AdTechGod Pod

By AdTechGod, The AdTech GodBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing Careers

AdTechGod Pod episodes

September 09Beyond the Genre: Bill Condon on Gracenote’s Vision for CTV Transparency
AdTechGod is joined by Bill Condon, Head of Global Advertising Sales at Gracenote, to discuss why content-level transparency is becoming essential in connected TV advertising.
They explore how Gracenote’s content intelligence gives advertisers a clearer picture of where their ads appear, improves brand suitability, and helps identify premium inventory. Bill also discusses the importance of persistent content signals, the rise of truly live sports inventory, Gracenote’s work with The Trade Desk and other programmatic platforms, and what’s next for CTV advertising.
Takeaways:
CTV needs greater transparency: Advertisers need clearer visibility into where their ads actually run.

Content intelligence goes deeper: Gracenote provides detailed signals beyond broad genre categories.

Better brand suitability: Content-level data helps brands choose what to align with or avoid.

Transparency benefits buyers and publishers: Advertisers gain control while premium publishers can better demonstrate their value.

“Live live” matters: More precise signals help distinguish truly live sports from other sports content.

Content signals are becoming essential: Gracenote is bringing its content intelligence into major programmatic platforms.

Outcomes are next: Content intelligence could help improve purchase intent, brand favorability, and campaign performance.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the AdTechGod Pod
00:13 Introducing Bill Condon of Gracenote
01:26 Bill’s Journey to Gracenote
03:13 The Convergence of Streaming and Traditional TV
03:42 Do Advertisers Really Know Where Their Ads Run?
05:17 Why CTV Still Has a Transparency Problem
06:40 Gracenote’s Content Intelligence and Metadata
08:23 Going Beyond Basic Genre Targeting
09:01 Building a Deeper Content Graph
10:42 Brand Suitability and Show-Level Signals
11:22 Persistent Content Signals Across Platforms
13:15 Three Key Use Cases for Content Intelligence
14:09 Transparency, CPMs and the True Value of Inventory
15:25 Show-Level Reporting and Post-Campaign Validation
16:02 How Content Signals Benefit the Sell Side
17:55 Why Premium Publishers Benefit From Transparency
19:13 Dos Equis, Dentsu and the Power of “Live Live” Sports
21:32 Gracenote’s Partnership With The Trade Desk
24:02 The Future of Connected TV Advertising
25:40 Connecting Content Intelligence to Outcomes
26:22 Why Transparency Will Shape the Future of TV Advertising
28:39 Closing Thoughts

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30 min
September 08Ep 150: Apps, Ops and OEM with Mike Brooks
AdTechGod sits down with Mike Brooks, Founder of Brooks Industries, to explore the convergence of CTV and mobile apps, the future of TV data, performance CTV, product-market fit, and how AI is creating new opportunities across advertising.
Interested in sponsoring the show? Contact ⁠ http://marketecturemedia.com
Takeaways:
CTV and mobile apps are converging: Mike sees significant opportunity as the app and connected TV ecosystems increasingly overlap.

TV data is still evolving: Advances in streaming and ACR data could unlock a new generation of advertising products and targeting capabilities.

Product-market fit comes first: Startups need to focus on solving a specific problem instead of chasing every new opportunity.

Performance CTV has real potential: Mike believes TV can drive measurable installs and conversions, particularly for mobile-first brands looking beyond traditional acquisition channels.

AI is making big data actionable: Mike sees practical AI value in modeling large datasets and turning complex signals into useful insights for advertisers and streaming companies.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the AdTechGod Pod
00:13 Meet Mike Brooks
01:05 Mike’s Journey Through Apps, Ad Tech, and CTV
05:06 Building Partnerships at LG Ad Solutions
06:10 The Convergence of CTV and Mobile Apps
08:27 What the Industry Is Underestimating
08:58 The Future of TV and Streaming Data
11:54 Why Product-Market Fit Matters
13:48 The Power of Focus for Startups
16:33 Is Performance CTV Really the Future?
18:06 Using CTV to Drive Installs and Conversions
20:00 Rethinking the “Performance TV” Label
21:58 AI’s Role in Advertising and Consulting
24:25 Final Thoughts and How to Connect
Guests: AdTech God

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 min
September 01Ep 149: From Amazon to AI-Powered Commerce with Marissa Ramirez of ShopSense AI
AdTechGod is joined by Marissa Ramirez, Chief Commercial Officer at ShopSense AI, to discuss her journey from Amazon to the startup world, how AI is connecting content with commerce, the future of shoppable CTV, and why better ad experiences could help strengthen the open internet.
Interested in sponsoring the show? Contact ⁠ http://marketecturemedia.com
Takeaways:
Marissa shares how her decade at Amazon shaped her approach to building and scaling ad tech products.

ShopSense AI uses specialty AI to connect inspiration across video, audio, images, and text to commerce opportunities.

Better, more relevant ad experiences could help the open internet compete with walled gardens.

Shoppable CTV needs to go beyond simply adding QR codes and create more intentional consumer experiences.

Specialty AI models could play an increasingly important role in media planning, creative, commerce, and advertising infrastructure.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the Ad Tech God Pod
00:47 Marissa Ramirez’s Journey Into Ad Tech
03:07 Building and Scaling Products at Amazon
04:04 What Kept Marissa at Amazon for a Decade
05:44 Moving From Amazon to ShopSense AI
06:00 What ShopSense AI Does
07:06 Why Marissa Made the Startup Leap
09:25 The Open Internet vs. Walled Gardens
10:23 Why Better Ad Experiences Matter
13:04 Building a New AI and Commerce Category
15:06 What Drives Shoppable Content Engagement
16:58 Misconceptions About Shoppable CTV
19:37 Moving Beyond the QR Code
20:53 ShopSense AI’s Role in the Advertising Ecosystem
21:51 The Future of AI and Ad Tech
23:19 Closing Thoughts
Guests: AdTech God

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26 min
August 26 CTV Gets Smarter: James Grant of Equativ on AI, Identity & Outcomes
AdTechGod sits down with James Grant, SVP of Equativ, to explore the evolution of connected TV, AI-powered media planning, performance TV, and the future of streaming advertising. James also shares lessons from powering live sports advertising and why outcomes, identity, and new CTV ad formats are shaping the next era of ad tech.
Interested in sponsoring the show? Contact ⁠http://marketecturemedia.com
Takeaways:
- AI agents are making media planning more efficient and dynamic.
- Performance TV is creating new opportunities for measurable CTV outcomes.
- Live sports streaming requires scalable ad serving, testing, and strong project management.
- Pause ads and home-screen formats can create less intrusive CTV experiences.
- Contextual signals, outcomes, and deterministic identity will shape CTV’s future.
Chapters:
01:05 Introduction to the AdTechGod Pod
01:18 Meet James Grant of Equativ
02:17 James’ Career Across TV and Ad Tech
05:08 Building Equativ’s CTV Business
06:25 The Biggest Opportunities in Connected TV
08:40 AI and Equativ’s Media Planning Agent
10:41 Moving Beyond Copy-and-Paste Media Buying
12:51 AI, Workflow Efficiency and Creative
15:27 Combining AI, Creative and Media Buying
16:50 Live Sports and Streaming Advertising
17:34 Equativ and MagentaTV
18:55 Lessons From Large-Scale Live Streaming
21:10 What Broadcasters Need to Get Right
23:54 The Changing CTV Ad Experience
24:48 Why Pause Ads Are a Major Opportunity
27:13 Equativ’s TV Operating System Partnership
28:15 The Future of CTV and Streaming
31:11 Deterministic Identity and What Ad Tech Is Missing
32:07 Closing Thoughts

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32 min
August 25Ep 148: The Future of Ad Tech: AI, Agency M&A and the Return of Brand Building with Alex Brownstein
AdTechGod sits down with Alex Brownstein, CEO and Founder at AHB Advisors, to examine where advertising and ad tech are heading. They discuss The Trade Desk’s organizational evolution, why mid-size agencies could become active acquirers, how AI may reshape the agency model, and why the industry may need to rediscover memorable brand building alongside performance and measurement.
Read more from Alex Brownstein by subscribing to his Substack: https://ahbadvisors.substack.com/
Interested in sponsoring the show? Contact http://marketecturemedia.com
Takeaways
Ad tech companies should evolve through thoughtful expansion rather than abrupt strategic pivots.

Mid-size agencies could become more active acquirers as larger holding companies navigate structural complexity.

AI will reshape agency work, shifting value from routine execution toward strategy and business outcomes.

Agencies may find new value as intermediaries between brands and dominant technology platforms.

Advertising needs a better balance between measurable performance and memorable, long-term brand building.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the AdTechGod Pod
00:18 Meet Alex Brownstein, Strategic Advisor, former 3C Ventures and McKinsey
01:22 From investment banking to LiveIntent and ad tech
03:18 What finance taught Alex about advertising and business strategy
05:17 The Trade Desk, CFO changes and organizational alignment
09:02 Why ad tech companies are evolving their core businesses
12:04 Why mid-size agencies could become major acquirers
16:00 The complexity of large agency organizations
17:13 What McKinsey’s operating model can teach agencies
18:29 Will AI kill agencies or change how they work?
20:56 A new potential role for agencies between brands and platforms
22:27 Alex’s prediction for the next three years of advertising
23:25 Why memorable brand building could make a comeback
25:17 What advertising lost in the influencer era
26:05 Have advertisers gone too far toward data and measurement?
27:53 Brand recognition and the top of the marketing funnel
28:21 Closing thoughts with Alex Brownstein
28:38 Outro

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31 min
August 19WURL’s Mikey Garcia on How AI and Contextual Intelligence Are Reshaping CTV Advertising
Mikey Garcia, VP of Advertising Engineering at Wurl, joins host AdTechGod to explore how AI, contextual intelligence, and FAST are reshaping connected TV advertising. They discuss scene-level targeting, smarter CTV signals, ad relevance, overlay ads, and why contextual advertising could unlock the next wave of CTV ad spend.
Takeaways:
AI is making scene-level contextual targeting in CTV more accurate and scalable.
FAST enables real-time contextual signals that can better match ads to what viewers are watching.
Whirl found viewers changed channels 60% more when ads were irrelevant.
Contextual works best alongside audience targeting, adding relevance and improving performance.
Better content intelligence could drive more transparency, smarter buying, and greater CTV ad spend.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the AdTechGod Pod
00:54 Meet Mikey Garcia of Wurl
01:27 From Maker Studios to a Career in Product
04:02 The Startup Lesson That Changed Mikey's Career
04:49 Joining Wurl and Building Streaming Products
05:40 From Creator Technology to Advertising
07:47 AppLovin, Wurl and the Meaning of Contextual CTV
09:29 How AI Changed Contextual Advertising
10:38 Bringing Scene-Level Signals to the Bid Stream
12:35 Why FAST Is Built for Real-Time Contextual Targeting
14:14 Can Contextual Targeting Work for VOD?
15:13 Contextual Advertising for Media Planners
16:19 Why Irrelevant Ads Make Viewers Tune Out
17:45 The Future of Contextual CTV
20:25 Why Contextual Is Reaching a Turning Point
21:43 Overlay Ads and the Next CTV Ad Experience
22:47 Programmatic Product Placement and AI
23:41 Why AI Still Needs Human Oversight
24:37 Final Thoughts from Mikey Garcia
25:28 Outro
Guests: AdTech God

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 min
August 18Ep. 147: The Partnership Layer of AI with Google’s Ravi Viswanathan
AdTechGod sits down with Ravi Viswanathan, Strategic Partnerships Lead at Google, to discuss his journey from software engineering to partnerships, more than a decade at Google, and how AI could reshape advertising. They explore generative creative, new ad-supported business models, consumer value exchange, and Ravi’s approach to building trusted partnerships.
Takeaways:
A technical background can create credibility and deeper trust in strategic partnerships.

AI’s impact extends beyond productivity into creative generation and entirely new advertising experiences.

Advertising could increasingly subsidize services such as mobile plans, hardware, and other everyday costs.

Successful ad-supported models require a transparent and fair value exchange with consumers.

Great partnerships begin by understanding the partner’s problem rather than focusing on what you want to sell.

Curiosity, technical fluency, and trust can lead to stronger client relationships and long-term career growth.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the AdTechGod Pod
00:13 Meet Ravi Viswanathan, Strategic Partnerships Lead at Google
01:12 Ravi’s Career Journey: Engineering to Strategic Partnerships
04:07 Why Technical Knowledge Matters in Partnerships
05:05 Why Ravi Has Stayed at Google for 11 Years
07:30 The Continuing Evolution of Advertising
08:09 How AI Is Changing Careers and Advertising
10:02 AI-Powered Pricing, Targeting, and Generative Creative
10:40 Will Consumers Accept Fully AI-Generated Advertising?
14:22 What’s Next for Advertising?
16:10 Advertising Across New Screens and Consumer Touchpoints
17:27 The Future of Ad-Supported Business Models
20:07 Creating a Fair Value Exchange for Consumers
20:45 Misconceptions About Working With Google
22:38 Ravi’s Career and Partnership Advice
24:23 Closing Thoughts

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28 min
August 11Ep. 146: Where Investors See Opportunity with Josef Najm of Thomson Reuters Ventures
Josef Najm, Principal Investor at Thomson Reuters Ventures, will discuss his career journey from MediaMath and global brands to venture investing. Josef shares what investors look for in founders, the technologies that stand out, the impact of AI on advertising, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for startups over the next five years.
Takeaways:
Josef Najm shares his journey from MediaMath, L'Oréal, and Diageo to Thomson Reuters Ventures.

Learn how venture investors evaluate founders, products, and market timing.

Discover why clean data, AI workflows, creator economy, and trust are shaping the future of ad tech.

Hear Josef's predictions for AI agents, industry consolidation, and startup opportunities over the next five years.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:17 Meet Josef Najm, Principal Investor at Thomson Reuters Ventures
00:48 Josef's Career Journey into Ad Tech
05:23 Transition into Venture Capital
08:23 What Makes a Great Founder?
11:10 Identifying Long-Term AI & Ad Tech Opportunities
17:33 The Rise of the Creator Economy
19:24 Separating Innovation from Industry Hype
22:49 When Is the Right Time to Raise Funding?
29:10 The Future of AI, Data & Ad Tech
34:52 Final Thoughts

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38 min
August 04Ep. 145 Why Creative Still Wins with Big Happy CEO Jonathan Frohlinger
Jonathan Frohlinger, CEO of Big Happy, shares why creative remains advertising's biggest competitive advantage. From building high-impact 3D and CGI campaigns to discussing the future of mobile, digital out-of-home, and AI, Jonathan explains how brands can stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Takeaways
Jonathan shares his journey from Starcom and Verve to founding Big Happy.

Why creative is still the biggest driver of advertising effectiveness.

How CGI and 3D advertising help brands stand out and improve recall.

Why emotion is processed before logic and what that means for marketers.

The role of mobile and digital out-of-home in modern media strategies.

Why creative matters more than targeting once the right audience is reached.

How AI should enhance creativity instead of replacing it.

Why brands should focus on outcomes instead of simply being "AI-powered."

Leadership lessons from growing Big Happy over the past seven years.

Advice for marketers looking to build successful careers in advertising and technology.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Jonathan Frohlinger & Big Happy
01:08 Jonathan's journey into advertising and founding Big Happy
03:18 What Big Happy does and its unique value proposition
04:02 Why high-impact creative and CGI capture attention
06:45 The emotional science behind memorable advertising
08:03 Why brands buy on emotion but stay for performance
09:22 Mobile and digital out-of-home as growth channels
10:55 Creative vs. targeting: Which matters more?
12:20 The future of mobile advertising and media investment
15:25 What's next for mobile, DOOH, and ad tech
16:02 AI's impact on creativity and advertising workflows
19:40 AI hype versus real business value
24:20 Scaling Big Happy and building a strong company culture
27:02 Closing thoughts and farewell

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29 min
July 28Ep 144: Beehiiv’s Creator Operating System with Tyler Denk
AdTechGod sits down with Tyler Denk, Co-Founder & CEO of beehiiv, to discuss how beehiiv evolved from a newsletter platform into a complete creator operating system. Tyler shares lessons from Morning Brew, why creators should own their audience, AI's role in publishing, and how beehiiv is reshaping newsletter and podcast monetization.
Takeaways:
Tyler shares how Morning Brew inspired the creation of beehiiv.
Learn why owning your audience matters more than relying on social platforms.
Discover how AI and automation are simplifying creator workflows.
Hear how beehiiv is expanding into podcasts, communities, and advertising.
Learn how the beehiiv Ad Network helps creators monetize newsletters of every size.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Tyler Denk & beehiiv
00:41 Tyler's journey from Morning Brew to founding beehiiv
05:13 Reinventing newsletter publishing and growth
07:46 Website builder, SEO, and content automation
09:42 AI tools, MCP, and creator workflows
11:05 The future of AI for content creators
13:03 Building an all-in-one creator operating system
15:35 Why creators should own their audience
18:14 Social media strategy and platform integrations
19:49 Inside the beehiiv Ad Network and newsletter monetization
22:59 Helping small publishers earn advertising revenue
24:57 Final thoughts and Tyler's personal newsletter
Guests: AdTech God

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 min

About AdTechGod Pod

From the publisher's feed

A Podcast For The People About The People. The AdTechGod ® Pod celebrates the Minds Behind Adtech and offers an engaging platform where listeners can discover the stories and insights of the individuals driving the advertising technology industry. This podcast shines a spotlight on the creative and innovative minds that make adtech great, providing a unique perspective on the people behind the technology that shapes our digital advertising experiences. All guests appearing on the adtech god podcast are invited participants; they do not provide compensation to AdTechGod for their appearance. The podcast's funding is provided through preroll and midroll advertisements, which are sponsored by various companies. If you are interested in being a guest or advertising on the AdTechGod Pod (The Adtech God Podcast) please visit https://www.adtechgod.com/adtechgod-pod.