Advertising technology
provider Mediaocean has named industry luminary Michael Kassan vice chairman of its board of directors.
Kassan has been a fixture in the
industry for more than three decades and over the years has burnished a reputation as one of the industry’s most well-connected dealmakers.
A lawyer by training, he
first rose to industry prominence at media agency Initiative in the 1990’s where he was president, COO and vice chairman.
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He later
formed his own company, MediaLink, a media and marketing consultancy, which he ran for two decades before selling it to Ascential in 2017. Ascential later sold the firm to United
Talent Agency.
The latter sale prompted litigation between Kassan and UTA with several lawsuits and countersuits that were eventually settled with
terms undisclosed.
Kassan
was also a key player and investor in a startup called Hudson MX that
was also backed by Ascential and others and designed to compete with Mediaocean, which continues to have a near-monopoly position in media-buying processing systems. Hudson MX ceased operations in October 2024.
Then in December, shortly after Hudson MX shut down, in a surprising turn of events, three of the big agency holding companies -- Interpublic, Omnicom and WPP -- bought into Mediaocean.
Each of the holding companies paid a reported $20 million to $25 million for a small equity stake in Mediaocean, as part of a deal that included their participation in a new "Certified Service Partner" program that was announced by the company.
In May of last year, he formed advisory 3C Ventures.
Mediaocean CEO Bill
Wise stated, “Michael has an extraordinary understanding of how technology, creativity, and commercial strategy come together to drive growth. His insights and influence have already helped
shape Mediaocean’s evolution, and now as our Vice Chairman, his perspective will be invaluable as we usher in the next wave of expansion through interoperable AI solutions for the
advertising industry.”