Brainlabs hires EssenceMediacom exec as North America CEO

Digital media agency Brainlabs has named Adam Potashnick, the chief revenue officer of the newly merged EssenceMediacom, its North America CEO. Prior to the merger of those WPP agencies, Potashnick served as the U.S. chief operating officer for Mediacom for four years. Throughout the 17 years he spent at the GroupM agency, Potashnick held leadership roles including U.S. chief growth officer, leading client teams for accounts including Uber, Hotels.com, Adidas/Reebok, Hasbro and JPMorgan Chase. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Potashnick, who officially starts on May 1, replaces Jeremy Cornfeldt, who took on the role in 2021 and was appointed Tinuiti’s first-ever president this week. Brainlabs, founded in the U.K. in 2012, has been steadily growing its presence in the U.S. Over the past four years, the U.S. has become its largest region in terms of revenue. Currently, the agency has 850 employees, 430 of which are based in the U.S., according to Brainlabs Global CEO Daniel Gilbert. The agency takes a data science approach to all its work and has $125 million in fee income and $1 billion in billings, according to Gilbert. Nearly $60 million of its fees come from the U.S., where the agency recently won media business with Consumer Cellular. Other key clients for the agency include Capital One, Formula One and WeTransfer. Part of Potashnick’s role will be focused on helping the agency “level up its proposition” to compete with larger media agencies, said Gilbert. “I don't think we're trying to compete on buying power in part because that is eroding in front of our own eyes,” Gilbert said, regarding spending on traditional media buys such as TV. “Adam comes from both worlds, digital and non-digital, and I think there's a real opportunity for an agency to bridge that gap. So [he will be] taking the best from both worlds and leveling up our proposition to clients so there's joined-up planning across the whole medium mix, but through a digital-first lens.” One example is Estée Lauder Cos. appointing Brainlabs as its media agency of record in the U.K. and Ireland. According to Gilbert, 80% of the company’s spend is digital. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Four years ago the agency took an investment from private equity firm Livingbridge, which helped the agency secure some key acquisitions, such as influencer marketing agency Fanbytes, U.S. digital marketing agency Hanapin and Amazon specialist Molzi. Now the agency is in the process of looking for a new investor as its four-year deal with Livingbridge winds down. Gilbert expects a decision to be made in the summer or early fall of this year. “Private equity is definitely keen on the space because they see it as part of the future,” Gilbert said. “They can see where the world is going." Gilbert said the company is more focused on global expansion now than acquisitions. Currently, the agency also has a presence in Asia Pacific and Latin America. Brainlabs “has quickly earned a powerful reputation in the industry thanks to their undeniably innovative way of working with their clients, and I’m excited to contribute to that and help them continue to transform the world of digital advertising for the better,” Potashnick said in a statement.

Brainlabs hires EssenceMediacom exec as North America CEO

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