

Mark Corte is the VP of Brand & Agency Partnerships for the Midwest and West regions at KERV.ai. He leads a team focused on growing KERV’s AI-powered video solutions by showing advertisers how turning their standard video and static creative into interactive, shoppable experiences drives higher engagement, deeper interaction, and higher sales conversions. 

Mark has 20+ years of experience developing and executing sales strategies across existing and emerging media platforms. He has built strong relationships with decision-makers and representatives of Fortune 500 brands, as well as leaders in corporate innovation and transformation—relationships rooted from his experience at The Trade Desk, Warner Bros. Discovery, and The Weather Channel. His previous experiences paved his path to a career in streaming and linear video across sports, news and entertainment, as well as OLV, display, programmatic, and data-driven audience-buying solutions. Mark has built trust with his clients and team by prioritizing clear, transparent, and direct communication, and by exemplifying agility, grit, and grace under stress.

Mark lives with his wife and three teenage boys, who have him busy as an unpaid rideshare driver across great Los Angeles. He’s a native Chicagoan—still a fan of all Chicago sports teams, (sans the Cubs)—and an alum of the University of Iowa.

Rich Kentopp
VP, Product Management

Rich Kentopp is the VP of Product at KERV.ai, where he leads the Product Management team and plays a key role in shaping the company’s technology strategy. Since joining, he has scaled the Product team, built new channels of communication between technology and the business, and partnered cross-functionally to deliver innovative solutions that drive measurable business impact.

With over a decade of experience scaling startups across the health tech, social impact, and ad tech industries, Rich brings a blend of strategic thinking, team-building, and user-centered approach to his work. His leadership is grounded in empathy and clarity—skills shaped by both his pastoral background and formal theological training.

Rich holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. His time in ministry continues to influence his approach as a technology leader: mission-driven, collaborative, and people-first.

Devin Monds
Head of EMEA Sales

Devin is a dedicated and experienced media sales professional with over 15 years in the digital media space in both North America and EMEA. He most recently headed up the International Team at Adludio, the premier advertising platform for delivering strong creative on mobile devices. Prior to his role at Adludio, Devin worked on the Global Brand Partnerships team at CAA Sports in London, and was International Sales Director at LoopMe where he built out the US West Coast Sales Team from Los Angeles. With a proven track record of new business development and revenue generation, Devin has a multitude of solid relationships with brands and agencies, globally.

He relishes the opportunity to engage with new clients on a daily basis, in order to identify tailored solutions that can drive their desired outcomes. Furthermore, he takes pride in his culinary skills, often experimenting with new recipes and delivering delectable results.






    Brad Quinn
    SVP, Enterprise & Publisher Partnerships

    Brad Quinn is the SVP of Enterprise Partnerships at KERV.ai, spearheading collaboration across Publishers, Platforms and Retail Media Networks. Focusing on KERV’s patented metadata, he establishes and leads relationships with content providers and platforms to bring contextual targeting, brand safety and interactivity to life. He works with both US-based and Global partners. 

    Prior to joining KERV, Brad began his career at Publicis as a Buyer and Planner before moving to Paramount and then Warner Brothers Discovery in Sales & Business Development roles.

    David Knight
    VP, Engineering

    Before joining KERV in 2018, David Knight spent over 31 years building software products for large corporations like IBM and Schlumberger, 3-person “garage” startups and everything in between. He’s spent the last 15 years discovering and refining the tools, development process, and necessary culture that create great Engineering teams capable of meeting the special demands of technology driven startups.

    Dan Bloomfield
    VP, Technical Ad Operations

    Daniel Bloomfield is the VP of Technical Operations at KERV.ai. He oversees the Ad Operations teams, which supports the set-up and trafficking of campaigns across all DSPs and ad servers. His team also investigates and helps resolve discrepancies and ad-related issues. 

    Before joining KERV, Daniel has had a long career in digital advertising. He began his career working for NBC Universal in 2006, and after moving to Austin, he continued his career by continuing to work with TV publishers on VAST and VPAID ads. In 2014 he began to work in the programmatic ad space. 

    Daniel has a Bachelor’s of fine arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.

    Creed Pettit
    SVP, Head of Partnerships

    Creed Pettit is an entrepreneurial sales executive offering experience in all aspects of solutions selling, team management, negotiation, organizational leadership, go-to-market strategies and momentum driven models. Prior to joining KERV, Creed served as Media & Entertainment Vertical Sales Leader, Global Business Solutions at TikTok.

    Karen Germ
    VP of Marketing

    Karen Germ is a seasoned marketing and communications professional with a nearly 15‑year history serving in leadership roles across the advertising and technology landscape. Most recently, Karen served as OAAA’s VP of Marketing where she implemented industry leading initiatives to elevate and promote the power of OOH for advertisers, agencies, partners and consumers. 

    Ryan Schoenfeld
    VP, Technical Partnerships

    Ryan Schoenfeld is currently the VP of Technical Partnerships at KERV.ai, and is responsible for bridging KERV’s robust metadata and ad toolset with tech platforms in the space. Additionally, he spearheads mapping industry infrastructures and systems across ad servers, SSPs, and SSAI platforms, with the ultimate goal of innovating in the most efficient and scalable ways for KERV’s partners. He is passionate about strategy and is constantly looking for net-new solutions that will maximize partner outcomes and amplify results. 

    Prior to joining KERV, Ryan started his career at a small, local, media-buying agency that was later acquired by LIN Media before undergoing two more acquisitions into Nexstar Broadcasting. During this time, he expanded into management and leadership roles focusing on media buying and programmatic strategy before ultimately joining KERV to lead operational strategy with a focus on media planning and programmatic buying.

    Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has been leading strategic teams for over ten years.

    Bill Roberson
    VP, Creative Strategy & Design

    Bill Roberson is the VP of Creative Strategy and Design at KERV.ai. Bringing over 17 years of experience in the digital space, Bill specializes in Media Buying, Client Services and Ad Operations, including Media Optimization and Publisher development. 

    Prior to KERV, Bill spent 10 years at Nexstar (Previously Lin Digital and Red McCombs Media). Bill’s intrinsic creativity and exposure to so many specialties within the Media landscape has allowed him to grow into the role he feels he was meant for: leading Creative Strategy and Design.

    Grant Gorton
    VP, UX & Design

    As KERV.ai’s VP of UX/UI & Design, Grant Gorton brings over 20 years of experience in design and creative direction. Before joining KERV, he specialized in packaging and branding design in Pittsburgh, PA. He then returned to his hometown of Austin, transitioning into digital media, where he built and managed a team of designers focused on creating custom rich media ad units, developing new products, and supporting branding and pitch materials.

    Since joining KERV in 2018, Grant has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s trajectory by establishing and leading a team responsible for its branding and visual identity, event and social marketing, and web design. His team also developed KERV’s sales and marketing materials, spec documentation, and significantly contributed to the creation and design of the company’s comprehensive product offerings. 

    Currently, Grant primarily focuses on KERV’s higher-level platform products, developing intuitive user experiences and innovative solutions that enable clients to unlock new opportunities and extract greater value from their extensive content and data collections.

    Michael Fleischman
    Chief Financial Officer

    Michael is currently the CFO of KERV Interactive in addition to being an Executive in Residence at Progress Partners, a Merchant Investment Bank and Venture Fund. A seasoned C-Suite executive with a broad array of expertise in Accounting, Financial Planning, M&A, Board Governance and External Commercial Banking and Private Equity Relationships.

    Prior to KERV Interactive Michael was the CFO and current Board Member at Digital Remedy, a privately held media execution company supporting agencies, publishers, and brands in navigating the complex ad tech landscape of digital success.

    Prior to Digital Remedy Michael spent 20 years at Cablevision and Rainbow Media Holdings
    during which he was instrumental in the launch and management of multiple Regional sports networks and a number of National Cable Networks including American Movie Classics (AMC), Bravo, The Independent Film Channel as well as the structuring of partnerships with companies including Liberty Media, NBC, Fox/NewsCorp, and MGM.

    Additionally, Michael played lead finance role in the acquisition of a number of professional sports teams including Madison Square Garden, the successful IPO of Cablevision, and a tracking stock at Rainbow Media. Michael was also involved in the creation and successful launch of Rainbow Advertising Sales, one of the cable industry’s first local advertising sales rep firms and has married his linear experience with a robust understanding of the intricacies of new media, creating a unique skill-set.

    A native of the New York City area, Michael resides with his wife where he enjoys biking, tennis and spending time with his wife and three adult children.

    Taylor Pate
    Chief Technology Officer

    Taylor Pate is the CTO at KERV Interactive, with over 16 years of experience in the advertising and creative industry, known among his peers as a technical and creative powerhouse.

    Taylor’s career began in 2008 as an animator and art director, specializing in the design and production of interactive art. He created 3D illustrations for advertisers such as HP and Dell, and developed 3D animations and tools for top video game series including Club Penguin and The Sims.

    Transitioning to focus on automation, e-commerce, and software development, Taylor joined LIN Digital in Austin, Texas. Over five years, he built a powerful framework to automate the production of thousands of rich media ads annually, developed high-performance ads for major brands, and led the engineering of PHNX, the company’s order management system that processed millions of dollars in ad campaigns monthly. He concluded his tenure at Nexstar Digital as Director of Engineering, leading a team of over 16 engineers and product managers before taking on his current role at KERV Interactive.

    Jay Wolff
    Chief Revenue Officer

    Jay Wolff is currently the Chief Revenue Officer at KERV Interactive, leading global revenue and partnerships. In addition to KERV, Jay is the President of 212NYC, New York’s leading organization for the digital advertising and the media industry. 212NYC’s mission is to build a better advertising industry by providing the programming, tools, and thought leadership to help move the industry forward.

    Jay’s expertise in scaling significant revenue and partner growth in the advertising industry spans 20 years. Most recently, Jay served as Chief Revenue Officer of Varick Media, and Chief Growth Officer at Boostr, the first end-to-end SaaS revenue management system for media companies. Previously, as Regional Vice President of SambaTV, Wolff built the revenue organization and east coast market from the ground up to $100M in revenue. Jay has been tapped for industry thought leadership and panel participation by the likes of Mediapost, Ad Age, and Digiday. 

    Prior to joining SambaTV, Wolff served as Vice President of agency and brand partnerships at PulsePoint; instrumental to the merger of ContextWeb and Datran Media.

    Originally from Armonk, NY, Jay holds a BS in Marketing from Syracuse University and a Certificate of Management from the University of Chicago. Jay resides in Rye Brook, NY with his wife, darling daughter, Olivia, and newborn son, Logan.

    Dan Bienenfeld
    President

    Dan Bienenfeld is currently the Co-Founder and President of KERV Interactive and a seasoned serial entrepreneur who has built startups for more than 35 years. Before joining KERV he has founded seven startups and architected successful exits for a number of them. For four years, he served as CEO of TimeCard Specialists, which created a cutting-edge time attendance software app that streamlined payroll for union members in the TV, film, and commercial industries. TimeCard Specialists was sold in 2016.

    Before that, he was CEO of Total Vision Care for nearly eight years. Total Vision Care built one of the largest mobile diagnostic services in eye care. This service provided ophthalmologists & optometrists with state of the art equipment and licensed technicians right in their own practice to diagnose various eye diseases.

    Gary Mittman
    Chief Executive Officer

    Gary Mittman is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of KERV Interactive and brings more than 30 years in technology and direct marketing, as well as substantial experience in building startups to exit with creativity and agile development. Before joining KERV he held numerous top-ranking leadership roles; Founder & President of Nami Media (which was acquired by Lin/Nexstar Media Group), CEO & Founder of Marina Communications (also acquired), and Vice President of New Business Development – Direct Response at Western International Media leading the team in the new frontier of Infomercials.

    Gary brings a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, including managing all tier one acts booking for New York City’s premiere performance nightclub “The Ritz” as its Executive Manager and Booking Agent, Executive Producer of the first MTV concert series “Live At The Ritz”, a Professional Manager at Chappell Music Publishing, and started out as an Assistant to legendary Clive Davis at Arista Records.

    Andi Fenster
    CPO

    Andi Fenster went into the profession of Human Resources 30 years ago, because she believed from a young age that the way you treat your employees is what you get out of them. Her goal as an HR professional has been to help create the type of work environments that inspire folks to want to come to work. She is also a Management/Leadership/Career Coach and her focus is optimizing humans focusing on the mind‑body connection. 

    “We, each, have tremendous potential and the abilities to level‑up if we choose to understand how to get the support we need to get us there. Helping talent thrive and helping them create success is my reason for doing what I do.”

    Marika Roque
    Chief Innovation Officer

    Marika Roque is currently in her second year as the Chief Innovation Officer at KERV Interactive, following four years as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. She is recognized for her expertise in digital media, data, and organizational infrastructures, with over 15 years of professional leadership experience. Prior to joining KERV, Marika worked as the Vice President of Digital Operations for Mass², a division of the multi-billion-dollar corporation Nexstar Digital LLC. Before that, she served as Vice President of Digital Media & Activation at LIN Digital and Nexstar, leading several departments while advising leadership on digital strategy during multiple acquisitions, including Media General, LKQD, Yashi, Dedicated Media, Federated Media, etc..

    Marika has held senior-level positions with leading agency and digital technology teams in Austin, Texas, including Sizmek and GSD&M, a subsidiary of the Omnicom Group. She also spent several years in Chicago working for FCB Global and Starcom MediaVest Group, a division of the Publicis Groupe. At Starcom, she played a key role in creating the first agency-side programmatic pipelines, contributing to what the industry now refers to as an agency trading desk. Her extensive experience in programmatic advertising dates back to its inception. She also worked on global client strategy and activation for brands like Newell Rubbermaid and their subsidiaries, including Paper Mate and Sharpie, as well as Microsoft B2B. 

    Marika holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was also a Division I collegiate athlete. Hook ’em.