where do you want to go?
TVB hosted the 2025 Executive Summit on Thursday, October 9, at the iconic Hearst Tower in New York City. This invite-only gathering brought together 150+ C-suite executives and senior leaders from local broadcast television, marketing, and media agencies, including members of the TVB Board of Directors, TOC, SAC, and the 4A’s Video & Mid-Sized Agency Committees.
This year’s program featured keynote speakers and sessions on local advertising, media technology, AI in broadcast TV, local measurement, political advertising, and more.
AGENDA & VODs
Breakfast & Registration
Registration Sponsored by Madhive
Breakfast Sponsored by Comscore
Coffee Sponsored by ShareBuilders
Measurement Spotlight
Hadassa Gerber, TVB
Tracy Chavez, Publicis Media
Justin LaPorte, Comscore
Nick Mannion, Nielsen
Danielle Medina, WPP Media
Catalyst Award Presentation
Kelly Apostolidis, The Ad Council
RECIPIENT: Gray Media
ACCEPTED BY: Becky Meyer, Gray Media
How Hybrid Political Ads Affect Spending
Brad Seitter, TVB
Michael O’Brien, National Media
Bradley Perseke, GMMB
How Broadcasters Can Optimize AI
Cordie De Pascale, TVB
Aaron Brown, Madhive
Erin Callaghan, Futuri Media
Paul Cramer, Veritone, Inc.
NEXT Award Presentation
Toni Coonce, WideOrbit
BUYER HONOREE: Kiah Harpool, Publicis Media
SELLER HONOREE: Chris Lopez, NBCUniversal
Excellence Award Presentation
Steve Lanzano, TVB
RECIPIENT: Emma Bowen Foundation
ACCEPTED BY: Nikki Bethel, Emma Bowen Foundation
SPEAKERS
Apostolidis serves as Vice President of Media Engagement at the Ad Council, overseeing initiatives designed to expand awareness, enhance engagement and cultivate extensive collaboration with media partners to maximize the impact of public service campaigns. She leads the Media Team’s local media vertical and manages strategic partnerships with major platforms, including NBCUniversal, Paramount and Spectrum Reach.
Prior to joining Guggenheim, Baker was at Davenport & Company as an associate covering the Media & Entertainment sector. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Wake Forest University. Institutional Investor named Baker to its 2018 All-America Research Team Rising Stars list for his work in media, and he was recognized as the #2 Media Industry Earnings Estimator by StarMine Analyst Awards in 2019.
Bethel is a dynamic senior leader with 20+ years of experience in strategic planning, talent management, leadership development, and belonging. As President & CEO of the Emma Bowen Foundation, she leads efforts to prepare students for the workforce and foster lasting belonging in media, guiding strategy, financial sustainability, and partnerships. She is active in The Links, Jack & Jill of America, Delta Sigma Theta, and the Forbes BLK Advisory Council.
Brown leads Madhive’s advanced innovation division, Mad Labs. He has degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Law, and lives in New York City.
Callaghan works with broadcasters and digital publishers worldwide, helping them keep pace with fast-changing technology. She has built her career helping her partners win in challenging environments. And she delights in using Futuri’s technology to help partners increase revenue, grow their audiences and create better content faster and more efficiently. Prior to joining Futuri, Callaghan spent more than 25 years in broadcast sales and sales management at companies including Cox Media, Journal Broadcast Group, and Capstar.
Chavez is a seasoned marketing and media expert with 30 years of experience. As the EVP, Managing Director of Local Investment Operations at Publicis Media, she leads a dynamic team responsible for driving success for a diverse range of clients across various media agencies. With a keen eye for emerging trends, Chavez ensures her team is equipped with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving marketplace in video, audio, digital and OOH channels from strategy planning through investment.
Coonce joined WideOrbit in 2006, bringing with her over 20 years of media industry experience on both the client and vendor sides of the business. She started as an Account Executive, rising through the ranks to become Director of Sales in 2016, Vice President of Sales in 2018, EVP of Sales in 2021, Chief Revenue Officer in 2023, and most recently, President in 2024. Prior to WideOrbit, Toni worked for Marketron Solutions, holding positions in support, project management, sales engineering, and sales.
Cramer has spent three decades working with some of the most recognizable brands in media, entertainment, and sports. Cramer has a proven track record of helping broadcasters and media companies boost revenue and audience engagement through technology.
Before Veritone, Cramer spent a decade at Triton Digital as Executive Vice President of Publisher Development for North America. He was also VP of Sales at MJI Interactive, an early pioneer of SaaS solutions for the radio industry. His early career included various roles in local radio, including on-air work, sales, and management.
Cordie De Pascale’s focus is on fostering innovation within the advertising and media technology sector through expert product development, design, and project management. Cordie empowers organizations to navigate the complex AdTech landscape, leveraging strategic insights to drive change and growth.
With a background as Chief Strategy Officer at PremiumMedia360, I honed skills in creating value-driven strategies and operational excellence. My approach combines attention to detail with a growth-oriented mindset, ensuring solutions not only meet but exceed industry demands.
Forged in the worlds of automotive retail, OEM strategy, and big tech, Diffenderfer brings a rare 360-degree perspective to the industry. His experience—from walking the floor at Honda dealerships to driving strategy for Honda and Subaru, to mastering digital marketing within Google—gave him a unique insight into the challenges dealers face. He channeled this expertise into founding Foundation Data, a platform built to revolutionize dealership technology and deliver powerful, sustained growth.
Hadassa Gerber was named Chief Research Officer of TVB, the national trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry in June 2014. Hadassa joined from the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA), where she served as the Director of Research and Systems. Prior to joining SNTA, she served in several senior and executive director roles for leading advertising agencies including Y&R, Media Edge, DeWitt Media, and McCann Erickson. Known as an industry thought leader in media analytics, media strategy and digital, Hadassa has worked with numerous blue-chip companies, agency executives, and brand managers to help develop innovative solutions to complex marketing challenges and maximize return on investment. She has experience across all facets of the media services industry including strategic planning, media research, budgeting, targeting, channel selection and activation. Ms. Gerber earned a Master’s degree in marketing and Bachelor’s degree in marketing/advertising (Magna Cum Laude) from Baruch College. She is a board member of the Media Ratings Council (MRC), a member of NAB’s COLTAM, the ARF and CIMM.
Harpool is an experienced media professional with a decade in negotiation. She began her career in print before moving into investment, first at WPP then to Publicis in March 2020. Currently, she is Supervisor and Client Lead in Local Investment at PMX OneLocal and Chicago MAC Board Member. Recognized as The Optimist at the Inaugural Publicis Media Credo Awards, she is known for resilience, positivity, and mentorship.
In addition to Koller’s executive role, she directly consults with major markets, offering expertise in sales forecasting and pricing strategies. Under her leadership, ShareBuilders empowers media organizations with innovative tools and insights to navigate the complexities of sales management and revenue optimization.
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.
LaPorte brings deep expertise in insights and TV measurement innovation, with a career spanning national and local media businesses. He currently serves as Vice President, Product Management at Comscore, where he leads strategy and innovation for the company’s Local and National TV products.
Before joining Comscore in May 2025, LaPorte led strategic Ad Sales Research at Cox Media. He previously spent 19 years at Nielsen in product leadership. Throughout his tenure, he held multiple leadership roles across Research and Insights, as well as Commercial teams, driving the development of both syndicated and custom Local TV measurement solutions.
LeFort is the Managing Director of Nielsen’s Local Media Client Solutions, where he leads a team dedicated to empowering local TV, cable, and major sports teams. He and his team provide data-driven insights to help clients navigate the dynamic media environment and uncover growth opportunities.
With a career spanning decades, LeFort gained deep industry experience through senior roles at Arbitron Radio and Verance. A proud Drake University alumnus, he is actively involved in business, higher education, sports, and performing arts organizations in both Des Moines, Iowa, and West Los Angeles.
At the National Association of Broadcasters, LeGeyt champions policies that support stations’ ability to deliver vital local journalism, live sports and emergency communications to their communities. He is leading efforts to modernize outdated FCC ownership rules to allow stations to compete in a rapidly evolving marketplace dominated by Big Tech. He also advocates for a nationwide transition to ATSC 3.0 (Next Gen TV), which enhances the viewer experience and public safety. LeGeyt is a trusted voice before Congress and the administration, making the case for a fair, future-focused media environment for broadcasters.
Liodice joined ANA as SVP in 1995. Prior to ANA, he served in marketing and sales at Grupo Televisa and Kraft General Foods.
He is a member of the boards of directors of The Advertising Council, Better Business Bureau (BBB) National Programs, ANA Educational Foundation, Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), and World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). Liodice holds bachelor degrees in accounting and management and an M.B.A. in finance from New York University.
Lopez has held roles at CBS/Paramount, Nielsen, and Fox Sports. He currently serves as an Account Executive at NBCUniversal. Lopez is passionate about connecting brands with NBCU’s local audiences, bringing data-driven insights to life, and helping clients achieve meaningful advertising success.
Mannion is an accomplished product and strategy executive with over 15 years of deep experience pioneering digital transformation and product innovation within the media and audience measurement industry. As a Vice President at Nielsen, he directs the strategic vision for a substantial portfolio of local TV and audio products and is instrumental in spearheading the modernization of broadcast measurement technologies across North America.
Medina leads local audio and video investment at WPP Media NA. She is responsible for a team of buyers, account managers and directors that ensure clients’ media objectives are met through innovative strategies. Medina collaborates with planning teams on local tactics, and she is focused on driving advancements in automated buying.
Danielle joined WPP Media in 2009. She began her career at Time Buying Services and has held senior roles at other agencies. She is a proud graduate of Syracuse University.
Meyer is the SVP of National Sales for Gray Media. Prior to Gray she was with Katz Media for 23 years and spent two years on the local side in Wausau, WI. Meyer is based in Chicago and proud to serve as the SAC TVB Chair.
O’Brien is a seasoned executive with 30-years of experience in local media. Currently serving as CEO at National Media Research, Planning and Placement, he joined the company in March 2024. He has held leadership roles at The E.W. Scripps Company, where he advanced from VP, Director of Sales to SVP, Chief Distribution Officer. With a strong background in sales leadership, he’s focused on driving revenue growth and fostering innovation. O’Brien holds a BA in History from Fordham University.
Perseke co-directs GMMB’s Media Team, which started in 1990 as a two-person operation. Today, the team has over 50 professional linear and digital planners, buyers, data scientists, and the best ad ops team in the business. With 35 years of experience, Perseke has designed successful campaign plans working with clients on sophisticated media analysis and targeting across all media.
Trisha Ripperger joined TVB in January of 2025, as SVP, Strategic Communications & Category Development. She is a seasoned marketing professional with a passion for driving strategic growth and delivering exceptional results. She formerly served as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Tom Wood Group where she was responsible for overseeing the company’s overall marketing strategy, encompassing brand development, digital marketing, advertising, customer acquisition, and retention initiatives. Under Trisha’s guidance, Tom Wood Group experienced unprecedented growth and solidified its position as a trusted and customer-centric brand. She’s stated in the past that her investment in local broadcast television was key in driving significant business growth.
Brad Seitter is Executive Vice President of Local & National Business Development at TVB, the national trade association representing the power of America’s local broadcast television industry. With over 30 years of experience, Brad and his team travel nationwide to educate advertisers in all categories – including political – on the impact of combining local broadcast TV with digital to maximize reach and ROI. Under his leadership, TVB’s business development efforts have successfully shifted millions of ad dollars toward broadcast TV by demonstrating how a strategic mix of video formats can elevate brand visibility and engagement. Brad began his career as a sports producer at WDAF-FOX 4 in Kansas City before transitioning to sales. His career includes time with Scripps and an 11-year run as President & Executive Producer of the Kansas City Chiefs GameDay Television Network, where he led sponsorship integration, show production and syndication across a 16-station regional network.
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors!
SPONSORS
Cadent
Wifi SPONSOR
Cadent connects the TV advertising ecosystem. We help advertisers and publishers identify and understand audiences, activate campaigns, and measure what matters – across any TV content or device. Aperture, our converged TV platform, simplifies cross-screen advertising through a streamlined workflow that brings together identity, data, and inventory with hundreds of integrated partners.
Comscore
BREAKFAST SPONSOR & PANELIST
Comscore is a global, trusted partner for planning, transacting, and evaluating media across platforms. With a data footprint that combines digital, linear TV, over-the-top, and theatrical viewership intelligence with advanced audience insights, Comscore empowers media buyers and sellers to quantify their multiscreen behavior and make meaningful business decisions with confidence. A proven leader in measuring digital and TV audiences and advertising at scale, Comscore is the industry’s emerging third-party source for reliable and comprehensive cross-platform measurement.
Futuri
Session content sponsor
Futuri is an AI technology company helping media brands grow and monetize audiences across broadcast, podcast, streaming, and digital. With 20+ patents, Futuri’s tools like TopLine and TopicPulse deliver predictive insights, accelerate sales, and drive engagement. Its BEACON system is the world’s first AI-powered emergency broadcast solution for government agencies.
Katz Television Group
bottled water sponsor
Katz Television Group, a cornerstone of American broadcasting for 75+ years, represents 450+ stations and digital extensions. We connect top marketers with local communities, delivering unmatched reach and insights. In a fragmented media world, local linear TV remains a powerful, ad-supported platform for engaging audiences and driving results.
Kinetiq Political Insights (KPI)
SESSION CONTENT SPoNSOR
Kinetiq Political Insights (KPI) combines National Media Insights’ political strategy expertise with Kinetiq’s AI-driven media intelligence. By merging real-time ad detection and ad spend data, KPI equips political advertisers and advocacy groups with tools to track, analyze, and optimize campaigns, offering competitive intelligence and alerts for smarter, faster decisions.
Locality
lanyard sponsor
Locality brings together the best of local broadcast and streaming services. Whether your potential customers watch shows on UHF antennas or 5G Internet, gaming devices or flat-screen TVs, we get your ads in front of them.
Madhive
Registration & Session Content sponsor
Madhive is the only unified operating system helping local media scale advertising and reach new audiences. Its customizable platform streamlines proposals, planning, buying, optimization, and measurement. Trusted by Fox, Scripps, Hearst, and agencies like Lifebrands, Madhive powers 30,000+ campaigns daily for small and medium-sized businesses.
Nielsen
Lunch SPoNSOR & Panelist
Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences—now and into the future.
ShareBuilders
SESSION CONTENT SPoNSOR
Unlock your business potential with ShareBuilders, the leading sales management platform designed to streamline operations and drive growth. Our solutions—ShareBuilder Pricing and ShareBuilder CRM—boost performance through real-time data, predictive analytics, and intuitive tools. Gain clear pipeline visibility, set smarter prices, and close deals faster with ShareBuilders.
Veritone
SESSION CONTENT SPoNSOR
Veritone creates human-centered AI solutions that empower individuals at some of the world’s largest brands. Their software and services help organizations run more efficiently, accelerate decision-making, and boost profitability by leveraging advanced AI technology tailored to meet diverse business needs across various industries and applications.
WideOrbit
next award SPoNSOR
WideOrbit helps media companies thrive by streamlining how advertising is bought and sold. As a single platform from pitch to payment, it reduces manual work and improves efficiency. Trusted by industry leaders since 1999, WideOrbit delivers deeper insights, stronger connections, and broader capabilities in today’s fast-changing media landscape.