Leisha Bereson brings Tubi’s creative spirit to its media strategy

In recent years, Tubi has made a name for itself for being a creative risk-taker. Leisha Bereson joined the Fox-owned free, ad-supported TV streamer a year ago as director of media, and has brought that creative marketing spirit to Tubi’s paid media strategy. Before joining Tubi, Bereson, 37, held positions at several media agencies including IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative, GroupM’s MediaCom (now EssenceMediacom), Canvas Worldwide and VaynerMedia. Her most recent experience, however, was on the brand side at Impact Museums, where she led marketing for viral events such as the Immersive Vincent van Gogh experience. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here “My superpower is the sum of all my parts: the deep channel-level muscle paired with a lot of agency experience but sitting in the chair of a brand marketer,” Bereson said. “My experience in really nuanced and tactical places allows me to think a few levels deeper, and sometimes the devil is in the details to really carry out a great plan.” Bereson pointed to the viral sensation that was Tubi’s 2023 Super Bowl interruption ad, teasing the big shoes the platform has to fill with its marketing in the 2025 Big Game on Fox as an example of crafting unique plans in crowded spaces. Earlier this year, Bereson led media strategy for the “More Popular Than” campaign, which featured out-of-home ads that compared Tubi’s user base to the size of other populations, aimed at both consumers and advertisers during upfront week. A campaign for Tubi original “Big Mood” saw dozens of actors dressed as the main character scootering through New York City. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tubi (@tubi) If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Ruth Bader Ginsburg—it just feels obvious—given the magnanimous impact, the fierce bravery, razor-sharp wit and intelligence, plus she had signature accessories. Who wouldn’t want that as their brand? Runners up: Charles Simonyi (spreadsheets are life) and Will Shortz. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? I far too often get the “please go outside” prompt on TikTok. It’s such a weird and wonderful place to lose hours to. I also love Substack (my elder millennial is showing—because I’m forever in my blog era). Highly recommended: “The Sociology of Business” (I aspire to what Ana Andjelic has done for her personal career on the brand side and love how she tapped into culture and the discord community), as well as “After School” by Casey Lewis (youth trends cheat sheet, critical reading), and Emily Sundberg’s “Feed Me.” What’s currently on your bedside reading list? Right now, the physical: “Tarot and the Archetypal Journey” (who doesn’t love a Jungian Tarot reading?)—and on my Kindle: I’m going back and forth between “Anna Karenina” (Tolstoy) and “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” (Gabrielle Zevin). These plus the 5,000 open tabs on my browser of “stuff I’m going to read today.” What was the last show you binge-watched? Right now I’m binging “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which happens to also be on Tubi for free! At what age do you hope to retire? I don’t necessarily want to retire (ever!). I'm sure there will come a time when I don’t want to work full-time but would like to find ways to stay active in the industry and work on brands/projects I’m passionate about. The ultimate “retirement” goal is to teach—I love mentorship and education, and by that point, I’m hoping I’ll have enough under my belt to warrant an adjunct professorship! See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here

Leisha Bereson brings Tubi’s creative spirit to its media strategy

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