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InterMedia Advertising has been in operation since 1974, leveraging over 50 years of network relationships to connect clients with linear media. However, with streaming shaking up the TV landscape, the company is looking to shake things up as well.
This week, InterMedia Advertising put a new emphasis on CTV by bringing in industry veteran David Nyurenberg. He will serve as svp of digital, tasked with building the department and bolstering the company’s CTV side of the business. Though the agency is based in L.A., Nyurenberg will be based in New York, reporting to Kevin Szymanski, evp at InterMedia, and Robert Yallen, president and CEO.
“The addition of David to the InterMedia leadership team represents a strategic inflection point in our evolution,” Yallen told ADWEEK. “His proven track record in digital transformation, coupled with a rigorous focus on transparency and the operational integration of AI-driven solutions, directly supports our objective to lead in an increasingly data-driven media environment.”
Yallen added that Nyurenberg’s expertise in CTV and programmatic advertising will enhance the company’s executional precision and performance modeling, ensuring clients remain competitively positioned in the changing media landscape.
The agency, which is known for direct response and linear TV advertising, handles approximately $800 million to $850 million in media buys annually, according to InterMedia. Though its streaming side has been growing over the last several years, CTV currently accounts for only a fraction of the company’s business.
Nyurenberg is looking to change that, leveraging the company’s existing relationships to build its path in streaming and bring more balance to the bottom line.
“To buy TV, you need those network relationships. You need TV buying power. Brands on their own naturally won’t have that, and this agency has 50 years worth of network relationships,” Nyurenberg said. “That is the foundation. That attracted me to this agency because, on top of that foundation, is what we will build the future.”
Nyurenberg has a history of innovation in streaming and programmatic advertising, even utilizing metadata signals to find “back doors” into show-level CTV data—something streamers notoriously hold close to the vest—while working as director of video product development and innovation at Rain the Growth Agency. Among his other past positions, Nyurenberg founded marketing consultancy Valor and served as vp of B2B digital and martech at Edelman.
According to Nyurenberg, his early tasks will be assisting clients in the transition to CTV and showcasing how the offering provides better analytics and full-funnel capabilities—though it may be more expensive than linear.
“It’s convincing them of the value of CTV. You need to be on CTV now because that’s where the viewership habits are shifting,” Nyurenberg said. “Ultimately, we’re proving out the efficacy of CTV for them in small-scale tests, and then scaling that out long-term.”
The new svp of digital explained his plans will focus on evolving legacy TV buying processes, including implementing AI workflows and interfaces plugged into DSPs and measurement tools; leveraging InterMedia’s decades-long TV relationships to bring curation and self-service options to clients; and, long-term, building an SMB tool to democratize the company’s TV-buying power for CTV and linear.
In addition, Nyurenberg said InterMedia Advertising has a creative studio for production, which he is looking to innovate by introducing AI tools to enhance video content.
“Having a one-stop shop solution for both linear and CTV, ultimately, is what’s going to win the day,” Nyurenberg said. “We believe that the best TV strategy is a converged TV strategy, where linear and CTV are brought together, efficiently and smartly. That’s going to drive the best results.”
Correction: A previous version stated that Nyurenberg was based in L.A. Though InterMedia Advertising is based in L.A., Nyurenberg is based in NYC.
