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.

Next in Media is a business podcast hosted by Mike Shields, with 313 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Mike Shields hosts Next in Media, a business show with 313 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #103

  How Spy Ninjas Built a $25M YouTube Franchise

  Sep 29, 202623 minS7

  Spy Ninjas President Shelly Soriano breaks down how the YouTube-native serialized franchise scaled to 47 million subscribers and expanded beyond digital video into live entertainment, licensing, and retail. She reveals why keeping production values intentionally accessible maintains viewer trust, how a $25 million investment fuels their expansion, and why traditional entertainment talent must adapt to platform-native storytelling. Key Highlights Borrowing WWE's formula—big characters mixed with unscripted improv; gives digital shows a proven blueprint for keeping fans hooked long-term. Fancy Hollywood cameras can actually hurt engagement on YouTube; keeping video production simple makes creators feel relatable and lets kids play along at home. Turning online fans into real-world visitors at physical venues like theme parks builds a profitable business that platform algorithms can't touch. Simply copy-pasting the same video to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube doesn't work; each platform has its own audience and requires tailored content. When platforms tweak how they count views, creators have to show advertisers the difference between passive scroll-by views and real, intentional watch time. Kids and parents respond much better to brands when products are built into the storyline or video challenge instead of sitting in standard ad breaks. Resources & Next Steps Shelly Soriano on LinkedIn Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 1:56 Spy Ninjas’ franchise model, audience, and scale 2:38 Soriano’s digital-business background and the company’s revenue mix 6:14 Brand partnerships for children and family audiences 8:18 Authenticity over expensive production 10:42 YouTube’s rise, platform-specific strategy, and short-form opportunity 13:01 Spy Ninjas HQ: the Las Vegas live entertainment business 14:10 Algorithm stability and changing definitions of YouTube views 16:27 The $25 million investment and plans for expansion 17:40 The need for specialized creator-economy talent 19:53 Improving advertising infrastructure for creator media 21:11 The Creative Class: training the next generation of digital-entertainment workers

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  Episode #102

  How Addressable TV Drives Real Business ROI

  Sep 22, 202622 minS7

  IQVIA Digital’s Justin Rosen reveals how addressable TV and CTV targeting are evolving beyond basic reach to demand high-fidelity data, rigorous privacy compliance, and proven closed-loop measurement. From identity resolution to the trap of the AI doom loop, discover how top media professionals connect upper-funnel audience quality directly to real-world business results. Key Highlights Basic CTV targeting is now standard; the real edge comes down to data precision, scale, and accuracy. Privacy can't be a post-campaign checklist—it has to start upfront with anonymized datasets and double-blind matching. ⚠️ AI speeds up media buying operations, but if your underlying audience data is bad, automation just speeds up your failure. Addressable TV pays off quickest for brands sitting on strong first-party data who can directly link ad views to offline conversions. Outcome measurement is taking over as the true test of ROI, even if traditional panel ratings stay around to settle the bills. ️ Clean rooms make cross-platform tracking possible across walled gardens by analyzing campaign performance without physically moving sensitive consumer data. Resources & Next Steps Justin Rosen on LinkedIn Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 2:46 TV targeting becomes standard, while data quality becomes the differentiator 5:28 Shared goals across advertisers: accurate targeting and real outcomes 6:39 Pharmaceutical targeting: privacy compliance as the starting point 8:43 Fierce Pharma discussion: meaningful signals and the link to outcomes 10:56 AI can accelerate workflows, but cannot correct weak data 13:27 Addressable-TV growth depends on first-party data, simplicity, and trust 15:00 Nielsen’s continuing role and the rise of outcome-based measurement 16:35 Holistic cross-platform measurement and publisher transparency 18:06 Data clean rooms enable privacy-safe collaboration across walled gardens 19:50 Identity resolution is a foundational element of marketing accuracy 20:51 Measurement everywhere: flexibility across client identity systems

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  Episode #101

  How Betches Built a TV-Quality Show In-House

  Sep 15, 202625 minS7

  Betches senior video producers Tess Tregellas and Madeline Mahoney reveal how they transformed a viral social media premise into their flagship scripted comedy series Sisters. They outline the operational mechanics of building an in-house creator studio, maintaining a sponsor-free first season to protect brand voice, and driving multi-platform distribution completely organically. Key Highlights Short-form skits let you test creator chemistry and prove audience interest before committing big budgets to long-form shows. Keeping your first season sponsor-free protects your characters and tone, making the show much more attractive to advertisers later. ⚡ A lean in-house crew skips Hollywood's endless development cycles, letting you film polished episodes in just a few days. Frame horizontal shots with vertical cutdowns in mind to get free organic reach across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. Casting guest stars with dedicated niche followings sneaks your show right into brand-new algorithmic communities. Sponsor deals actually work when brands trust your sarcastic, natural voice instead of forcing corporate ad scripts. Turning audio podcasts into video vodcasts fits how people actually watch content—streaming YouTube on their living room TV. Resources & Next Steps Tess Tregellas on LinkedIn Madeline Mahoney on LinkedIn Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 1:22 Introduction to Betches and the interview guests 2:18 Roles at Betches and the company’s video-first transformation 5:57 From a real-life coincidence to a scripted sister comedy 7:17 Short-form, premium long-form, and production quality 09:24 Why Betches produced the show in-house 12:15 Sponsor-free first season and a more natural future brand opportunity 15:10 Writing for one-minute clips and learning platform behavior 17:49 Betches’ in-house talent model and external creator network 19:18 Branded content works when partners trust the Betches voice 20:30 Season two and a potential streaming adaptation 21:27 Advice for brands and publishers entering bigger video formats

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  Episode #100

  WTF Happened to The Trade Desk?

  Sep 9, 202620 minS7

  As The Trade Desk confronts negative growth guidance, executive turnover, and a 15% workforce reduction, media analysts Brian Wieser and Luke Stillman dissect the structural missteps behind the company's valuation drop. They reveal how an insistence on open-web transparency manifestos lost ground to buyer demands for price, convenience, and direct supply path performance. Key Highlights Marketers care about price, performance, and convenience—not speeches about saving the open web. ️ Founder vision works early on, but ignoring market feedback once you're big creates massive blind spots. Buyers are sick of bloated tech stacks and want a simpler, direct path to ad inventory. Connected TV won't fetch crazy software margins when brands manage it like standard TV budgets. Going straight to brand clients burns bridges with the agencies that built your business. Taking a 20% cut of ad spend works in boom times, but buyers won't tolerate high fees in a slowdown. Resources & Next Steps Brian Wieser on LinkedIn Luke Stillman on LinkedIn Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 2:04 Analysis of recent earnings, market valuation drops, and the 15% workforce reduction. 3:06 Marketers prioritize performance, pricing, and convenience over open-web transparency debates. 5:02 Jeff Green's persistent founder mindset versus changing organizational market dynamics. 09:34 AdTech tech stack collapse and the industry-wide push toward supply path optimization. 11:49 Sustainability challenges regarding total platform take rates exceeding 20%. 13:50 Leveraging newly hired executive talent to challenge internal consensus. 18:38 Missed capital allocation and acquisition opportunities during peak equity valuation.

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  Episode #99

  How NBAT2 is Building Gateway Content for Gen Z

  Sep 1, 202623 minS7

  Traditional sports broadcasts are evolving into multi-platform cultural ecosystems driven by social media, gaming metaverses, and athlete creators. NBA Take-Two Media CEO Andrew Perlmutter explains how media brands can build participatory off-court entertainment that converts casual viewers into lifelong fans. Key Highlights Live sports remain one of the few shared cultural anchors, using basketball as a natural entry point into fashion, music, and lifestyle programming. Video games like NBA 2K function as interactive virtual spaces where fans build real connections by playing directly against actual NBA stars. Content strategy requires building custom video formats tailored specifically to how people consume media on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. ⚡ Younger fans demand hands-on participation over passive watching, preferring interactive features like call-in hotlines and fan-driven video game simulations. ️ Digital media brands must maintain a strong, distinct point of view to avoid getting doused in a sea of generic content. Live game broadcasts are adapting to second-screen habits through alternate commentary casts and player-specific camera views. Successful brand partnerships weave products naturally into entertaining social storylines rather than forcing scripted endorsements or rigid ad reads. Resources & Next Steps Andrew Perlmutter on LinkedIn Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Chapter Timestamps 00:00 Intro 2:22 NBA 2K as a metaverse-like participatory experience 5:30 Sports as an expanding cultural gateway 7:19 NBA R&D and accessible basketball-pop-culture formats 9:05 Joakim Noah’s Nomad and athletes becoming creators 11:08 Building shows for platforms, brand voices, and talent 14:19 Gen Z: preserving live-sports drama while enabling participation 17:00 Co-creation, fan experiments, and new sports entry points 18:57 Native brand partnerships in basketball-adjacent culture

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