News & Opinion

Hollywood’s most unlikely hero, Danny Trejo, comes to life as a playable character inside the multiplayer open world survivor game, SCUM. In addition, Epik Prime Marketplace will offer Trejo’s first ever NFT collection, titled “The Many Faces of Danny Trejo.”   Epik, the leading global licensing agency immersing major brands into AAA games, in a collaboration with Gamepires’ SCUM, will offer fans the ability to select Trejo as a character with customizable options and accessories to navigate through the multiplayer survival game. Voiced by Trejo himself, the avatar is modeled after his iconic 1990s roles that launched his career.   “I’ve been fortunate to work on some incredible projects throughout my career, but seeing myself in a badass game like ‘SCUM’ has got to be one of the highlights,” said Trejo in a statement. “Working with Epik and Gamepires has been an awesome collaboration. This partnership is an opportunity to engage with fans on a different level.”   READ MORE Danny Trejo to Appear as Playable Character in Survival Video Game, Trilby Beresford, The Hollywood Reporter SCUM: The One and Only Danny Trejo is Now a Playable Character, Jason Nieva, Player.One

Viamedia, the country’s leading independent provider of ad-sales representation to Cable TV Systems saw a record-setting 42% increase in ad spending for Q1 Midterm political advertising.  The triple-digit -- and higher-- growth was seen across all political categories -- including House, Senate, gubernatorial, local races and issues especially in Battle Ground states.   The data was culled from political advertising purchased on more than 60 multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) of various sizes in more than 70 markets.   David Solomon, President & CEO at Viamedia noted, "We have robust insights into the local ad trends around the country. What we’re seeing, so far this season, underscores the reliability of political advertising directed primarily at linear television platforms.”   The company also saw a significant spike in digital political advertising, driving the portion of spending on digital to 18% of the total in first-quarter 2022 – though the digital spending remains dwarfed by linear TV spending.   READ MORE: Viamedia Sees 42% Increase in 1Q Political Ad Spend, Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable Inside the Beltway: A haven for conservative news, Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times

With every tech advancement comes greater complexity, presenting new challenges for chief technology officers.  Ironically, the answer to carrying businesses forward with technology is people, people, people — and orchestrating people can be just as challenging as tech. To help ensure your next development project goes off seamlessly, Commit CRO and Managing Director of North America, Max Nirenberg recently shared his perspective with the Forbes Business Council on six questions every CTO should ask when building a team.   Six Questions Every CTO Should Ask When Staffing For Success (forbes.com)

Our hearts break for the needless and senseless suffering created by Vladimir Putin. Our sympathies go to the Russian people who are paying the price for their dictator's war. His cruelty has brought the world closer together and will make us all stronger.   We support our clients in their efforts: On the ground in Poland: Ukrainian refugees reconnect with family and friends with Plume Wi-Fi

Recent research from the Future Today x Variety Intelligence Platform Streaming Study, took an in-depth look at the latest TV viewing behavior and streaming preferences, polling U.S. consumers to identify the emerging trends shaping OTT, advertising, and the broader TV industry.   Data highlights from the report found that the majority of consumers (67.89%) prefer choosing the individual programs they’d like to watch on an on-demand basis, compared to just 12.5% who prefer pre-programmed, linear channels.   Other findings and insights of note: 50.6% of US consumers prefer using ad-supported video services to reduce costs Streaming ads are twice as likely to be relevant to a viewers’ interests than ads seen on cable or broadcast TV 5% of consumers plan to decrease their number of paid subscriptions Of those who have used a free trial in the last 12 months, 41.2% subscribed after the trial ended   “Consumer viewing preferences continue to evolve. Streaming has become the de facto source for watching TV shows and movies, but not all services, platforms and models will thrive in this shifting media landscape,” said Vikrant Mathur, CEO and Co-Founder of Future Today. “Despite some pundits’ expectations, we’re seeing AVOD adoption flourish, and expect this trend will continue to grow for years to come. Our research solidifies that with the right viewing experience, the ad-supported streaming model is ideal for content owners, brands and, most importantly, audiences.”   Helping power VIP+’s analysis throughout the State of Streaming 2021 is exclusive data from third-party firms such as connected TV analytics firm TVision and leading multichannel streaming company Future Today, as well as pollster YouGov and analytics firm Magid.   Read the complete report and analysis from Future Today here.

  AdTech innovator, QTT, Viamedia’s cloud-based television advertising platform, has launched a marketplace to enable automated activation of data-driven linear video advertising inventory, without changing existing workflows or technologies. QTT Marketplace is an open-platform destination for advertisers and agencies accustomed to digital platforms to directly access a wealth of premium, curated local and national television inventory – and for television inventory owners to tap more directly into the rapidly growing digital ad pool.   Initial TV participants include A+E Networks, FOX, Reelz with Magnite the first participating SSP.   “The last mile to activate linear TV advertising through existing digital platforms is finally here,” said John Piccone, president of QTT.   The launch follows the completion of a family of QTT patents delivering seminal steps in the integration of the pan-device digital and linear television advertising ecosystems.   Read more on Broadcasting & Cable here. Check out the full news release on BusinessWire.

Future Today, the only full-stack streaming solution that packages branded channels and delivers the audiences to watch them, announced the launch of three free streaming services on Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream: FilmRise, Fawesome and iFood.tv. In addition, the companies have expanded their partnership whereby Rogers Sports & Media (RSM) will now provide ad sales representation for all of Future Today’s streaming channels across Canada.   “Rogers is a dominant force in shaping the TV viewing experience and leads the way in customer-focused offerings,” said Vikrant Mathur, Founder and CEO, Future Today.   In the last 12 months, Future Today has experienced extraordinary growth and has aggressively expanded its content library to offer more than 225,000 movies, TV shows and episodes with the addition of 15,000 hours of premium content that is currently available on every major streaming platform, including Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Xbox, iOS and Android.   Read more from Rapid TV News here.

Clutch.co’s has listed Bob Gold & Associates among the Top 3 PR Agencies in Los Angeles, ranking  it #1 in Crisis Communications for the area. As more companies ramp up their operations in a challenging economy and social setting, many of them are looking to elevate their brand stories. We are the Gold standard for data-driven Public Relations and Brand Management. The BG&A team of experts provides uniquely tailored strategies for today’s digital-first world. Our goal is to tell a great story about you, share your expertise and insights, demonstrate your unique value and connect with target audiences across the globe.   To see our PR and marketing results, read our case studies for Cisco (Telecommunications), Viamedia (AdTech), and Plume (Consumer Electronics) as well as our collection of case studies on crisis management.   “Their work ethic and results were impressive. They also have good media relationships and industry contacts.”   Mark Goodburn, Director of Product Marketing, Plume   For more amazing reviews of the BG&A team, please visit our Clutch.co profile here.        

AdTech startup plans to add over 100 jobs in urban core, capitalizing on the region’s tech talent availability and innovation ecosystem   Advocado, a cross-media data management platform (DMP) fueling advertising performance, today announced its three-year plan to add over 100 high-paying technology jobs—a combination of engineering, data science, customer success, operations, sales and marketing roles—in downtown St. Louis as part of its long-term commitment to the city’s economic development. Advocado was founded in St. Louis in 2017.   This commitment follows Advocado’s recent evaluation of multiple markets, ultimately deciding to maintain and grow their headquarters in the Midwest’s “capital of innovation,” St. Louis, despite pressures to expand their business in a traditional coastal tech hub. To make this decision, the startup leveraged the strategic regional insight, market analysis, and the business and civic relationships facilitated by AllianceSTL, the business-attraction initiative of the metro’s regional economic and civic leadership organization, Greater St. Louis, Inc. With the support of the Missouri Partnership, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the St. Louis Development Corporation, the business attraction team at Greater St. Louis, Inc. helped the company establish roots in the city and accelerate its growth, reinforcing St. Louis as a world-class destination for startups and tech innovators.   “We’re excited to see Advocado expand in St. Louis,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said. “The company’s commitment to innovation and growth has resulted in the creation of over 100 jobs that will provide new opportunities for Missourians to grow and succeed.”   “Our passion for revitalizing the economy in St. Louis naturally attracted us to the urban core,” said Brian Handrigan, 52, co-founder and CEO of Advocado. “At the same time, our collaboration with the regional team that was convened by Greater St. Louis, Inc.  allowed us to see how the city could function as a launchpad for our growing business. Not only have we been able to escape the restrictions of a coastal tech hub, expand on a massive scale and develop our product, but we’ve also been able to thrive here knowing we’re a positive force combatting workforce displacement in the area.”   “Being in St. Louis allows us to embrace our core values and our commitment to an uplifting work culture,” said Jeff Linihan, 46, co-founder, COO and president of Advocado. “We’re able to provide our diverse group of talented employees a space that is teeming with character and depth—it’s beyond physical structure. A building with the history and feeling of our current headquarters is hard to find outside of St. Louis City. As an AdTech company, we know that tech jobs, at their core, are creative and require the atmosphere to match; a farm of cubicles doesn’t compete with 15-foot ceilings and the cultural amenities of a world-class city."   Advocado’s historic location at 1000 Clark Ave. in downtown St. Louis is over 13,000 square feet in size, a testament to the city’s affordable real estate and standard of living, which ranks the 7th highest in the U.S. Boasting numerous accolades and rankings, St. Louis is home to a highly qualified workforce, a nationally acclaimed startup movement and a diverse economy. With one of the nation’s lowest costs of living, St. Louis is recognized by Entrepreneur as the “No. 1 City for Innovation in the Heartland” and LinkedIn’s “Top U.S. City to Launch Your Career,” a place where investment, talent, mentorship and lifestyle all intersect.   The spirit of St. Louis will allow the startup to remain at the forefront of the advertising industry, despite constant shifts in the digital media ecosystem. As ad dollars move away from linear broadcast and cable television, Advocado will be able to improve its data management platform and better monetize the real-time actions of viewers in a cross-platform environment. With the city’s superior talent and opportunities for technology and R&D, the company can expand its capabilities further and provide more accurate, abundant data that will give its customers a leg up in a very competitive landscape.   “Advocado fully understands the value that the St. Louis region brings to the growth of their business. As a burgeoning tech hub, the Greater St. Louis metro offers the affordability, flexibility, investment potential and talent pool a business like theirs needs to move from startup to standout,” said Steve Johnson, chief business attraction officer, Greater St. Louis Inc., and president of the AllianceSTL initiative. “We join our state and regional partners in recognizing and applauding Advocado’s commitment to our region and their impact on job growth and technological innovation. Their choice to commit specifically to Downtown St. Louis makes great strides in bringing new jobs to the core of the region — advancing a significant goal in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. Advocado joins a rapidly expanding number of companies that see their civic commitment as growth potential — and we can’t wait to watch what they do next.”   Available to advertisers worldwide, Advocado helps power over 210 local U.S. markets and is the most robust real-time TV ad insights platform available to date.