David Algranati
Chief Innovation Officer, Comscore
In his role as Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Algranati leads an organization driven to helping clients meet their business goals by creating industry-leading media measurements solutions. “Comscore has a unique ability to process and understand large amounts of data,” he says. “My team strives to use this wealth of information to design products and services that meet the needs of the industry.” Before joining the Comscore team, he served as SVP, Television Product Innovation & Custom Research at Rentrak and held executive research positions at Experian Simmons including Director of Integrated Marketing Solutions. While at Simmons, he also led the statistics and research teams, overseeing all statistical responsibilities for the company including custom research projects.
Brian Allers
SVP, Business Development, TVB
In his role with TVB, Brian works with local broadcast television stations and ownership groups by traveling the country and presenting to advertisers on how to grow their business through the right allocation of their media dollar. Brian also spearheads TVBU, TVB’s dedicated online sales training program. Brian handles the Midwest and West Coast Divisions for TVB and is on the road as much as 40 weeks out of the year. Brian’s background includes over 20 years in marketing and advertising. Prior to joining TVB, Brian had successful stints at a number of local television stations owned by leading broadcast organizations including Meredith and Scripps.
Abby Auerbach
EVP, Chief Communications Officer, TVB and Executive Director, NEXT Women
Abby is responsible for advocacy, public relations, corporate communications, events/conferences, and TVB.org. She directs TVB’s NEXT Women program and leads the organization’s DEI Task Force. Previous to TVB, she ran the local broadcast buying unit at Ogilvy as Senior Partner, U.S. Director. Ms. Auerbach serves on the board of the International Radio & Television Society, is a former director of the Alliance for Women in Media, and a member of She Runs It. She is a past chair of the 4A’s Local Broadcast and eBusiness committees. In 2019, she was a recipient of the TVNewsCheck Women in Technology Futurist Award for her work leading the development and adoption of ePort.
Greg Balasco
Owner & President, Lakeland Automall
Greg Balasco has been the Owner & President of Lakeland Automall since 2011. Balasco, resides in Tampa Florida with his wife, whom you see in many of his commercials. He joined Lakeland Automall in 2009, and two years later purchased the business.
Adam Breshears
Media Executive, KY3-Springfield, MO, Gray Television
Adam Breshears is a Multi-Media Marketing Consultant with Gray Media in Springfield, MO at KY3. Prior to his current role, Adam was a Sales Development Manager at Ecolab and traveled extensively throughout the US. During this time, Adam received Sales Development Manager of Year in 2021and Territory Sales Representative of the Year in 2018, all while working towards his MBA. With a desire to partner with more local businesses, Adam started at KY3 two years ago. Adam says, “I try to be a sponge and soak up as much information from others as possible. It’s always a team effort.” With a focus on New Direct Business and Digital, Adam has become a top biller by earning the trust of multiple businesses to help achieve growth.
Craig Broitman
President, Katz Television Group
Craig Broitman is the President of Katz Television Group, the nation’s leading television representation company, serving as the trusted sales partner to more than 700 television stations and an expansive portfolio of digital partners. Katz uses its unparalleled national reach, technology, and insights to create custom campaigns to help advertisers connect with local consumers nationwide. A 30+ year veteran in the media business, Craig oversees Katz’s day-to-day operations to drive growth for advertisers, agencies, and all Katz clients, including ad sales operations, agency and broadcaster connectivity, sales training, and the development of the company’s political, unwired, and direct marketing units. Craig is currently a board member of TVB and the chair of its National Sales Advisory Committee, and a former member of the Executive Board.
Toni Coonce
Chief Revenue Officer, WideOrbit
Toni joined WideOrbit in 2006, bringing over 20 years of media industry experience on both the client and vendor sides of the business. Prior to WideOrbit, Toni worked for Marketron Solutions, holding positions in support, project management, sales engineering, and sales. Before that, she was Finance Manager at a small broadcast group for two years. As CRO, Toni leads all Sales efforts at WideOrbit.
Cordie DePascale
CEO, DePascale Consulting
Cordie leads efforts to develop and steward to market advertising technology solutions that bring media buyers and sellers together. As Senior Vice President, Partner Management at Mediaocean – he oversaw Connect, Mediaocean’s partner program integrating Mediaocean software with hundreds of industry-shaping technologies. Prior to his twelve years at Mediaocean, Cordie was Vice President, Business Analysis and Project Management at COREMedia Systems. He spent the first years of his career in the media teams at J. Walter Thompson and led data technology at IPG. He holds a BS in Marketing and Management from Manhattan University.
Len Emig-Smith
Associate Director, Local Investment, Dentsu Media US
Len Emig-Smith is currently the Associate Media Director, Local Investment at dentsu Media US. In this role, he oversees several local broadcast clients, manages partnership programs and represents local broadcast in dentsu new business pitches. Len is a veteran media professional with over 40 years of experience, primarily spent on the investment side of the industry working for various large-scale advertising agencies. Len has long[1]advocated for even the playing field by championing game-changing, revolutionary new systems that allow local investment to not only grow but create parallel paths such as Network Investment.
Missy Evenson
Vice President Sales, Local Media, Scripps; Chair, TVB Board of Directors
Missy Evenson is VP Sales, Local Media for Scripps. Missy has been with Scripps for twelve years and in her current role as VP Sales, Local Media for six years. Prior to this role Missy was a Regional Director of Revenue Strategy for Scripps, Director of Sales at KMGH in Denver and held previous management roles in broadcasting in Texas. She has been on the planning, buying and sales side of the media business. Missy is the current Chairperson for the TVB Executive Board of Directors, Member of the Scripps Employee Women’s Resource Group and member of the executive women’s program Chief.
Michelle Gelman
SVP, Product Management, Nielsen
Michelle Gelman is SVP, Product Management for Nielsen’s National TV, Local TV, and Radio core audience measurement businesses. During her nearly 10 years at Nielsen, she has developed Nielsen’s audience measurement products that have fundamentally altered how companies transact on audience measurement data. In her role, she leads the end-to-end product vision for Nielsen’s highest-value products, including the strategy, execution and client delivery. Her wide range of experience has included Television and Digital measurement, both within the US and Internationally.
Jason Hancock
Senior Product Manager, WideOrbit
Jason Hancock is a senior product manager of global ad-tech and AI at WideOrbit, where he oversees strategy, roadmaps, requirements for media software, and services outside of the United States. Jason has over 18 years of experience in software development and deployment in the media space. Jason holds a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of South Carolina.
Scott Heath
Vice President / General Manager, FOX 5 / KUSI
Scott Heath has been at FOX 5 / KUSI (Nexstar Broadcasting) for over 38 years and has held positions as Account Executive, Regional Sales Manager, National Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, Station Manager and VP General Manager. Scott also oversaw corporate sales training for all stations for a 4-year period. Prior to joining the television station in 1986, Scott worked two years for 91X FM and the Mighty 690 AM as a Local Account Executive. Scott served 9 years on the TVB Executive Board and was the vice-chair of SAC (Sales Advisory Committee) for the FOX affiliate station group.
Susie Hedrick
CEO, WideOrbit
CEO Susie Hedrick returned to WideOrbit as President and Managing Director of Traffic Systems in 2023, having previously served as SVP Sales, North America, and Vice President of radio sales. In between, she was President and COO at vCreative, ultimately becoming CEO in 2021. Susie brings over 20 years of executive experience and expertise in media advertising technology sales and operations.
Dave Heller
President, Main Street Communications & Main Street Baseball
Dave Heller is one of the top media consultants and campaign strategists in the Democratic Party. As President of Main Street Communications, Dave has compiled the best won-loss record in the Democratic Party helping clients win election to Congress. His clients have won 15 out of 19 open seat House races and all four of his congressional clients won their elections in 2022. He’s handled the media for 30 different Members of Congress and earned 19 Pollie Awards for his TV and radio ads. Dave also owns two Minor League Baseball teams, the Quad Cities River Bandits (K.C. Royals affiliate) and Wilmington Blue Rocks (Washington Nationals affiliate).
Steve Lanzano
President and CEO, TVB
Steve Lanzano is President and CEO of TVB. Steve joined TVB as president on January 1, 2010. He came to the association from HAVAS U.S., where he was the Chief Operating Officer. Previously he was the North American CEO of Mediaedge:cia (now Wavemaker), responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations across the U.S. and Canada. Steve was also global media director at sister agency Mindshare, where he was responsible for the American Express business.
Paul LeFort
Managing Director, Local TV Client Solutions, Nielsen
Paul LeFort leads a team focused on serving the evolving needs of Local TV & Cable operators, as well as Major Local Sports Teams. Paul and his team are dedicated to empowering clients to navigate the dynamic media environment, with data-driven insights to uncover growth opportunities and drive success. Prior to joining Nielsen, Paul held senior roles in Sales & Client Service at Verance and Arbitron Radio (which was acquired by Nielsen), where he honed in expertise and deepened industry collaborations with Local Media operators across the nation.
Dan Lyons
President, SureWaves
Dan, President of SureWaves MediaTech, Inc., is the Co-Founder and Creator of the Broadcast Sales Automation Platform “ANNA.” He leads the SureWaves United States Broadcast Domain and Technology Team and oversees Product Deployment. In the past Dan held the positions of SVP of Sales for TEGNA, SVP of Sales for New York Times Broadcast Group, VP of Sales KHOU Houston and served 11 years in various Sales Management positions for Clear Channel Television.
Patrick Manzi, PhD
Chief Economist, NADA
Patrick Manzi, PhD is NADA’s Chief Economist. In this role, Patrick works with both NADA as well the American Truck Dealers (ATD), a division of NADA. Patrick regularly speaks to various audiences about the auto industry and is responsible for many of the association’s monthly and annual economic reports including NADA Data and ATD Data.
Christopher Martinez
OTT Director, Sales, Hearst Television
Christopher Martinez began his TV sales career with Katz Television Group in 2014, gaining experience in the linear TV space as a sales assistant before moving into the role of Account Executive. In 2017, Christopher received the inaugural TVB Next Award for Television Sales. By 2018 Christopher was promoted to Manager, Integrated Video and was responsible for selling Hearst’s OTT platform, Hearst Anyscreen. In 2020, Christopher was promoted to Director of Sales, and in 2021 he joined Hearst Television as OTT Director of Sales, overseeing all OTT revenue for the group, and working closely on product development with the Ad Products team.
Zach Mullins
SVP, Channel Partnerships, Locality
Zach Mullins leads the Channel Partnerships team, which he helped create upon joining Locality. His division offers media companies, such as TV broadcasters, newspapers, or radio stations, an incremental revenue opportunity to sell premium streaming video ad inventory as if it were their own. Media companies do this through Locality’s outsourced OTT video ad management services and their private-label online dashboard. Zach was instrumental in Locality’s efforts to develop the adtech they employ so that their media partners can execute retail-facing ad sales transactions at scale.
Erin Peckinpaugh
Former VP, Marketing & Corporate Responsibility, Hensley Legal Group, PC
Erin Peckinpaugh is the Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Responsibility at Hensley Legal Group, where she handles public relations, media placement, and community events. In this ever-evolving digital world, Erin is a firm believer that “Top of Mind Awareness” drives bottom of the funnel action, a principle that guides all of her efforts on behalf of the firm. Prior to joining HLG, Erin worked as an Account Executive for the CBS and NBC affiliates in Indianapolis, then served as the Executive Director of a local non-profit.
Abbey Reynolds
Account Executive, KJRH-Tulsa, Scripps
Abbey Reynolds is an Account Executive for KJRH in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She joined KJRH in 2015 and remains a student of the local media sales craft, honing her skills in business development, campaign development and account management. During her time at Scripps & KJRH, Abbey has won multiple local and company-wide contests.
Antonio Roman
Executive Vice President, Local Media Sales, TelevisaUnivision; Vice Chair, TVB Board of Directors
Antonio Roman is EVP for Local Media Sales at TelevisaUnivision, Inc., overseeing TV, radio, and digital sales in the U.S. Over the past year, he led TelevisaUnivision’s Local Media division’s transformation founded on a client-centered approach. Previously, he served as Regional President for Univision’s Eastern Region, leading market expansion into Tampa, Washington DC and Orlando and boosting revenues significantly. With over 25 years of experience, Roman has held various senior roles within the TelevisaUnivision, Inc., leading numerous sales teams and driving significant profits, amongst them: Senior Vice President New York Sales, Senior Vice President National Sales and Vice President Network Sales. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the TVB.
Eric Sack
VP, Strategic Solutions, WideOrbit
Eric is a seasoned media executive with a proven track record of driving business growth through strategic technology solutions. With over two decades of experience at companies like AMC Networks and Viacom, Eric has spearheaded transformative initiatives, revolutionizing advertising operations and maximizing revenue generation. Eric’s dedication to leveraging technology to solve complex business challenges has earned him a reputation as a trusted leader in the media industry.
Brad Seitter
EVP, Local and National Business Development, TVB
Brad oversees TVB’s business development team including two regional SVPs, VP of Digital, Automotive Expert and Marketing Administrator. Brad develops presentations and strategies for the division, presenting directly to advertisers via one-on-one consulting, large auditorium group settings and national conventions across all 210 DMAs. He also oversees all of TVB’s sales work in the Political category. TVB’s business development team, led by Brad, has successfully moved millions of dollars in ad spend from other media to broadcast TV. Brad’s broadcast background includes 30 years in television in the sports and sales departments with TVB, Scripps and FOX O&O. Previous to his work with TVB, Brad was the Executive Producer for the Kansas City Chiefs official television show handling all content, talent, production, sales and syndication.
Stephanie Slagle
Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer, Graham Media Group
In her role, Slagle oversees Graham Media Group’s digital & transformation teams. Both teams are focused on driving toward the future of the broadcast industry including innovative content, technology, data and revenue. She also serves as the corporate lead for GMG’s revenue teams. Throughout Stephanie’s career, which includes more than 25 years in media, she has served in many roles, including Research Director, Local Sales Manager, New Media Sales Director, Creative Services Director, and Director of Digital Strategy. Her passion for learning and teaching has helped her build enthusiastic, client and viewer-focused teams for more than 15 years
Steve Sturm
Executive Automotive Consultant, TVB
Over the past eight years, Steve has provided his unique perspective on current sales, market, brand and marketing reviews to the industry. He published an Auto Industry Playbook that provides a comprehensive review of the industry and key selling techniques. Steve and the Business Development team provide one-on-one sales calls to member stations for their key auto accounts to help grow or gain new revenue. Prior to consulting with TVB, Steve was a senior automotive marketing and media executive. He was a valued member of the top management teams in chief marketing roles with Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Motor Sales, USA. In addition, following his Toyota career, Steve led the automotive category at the Category Office for AOL and its automotive sites and marketing platforms.
Marianna Swallow
President & Executive Coach, Speak Easy Presentations
Marianna Swallow is The Speak Easy Coach. Her mission is to make public speaking easy and enjoyable for everyone – one speech at a time. Since 2014, she’s transformed thousands of individuals and teams by teaching them to develop and deliver clear and confident presentations while making the process fun. Her most popular topics include: Speak with Strength, Simple + Impactful Storytelling, and The Speak-with-Confidence Method. A lifelong performer, she’s a graduate of the Second City Conservatory. She is a storyteller in Chicago. She holds a BA from Northern Illinois University, and an MFA from Goucher College.
Brian Wexler
SVP, Business Development, TVB
At TVB, Brian is responsible for working with local TV stations around the country to help support their sales and marketing efforts. Using his decades of experience and leadership, Brian is able to provide member stations, and their clients, a unique perspective on the advertising choices and marketing trends today. Brian also chairs the NextGen Taskforce and the Spanish Language Taskforce for TVB, and speaks frequently at State Broadcast Conventions and Advertising Conferences about the state of the Television Industry today and tomorrow.
Matthew Wiesemann
Senior Marketing Manager, Comscore
Matthew Wiesemann is a Senior Marketing Manager at Comscore, where he has honed his expertise in cross-platform media measurement for the past 8 years. His deep understanding of audience behavior and data-driven strategies has been pivotal in helping clients to deliver actionable insights and optimize media performance. Passionate about advancing measurement solutions, Matthew continues to drive Comscore’s mission of providing comprehensive and accurate cross-platform measurement across all screens. When he’s not working in the ad measurement space, Matthew spends his time hiking and composing music for local theater productions and corporate campaigns.