2025 IAB PlayFronts

Itai is a seasoned leader in Ad Tech, Marketing, and Strategy with over a decade of experience. As Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Turbine, he plays a key role in shaping the company’s positioning and go-to-market strategy, helping leadership shape and execute product and growth initiatives while driving the integration of multiple acquisitions.
Previously, Itai led Digital Turbine’s Marketing function in addition to his strategy responsibilities, overseeing Product Marketing and brand initiatives. Before that, he established and led a Corporate Strategy function at Fyber, later expanding his role to oversee global Marketing efforts. During his tenure, Fyber scaled to a $400M revenue run rate, successfully integrating three acquisitions before being acquired by Digital Turbine.
Itai began his career at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and has held various hands-on roles in ad tech, focusing on performance advertising and programmatic trading.

Pete Basgen is the Global Gaming & Esports Lead at Wavemaker, where he drives partnerships, strategy, and sales for major brands in the gaming industry. With extensive experience working with clients like Nickelodeon, Adobe, and Paramount, Pete expertly navigates the intersection of gaming, content, and marketing. His background includes serving as Global Head of Creative Strategy at StreamElements and Strategic Advisor for Queens Gaming Collective. Beyond his agency role, Pete demonstrates his industry leadership as a Board Member for both the LCS Players Association and IAB’s Gaming Board, positioning him as a respected voice in gaming and esports marketing.

Adam Bauer is Vice President of Sales at Discord, a voice, video and text platform that makes it easier and more fun for friends to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games. Adam has led growth at successful venture-backed startup for over a decade, and extensive experience working with the world’s leading Fortune 500 brands & media companies in gaming, film, television, sports, music, & more At FaZe Clan, Adam led the revenue organization that spanned global partnerships, sales, business development, & licensing and evolved the brand’s initial sponsorship business into 360 partnership offering highlighted by leading brands such as Nike, Porsche, McDonald’s, Comcast, Beats, General Mills, DoorDash, Warner Bros. & more.

At GIPHY, he built & led the inaugural revenue organization, launching GIPHY’s first brand marketing platform, GIPHY for Marketers, leading to acquisition by Meta. At Shazam, Adam was responsible for building best-in-class advertising partnerships with world renowned brands highlighted by Apple, who ultimately acquired Shazam in an acquisition in September of 2018.

Kevin Beatty is the Head of Product for Samsung Gaming and Emerging Technologies, where he leads the vision, strategy, and execution for Samsung’s gaming, interactive entertainment, and emerging technologies. Overseeing a dynamic portfolio that includes cloud gaming, console partnerships, and next-generation innovation, Kevin drives initiatives that redefine how consumers engage with entertainment and technology. With over 20 years of experience, Kevin has a proven track record of building transformative products for global audiences. Prior to Samsung, he was the Executive Director of Product Management – Advanced Innovation at Disney Entertainment, where he collaborated with teams like Walt Disney Studios and Imagineering to integrate cutting-edge technologies into Disney’s storytelling platforms. In addition to his corporate roles, Kevin advises emerging leaders through his work with Craft by Battery and mentors MBA students at Cornell Tech. Known for his forward-thinking approach, Kevin remains focused on unlocking new markets, driving revenue growth, and creating innovative experiences that inspire and delight.

Matthew “MJB” Benson is the co-founder and CEO of eFuse, a software company building essential infrastructure for the gaming industry. Since founding eFuse in 2018, Matthew has grown the platform to reach millions of gamers, raised over $8M in venture capital, and led four strategic acquisitions. His leadership earned him a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Gaming list. Prior to eFuse, Matthew served as an Investment Analyst and Executive in Residence at the Ohio Innovation Fund, where he honed his expertise in early-stage venture capital.

Paul Chenier is an EVP of Global Sales at Playwire, bringing extensive expertise in digital advertising, video, gaming, and fintech to drive revenue growth for premium publishers. His experience includes successful leadership roles at Bloomberg, Drop, TreSensa, and Rovio Entertainment, where he consistently delivered breakthrough revenue strategies and built high-performing sales teams. A strategic problem-solver with deep industry relationships across tech, finance, auto, and entertainment sectors, Paul combines technical knowledge with a personable approach to create innovative monetization solutions that preserve the diversity of the open internet.

David Cohen joined IAB in April 2020 as President and was named Chief Executive Officer in September 2020. Cohen is a widely respected advertising agency leader who, prior to IAB, served as President, North America for MAGNA, Interpublic Group’s (IPG) centralized media intelligence, investment, and innovation arm. In this role, Cohen was responsible for more than $20 billion in media spend. During his tenure, Cohen structured and executed large global transactions on behalf of IPG and its clients, with such major IAB member companies as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Spotify, Twitter, and Verizon Media.

Prior to MAGNA, Cohen served as Chief Investment Officer of UM, ensuring that digital innovation, data, and technology acumen flowed throughout the agency to drive performance. From 2001 to 2011, Cohen served in critical, transformational roles at UM during the explosive growth of digital advertising, including Chief Media Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and Executive Vice President, U.S. Director of Digital Communications. In the late 1990’s, Cohen was responsible for launching and building IPG’s digital practice.

Cohen has a long history of working with trade organizations including IAB and 4As, where he served as chairman of the Interactive Marketing Committee from 2009-2013. He has also been instrumental in initiating several vital industry-wide programs, including the Future of Television, facilitated by EY. Cohen is a Queens native, with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Adelphi University. He was recognized by Adweek as a “Media All Star” and was part of the “Adweek 50” in 2012.

In 2016, David was elected to the Board of Directors of Partnership with Children a non-profit whose mission is to strengthen the emotional, social, and cognitive skills of vulnerable children in New York City to help them succeed in school, society, and life.

David enjoys spending time with his wife and two teenage daughters. A self-described gadget-geek and sometimes fitness fanatic – he ran the NYC Marathon in 2014 and 2019 and Boston Marathon in 2016.

Denis Crushell is the Chief Commercial Officer at Precise TV where he is responsible for Sales, Marketing and Platform Partnerships, helping brands deliver COPPA compliant campaigns across YouTube, Mobile Gaming and CTV. Denis has worked in the online video space for the last twenty years including working at Google, YouTube and Tubular Labs. He was instrumental in the release of the YouTube Kids App in the UK, while at Google and the creation of YouTube Lineups.

Christian is the Co-Founder & Chairman of Precise TV. He previously served as CEO AVOD at ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE and board member of L.A. based creator company Studio71. Prior to that, Christian was Vice President, International, at The Walt Disney Company’s Maker Studios, known as Disney Digital Network. Christian is a TEDx speaker, expert in cookieless advertising & marketing in regulated industries and brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience helping brands drive measurable lift in retail sales, ecommerce and business outcomes from contextual advertising.

Jon Dwyer has served as Chairman & CEO of Vertiqal Studios since 2019.
A veteran gaming and media executive, Dwyer leads one of North America’s largest gaming and
lifestyle networks on social media. Vertiqal Studios generates over two billion monthly views
across 138 owned and operated channels, creating a powerful ecosystem where gaming
culture, content, and commerce intersect. By connecting brands, agencies, and creators with
full-scale production and distribution on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, Vertiqal Studios
drives unmatched engagement in the gaming community.
Previously, Dwyer was Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Wondr Gaming, which acquired
Gamelancer in 2021—one of the most influential gaming networks on social media. Following its
2023 rebrand to Vertiqal Studios, he assumed his current role. His career in gaming media
includes leadership positions at Aquilini Gameco and Enthusiast Gaming, where he expanded
gaming content and brand partnerships before co-founding Wondr Gaming.
Before transitioning to gaming and digital media, Dwyer served as Vice-Chair & CEO of Aereus
Technologies and Chairman & CEO of Flax Energy. He holds an Honors B.A. in Political
Science from McMaster University and studied International Economics & Finance at Toronto
Metropolitan University (TMU)

Matt is the President and CCO of Super League (NASDAQ: SLE), a global leader in bringing the world’s biggest brands and intellectual property owners into the 3D internet. Over the past four years, he has built a world class team, spearheaded multiple M&A transactions, forged ground-breaking partnerships, and driven more than 20x revenue growth. Matt’s oversight has positioned Super League as an undisputed immersive web technology and creative pioneer. The company launched the first scalable advertising and digital-to-physical technology solutions on Roblox, and has brought programs to life on Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite Creative across every major entertainment, luxury, and lifestyle vertical.


Under his leadership, Super League’s team has built programs with signature companies including the NFL, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Netflix, MTV, Nickelodeon, Warner Music Group, Interscope Records, Mattel, L’Oreal, Walmart, Claire’s, Samsung, Chipotle, Dave N Buster’s, Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, Hamilton and others, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Additionally, Matt has been a member of the executive team responsible for Super League’s NASDAQ IPO and subsequent offerings, raising more than $65M.


Matt began his career building Marvel’s film and television business and launched the original Marvel.com. He went on to oversee digital operations and marketing solutions teams across Endeavor’s global event properties including NY Fashion Week, Miss Universe/USA, Miami Open, Professional Bull Riders, Euroleague, Taste Festivals, IMG College and IMG Academy, while also establishing the digital practice for IMG’s experiential marketing agency.


Matt is an angel investor and has founded, led, and currently advises multiple early-stage companies across gaming, digital media, AI, ecommerce, and Web3.


Originally from New York, Matt resides in Santa Monica with his wife and two children and is involved in several charitable organizations, including the Epilepsy Foundation of Los Angeles, inspired by his special needs daughter.

Bethany Eppner is VP of Global Business Marketing at Fandom, the #1 global entertainment and gaming platform. She drives go-to-market strategies, advertising solutions, and industry marketing across Fandom’s fan-first brands, reporting to CRO Jeremy Steinberg.

With 20+ years in marketing, Bethany has built and scaled global B2B teams. Previously, she led GTM at Amazon, Global Advertising Solutions at Spotify and held senior roles at CBS and Time Warner.

Bethany lives in Westport, CT, with her two children, co-founded Westport Pride, serves on Lesbians Who Tech’s Advisory Board, and was named to Fast Company’s Queer 50 (2023).

Zach Hahn is the Senior Vice President of Partnerships Super League Gaming (Nasdaq: SLGG), a global leader in metaverse gaming and experiences. In his role, Hahn manages partnerships across Super League’s businesses and explores new commercial opportunities for the company.

Zach is a passionate and accomplished executive-level digital marketing and media thought-leader, creative brand marketer and new business development leader. His expertise lies in understanding, strategizing and executing digital, OTT, VR, programmatic media, branded entertainment and strategic partnerships. Through his extensive time at world-class organizations including Sony, Disney and Nielsen, he has developed top-tier sales solutions and marketing campaigns that directly drive business and revenue growth while also ensuring operations are streamlined, effective and cost-efficient.

Zach has built teams and grown businesses by working tactically day-to-day with direct reports along with the larger teams all while strategically leading big bet projects for some of the most iconic brands in media, entertainment and gaming. Prior to Super League, he spent 6+ years working at the intersection of TV and Digital media in the streaming/OTT space and growing Sony’s media business with the #1 gaming brand in the world.

Gabrielle Heyman is a strategic business leader, currently serving as Vice President of Global Brand Sales & Partnerships for Zynga, where she oversees the direct ads business. Gabrielle leads the strategic vision for all sales and trade marketing efforts that drive revenue growth across partnerships, sponsorships, and programmatic. Gabrielle is a tenured leader in the Gaming and Digital Media industry, having served previous roles at Electronic Arts, Yahoo! and Buzzfeed. She has a passion for the revolution in entertainment consumption and its impact on brands. As a proud member of Chief, the organization specifically designed for women executives, and as a Board member of the IAB Experience Center, Gabrielle is an advocate for women in gaming and tech. She lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and her life partner.

Gareth Leeding is a culture-first creative leader, specialising at bringing brands into gaming, sports, entertainment and technology through innovative marketing campaigns. With over 18 years of experience, including stops at Snapchat and Are Social, Gareth has redefined how global brands and tech giants engage through digital, social, and gaming innovation. He has led teams to deliver over 90+ awards for brands like Activision, adidas, Google, Guinness, Nike, Maybelline and Samsung. Now, as Chief Strategy Officer at Livewire, Gareth is driving the future of brand engagement in gaming, the fastest-growing entertainment frontier. A global speaker, he inspires audiences at events like SXSW and AdWeek to push boundaries in creativity and strategy.

As US head of brand partnerships at Overwolf, Nathan oversees the existing US brand partnerships team, focusing on leveraging and crafting long-term partnerships with leading advertisers. Being an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, Nathan Lindberg has been at the forefront of emerging technology and industry evolution in video games. He played a pivotal role in driving the print-to-digital transformation at GamePro, spearheaded community marketing at Curse (now CurseForge), and at Twitch he was instrumental in building and monetising the Rocket League Championship Series as well as Twitch Rivals. More recently, he developed the NFL Zone in Fortnite at Epic Games and established a long-term partnership with various Fortune 500 brands.

Patrick Moran is the co-founder of Look North World, a pioneering UGC game studio and publisher. As trailblazers in the games industry, Look North World has established itself as an entertainment company focused on creating unique experiences by leveraging new and emerging creator platforms, including Fortnite UEFN and Curseforge, to build games for millions of existing players. Before founding Look North World, Patrick held product roles including Chief Product Officer at Kongregate, Franchise Lead at MobilityWare, and other companies like Amazon, Disney, and EA. Patrick’s expertise extends to the video game industry, where his contributions have generated over $3 billion in revenue and captivated millions of players worldwide. Notably, his involvement in the development of Mass Effect 2 swept the Game of the Year awards. In 2021, IGN recognized Mass Effect 2 as the #6 best game of all time. In 2022, he co-founded the Central Virginia regional chapter of the International Game Developers Association. He also serves as an industry advisor to faculty at VCU, Bridgewater College, Henrico Middle School, and coding charter high school CodeRVA.

Jorge Prado is a visionary entrepreneur, a dynamic leader and co-founder of Admazing, the largest mobile gaming ad platform for brands. He possesses a deep understanding of the digital landscape and an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results for partners and clients.

Under Jorge’s leadership, Admazing has been recognized as an INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company and has established partnerships with several Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, Jorge co-founded Fastmind, dedicated to helping brands measure how their digital marketing impacts multichannel sales, and achieved international acclaim for creating the mobile game Wordie, one of the largest word games ever. Wordie reached the Top 10 charts in over 160 countries.

Jorge has received several awards for his work, including being named one of the Top 50 Power Leaders by IESA, earning him the Best Mobile Game Developer honor from Google, was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 by DLA, and was selected as an International Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2019.

Furthermore, Jorge passionately advocates diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. He actively supports initiatives promoting equality and empowerment, demonstrating his commitment to positively impacting the world around him.

Unju Saffer is the VP of East Coast Sales at Bent Pixels, bringing 15+ years of hands-on experience in the gaming industry across digital, experiential, and the gaming creator economy. With a deep focus on data and AI/ML advancements, she offers a unique perspective on the evolving gaming landscape. Catch her on the floor, and she’ll have plenty to say about the misuse of AI (looking at you, ChatGPT) and a clear vision for its real potential in data-driven innovation—so don’t hesitate to holler!

Mike Schoelch is a Director, Client Partner at Unity, where he plays a pivotal role in driving strategic initiatives across the brand and agency partnership team. With over 12 years of experience in the media industry, he has held key roles at PayPal, eBay, and LoopMe, where he was instrumental in building marketing strategies for Fortune 100 companies. His expertise spans media, mobile, and programmatic advertising, and he has been a driving force in delivering innovative solutions for marketers across North America.

Peter Sellis is Senior Vice President, Product at Discord, a voice, video and text platform that makes it easier and more fun for friends to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

Peter joined Discord in 2022 and oversees the company’s product organization. Previously at Snap, he built out the product management organization, helped pioneer Snap’s innovative approach to monetization, and led the revenue product organization from inception to a $4B+ business.

Prior to Snap, he was an investment professional with Los Angeles-based venture studio Science and held product leadership roles at several technology startups. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the MIT Sloan School of Business, and currently lives in Venice, California.

He’s currently playing Warzone and League of Legends, but still thinks Counter-Strike is the best video game of all time.

Matt Sharpe serves as Creative Director, Advertising at Zynga, where he helps guide campaigns for brand partners across the company’s portfolio of titles. He is a 15 year veteran of the tech and advertising space with a focus on creating engaging experiences for audiences.

A seasoned research, measurement and insights leader with over 15 years experience, Jordan Shlachter leads gaming business success at Activision Blizzard Media. In this role, Jordan oversees the research and marketing functions for Activision Blizzard’s advertising business, ensuring go-to-market readiness of in-game media solutions, and developing industry-leading thought leadership and world-class measurement offerings. Previously Jordan was Head of US Measurement for Pinterest and Chief Marketing Sciences Officer at PHD. Jordan has also held senior research positions at Twitter, UM, Nielsen and Yahoo.

With over a decade at Unity, Adam has shaped one of the world’s leading game development platforms. A former Unity developer, he founded and led teams like Developer Relations and Studio Productions. Now, he oversees Unity Engine’s vision and strategy, driving many top Unity-powered games. His leadership has influenced celebrated titles over the past decade. A passionate Unity advocate, Adam continues exploring its capabilities and is excited to share insights at this year’s IAB Playfronts.

Zoe Soon has 10+ years of experience building products in technology-driven businesses with a heavy focus on mobile. Six years ago Zoe flew 21 hours from Sydney to NYC for a 30min coffee meeting which led to her first job in NYC. Since then she’s worked with three major New York based media companies, The New York Times, Condé Nast and Business Insider on projects ranging from location-based apps to paywalls. Zoe began her career as a user researcher and UX design consultant working with three of the top five banks in Australia. She was then hired to establish a user insights practice at Fairfax Media, a leading Australian news and media conglomerate. Here she led the user research for the flagship news apps which won Best Mobile News Product at the 2012 Australian Mobile Awards and went on to become product lead for the news sites. In this role she launched a content paywall and a unified user data system to diversify revenue and enable more targeted marketing.

Prior to joining the IAB Zoe was General Manager of apps and email at Business Insider where she was charged with defining the go-to market strategy for these platforms. In this role Zoe launched Insider Inc’s first OTT apps across Apple, Amazon Fire and Roku offering advertisers cross-platform video digital distribution and access to an audience that generates over 2 billion views each month.

Zoe has a Masters in Organizational Psychology and lives in New York. She enjoys burning pancakes, Cuban salsa dancing and talking to strangers in line.

Shahar is the Chief Marketing Officer at Overwolf, the guild for in-game creators, where he spearheads marketing and growth initiatives, oversees investor relations, and drives collaborations with game studios and developers. With more than 15 years of experience in the games and technology industry, Shahar has founded and led multiple ventures, including 7 Elements Studios, a game studio specializing in massively multiplayer online strategy games. He has also worked as a producer and actor in Hollywood and Israel, and is a former five-time Israeli national champion in Taekwondo.

Marian Thomas is the Director of Partnerships, Research & Measurement at Zynga, where she combines quantitative and qualitative data to drive efficiencies for Zynga’s advertising organization. With over 20 years of experience working across the digital media landscape, Marian is passionate about understanding consumer behaviors and harnessing data to create engaging and effective ads.

Louis is an accomplished sales leader with over two decades of experience in Digital Media, specializing in Gaming, Entertainment, and Esports. As Vice President of West Coast Sales at Bent Pixels, he drives strategic partnerships and revenue growth through paid media and custom content across the Bent Pixels YouTube Network, Esports Teams, Talent Agencies, Brands, and Media Agencies.Before joining Bent Pixels, Louis held key roles at IGN, Maker Studios, and the Walt Disney Company, where he led sales teams that consistently achieved remarkable year-over-year growth. He earned his BA from Vanderbilt University.

Bill Young is a games industry veteran located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bill started with Twitch in 2016 as the Global Head of Sponsorships and Strategic Partnerships, with a focus on esports. As Head of Games, Twitch & BPS @ Amazon, Bill works across both Twitch and Amazon to help align strategy and approach between departments where game developers, publishers, and non-endemic brands intersect. Bill also presents a primer on the expanded gaming ecosystem called GamerU for holding companies, advertising agencies, and direct brands to help demystify gaming generally, as well as gamers themselves. Bill’s current project, The Glitch, is a network of sponsored games built and distributed within Fortnite, and promoted by top streamer talent on Twitch. Prior to Twitch and Amazon, Bill ran the in-and-around advertising team at Electronic Arts, and was on the launch teams for Shockwave.com, 1UP.com, Massive Inc., and MaxPlay. Bill is a “Top Voice” in gaming and technology for LinkedIn, and is frequently featured by their editorial team for topics such as Entertainment, AR & VR, Ai, Media, and of course, Video Games. Bill is also Co-Chair of the IAB Gaming & Esports board, and a member of their Metaverse board as well.