Breaking Through The Mayhem

A conversation with Michele Donati, EVP, Chief of Futures of Horizon, on why Horizon is betting on an open ecosystem—Horizon OS and its labs—to bring best-in-class partners together, accelerate innovation, and drive smarter media investment across the full planning-to-optimization workflow.

Highlights:

Horizon OS decoded: why “open beats closed” for speed, flexibility, and partner-powered innovation

How Horizon Futures maps 65+ subcultures into actionable brand and audience strategy

The new live-event playbook: real-time hype → social reverb → cultural afterglow

Where LLMs actually change insight workflows (without replacing the human layer)

Why labs matter: de-risked experimentation for clients who want innovation without chaos

Adam sits down with Elijah Harris, EVP Investment Strategy at Omnicom Media, to unpack how senior investment leaders actually think—how long-tail partner ecosystems get built, what keeps investment moving despite shifting industry narratives, and why multicultural audiences remain one of the most resilient growth engines even as public ESG and DEI messaging evolves. It’s also a rare chance to get to know Elijah beyond the title, with real perspective on leadership, career longevity, and the passions that shape how he operates in media.

Highlights:

CTV performs best when ads align with the moment, not just the screen. As content intelligence and AI mature, contextual precision becomes the real growth lever.

Key takeaways:

Recorded live at ADWeek with Adam Katz and Nancy Grey.

As AI accelerates change across advertising, true advantage comes from clarity, creativity, and outcome-driven decision-making. This conversation explores how modern media leaders are redefining value, empowering teams, and using technology to elevate—not replace—human strategy. Featuring insights from Jacob Davis, Global Head of Media at Crossmedia, a respected leader shaping the future of independent media, in conversation with host Adam Katz.

Key takeaways:

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Tammy Henault, a transformational marketing leader whose career spans The New York Times, CBS/Paramount+, and the NBA—organizations that have reinvented themselves in the face of massive industry shifts.

Tammy shares how she has built her career at the crossroads of media, entertainment, and sports, stepping into roles during moments of disruption—from the launch of digital subscriptions and direct-to-consumer streaming to global sports innovation. Across every chapter, her success has been rooted in embracing change, building for what doesn’t exist yet, and staying relentlessly close to the audience.

The conversation dives into:

How Tammy led marketing through pivotal transitions—NYT’s paywall era, Paramount’s leap into streaming, and the NBA’s launch of the In-Season Tournament—while driving global reach and daily cultural relevance.

Why “marketing with fans, not to fans” fuels deeply personal engagement, and how local culture and access shape global audience growth.

Why long-term success requires data, technology, and lifecycle design long before acquisition—and how infrastructure becomes the true engine of retention.

Tammy’s take on AI’s promise: faster storytelling, smarter research, and personalized creative at scale—but with a warning against over-automation and content that loses authenticity.

Her philosophy of defining goals, championing empathy, celebrating wins and smart failures, and creating teams where everyone’s success rises together.

Tammy also opens up about what’s next: the collision of tech, fandom, and experiential storytelling — from consumer innovation and health & wellness to immersive cultural spaces that tap into how people truly connect.

With thoughtful candor and bold optimism, Tammy offers a compelling look at leading innovation across iconic brands—and why staying scrappy, human, and culturally fluent will define the future of marketing.

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem live from Adweek, host Adam Katz sits down with Terrence Moduthagam, VP at Media.net, to reflect on a year of partnership, cultural alignment, and shared innovation between their companies. Terrence leads the curation business for Media.net Exchange — a nearly 2,000-person, product-led organization shaping the future of sell-side media targeting.

Terrence explains how curation is evolving beyond data signals alone — toward pairing intelligence with culturally relevant moments that matter to real people. He discusses why collaboration with partners like Sightly has helped unlock growth through culturally aligned activation and stronger marketplace influence.

The conversation dives deep into:

Terrence also shares his passion for mentorship — helping others break into the industry — and how teaching empathy to his daughters keeps him grounded, optimistic, and focused on what matters most.

This episode is an inside look at where ad tech, culture, and humanity meet — and how leaders like Terrence are steering the industry into its next wave of intelligent change.

On this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, Adam sits down with Michelle Niblock, SVP and Client Lead at Digitas, representing Publicis and leading the McDonald’s business. Michelle dives into how McDonald’s stays culturally relevant by moving at the speed of fans—from playful real-time CRM moments (like the viral “seemingly ranch” Taylor Swift activation) to reviving nostalgia with digital-first initiatives like Monopoly.

She explains why she deeply believes in CRM, loyalty, and using data responsibly to create meaningful value for customers, not just conversions. Michelle also breaks down how Digitas’ SWAT (Shareworthy and Trending) product helps brands identify culture-right moments they can authentically own. She shares her excitement about AI’s power to unlock creativity—not replace it—and predicts a rise in AI wearables that improve both everyday convenience and emotional well-being.

From Bills fandom to cultural insights to where marketing is heading next, Michelle brings sharp strategy, optimism, and a human-first POV to one of the world’s most iconic brands.

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Melissa Berger, Chief Solutions Officer at Digitas, for a lively and insightful conversation about leadership, innovation, and loyalty in the modern marketing era.

Known simply as “Berger,” Melissa shares how her evolving role at Digitas bridges media, commerce, CRM, and creative to help brands drive meaningful growth. She discusses her work leading a small but mighty “solutions” team that builds scalable strategies and products—like the SWAT Suite—to connect creativity, data, and technology.

The conversation explores:

Outside of work, Berger talks about her love for travel, golf, champagne with friends, and her obsession with neon aesthetics and nostalgic 90s fashion.

This episode captures a dynamic mix of humor, authenticity, and strategic depth—showing how Melissa Berger and Digitas are shaping the future of connected marketing with both speed and soul.

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Samantha Rose, EVP of Digital & Video Investment at Horizon Media, live from Adweek. With nearly 19 years at Horizon, Sam reflects on how staying curious, collaborative, and adaptable has allowed her to grow alongside one of the industry’s most influential independent agencies.

Sam shares how her career evolved from traditional TV buying to leading digital, video, and programmatic investment, and why Horizon’s unique scale and agility make it possible to innovate fast without losing cultural closeness. She talks about the value of combining different types of expertise—technical programmatic knowledge with strategic investment intuition—and why great decisions come from the most informed voice in the room, not just the most senior one.

The conversation explores:

Sam also opens up about travel, family, music, and the importance of making time for team connection—plus her takes on Broadway concerts, AI-written emails, vacation in Greece, and who she’d choose for a dream dinner in the West Village (spoiler: George Clooney and Jason Sudeikis).

A grounded, insightful conversation from a leader who shows that confidence, curiosity, and humor can coexist—and that strong relationships are still the heart of modern media.

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Janet Levine, Head of Global Invention at Mindshare (WPP Media), to unpack her creative philosophy, career journey, and the groundbreaking concept she calls world building.

Janet shares how her lifelong curiosity evolved into a leadership mindset that blends imagination with structure. Over her 16 years at WPP, she’s held roles across media planning, client leadership, and creative strategy—each one contributing to her latest innovation: world building, a strategic framework for modern brand growth.

The conversation dives deep into:

Janet also reflects on the importance of mentorship, creative bravery, and the marketers she admires—from Vaseline’s award-winning cultural work to the enduring storytelling of brands like Snickers. Off the clock, she shares her deep love for Broadway and rap music, citing Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jay-Z as creative icons who, like her, master the art of storytelling and rhythm.

This episode offers a masterclass in modern brand strategy, combining curiosity, culture, and creativity to show how world building can reshape the future of marketing.