The former CEO of Talon North America and founder of Premion will lead the expansion of Madhive’s market-leading local advertising platform across channels while deepening relationships with enterprise media partners and clients.
New York, NY (May 14, 2024) — Madhive, the leading technology company for local connected TV advertising, announced today that decorated media, technology, and advertising leader Jim Wilson has joined the company as President. Wilson will spearhead Madhive's “go-to-market” strategy and execution divisions in his new role. His appointment marks a pivotal moment for Madhive, signaling a transition towards becoming the premier digital advertising hub for small and medium-sized businesses.
Wilson was the pioneer and President of Madhive’s original client, Premion, following its founding in 2016 and led TEGNA’s investment in Madhive in 2017. He was also an early visionary of streaming advertising solutions, establishing and growing TEGNA’s Premion – the first-to-market CTV advertising platform specifically for local broadcast, which later gained investment from Gray Television. Wilson, who joined the Madhive board in 2023, has worked closely with the company founders since its inception.
“During my time at Premion, I experienced first-hand the unparalleled power of Madhive's CTV reach extension platform for local businesses,” said Wilson. “As the industry shifts to digital, Madhive is uniquely positioned to lead the charge by delivering hyper-targeted, data-driven campaigns at scale. The latest product launches, including Madhive’s political marketplace, enhanced media planning tools, and the creation of the company’s new AI division, Madlabs, each demonstrate the innovation and efficiency behind the platform. I am thrilled to join the team and fuel the next chapter of growth across channels.”
Wilson has a rich history as a leader in this space, bringing over 20 years of experience in digital transformation and executive management and launching and driving new growth stages in advertising and media businesses. His diverse background includes traditional and streaming television and music, digital video, entertainment, and education software with advertising, subscription, and transaction-based revenue models. Wilson also held the Director and CEO position at the video gaming pioneer Atari. Until recently, Wilson served as the CEO of Talon’s North American Out-of-Home advertising business, where he jump-started and grew the revenue significantly, winning national and independent agency and brand direct clients such as Havas, Stagwell, and more, and acquiring businesses in the US and Canada.
“Jim’s expertise aligns perfectly with our vision to empower SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) with multi-channel advertising solutions that deliver predictable outcomes. Jim is not just a pioneer of local digital television; he is the architect behind the business model itself,” said Spencer Potts, CEO at Madhive. “He was integral to the Madhive business from the early days and as a board member. Under Jim’s leadership, Madhive will transform how small and medium-sized businesses reach their target audiences across channels.”
Today, Madhive’s software is trusted by brands, agencies, and media sellers, including the nation’s largest broadcasters – Tegna, Fox, and Scripps – to power end-to-end campaign planning, activation, and measurement. Madhive’s full-stack, self-service offering is completely customizable and provides advertisers with a real-time ad-decisioning engine to optimize campaigns against full-funnel KPIs and accurately predict outcomes. Last year, Madhive received a $300 million investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management (“GSAM”) to fuel the growth and adoption of its CTV platform, most notably within the local advertising market, and expand to new channels.
About Madhive
Madhive is the leading technology company engineered for modern TV advertising. Through its self-service platform, Madhive modernizes legacy systems, enabling advertisers to seamlessly customize and automate the buying process into one operating system. This allows advertisers to plan, target, activate, and measure their campaigns with greater simplicity, accountability, reach, and control. Powered by an industry-leading bidder and device graph that processes 260 billion available ad opportunities per day, Madhive delivers precise, brand-safe audience connections efficiently at scale. The company is trusted by the leading local content owners, creators, and distributors, including FOX, Scripps, TEGNA's Premion, and national agencies and brands, powering over half a billion dollars in media across 12,000+ daily campaigns. To learn more, visit madhive.com.
