David 'Shingy' Shing, digital prophet, to leave Verizon Media

David “Shingy” Shing, the self-proclaimed digital prophet, is leaving his post at Verizon Media, formerly known as Oath, after spending more than a decade with the Verizon-owned group that includes AOL, Yahoo, HuffPost and a horde of other media properties. “After over a decade of enjoying the work I have done within AOL and Verizon Media, I have decided it is time to explore a new path,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “When I started in this business, I was a consultant running media and marketing for AOL Europe and ended up being an intrapreneur within Verizon Media—becoming the digital prophet, inspiring audiences, educating brands and agencies and providing a unique perspective on what this industry needs to advance forward.” Verizon declined to comment on this story. Shing tells Ad Age the decision was his alone. It’s unclear who will replace him or where he’s headed to next, but Shing, who joined the company in 2007, cited that he plans to work "autonomously" with brands in the future. He added that becoming a father has also been a transformational experience. “It has highlighted the passion I have for helping things grow and seeing them thrive, as well as becoming more deeply human.” Shingy was perhaps best known for his wild hair style and attire, but also for his presentations on the conference circuit. At the Cannes International Festival of Creativity last year, the digital don and fixture on the conference circuit told Ad Age’s Brian Braiker that he wanted people to become less digital, adding that there’s “too much attendant anxiety. Too much shallow, useless ‘content’ that’s making us all miserable.”

David 'Shingy' Shing, digital prophet, to leave Verizon Media

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