The Community Exchange Podcast by OpenWeb

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Rich Caccappolo, Vice Chair, Media at Daily Mail General Trust (DMGT). In our discussion MSG and Rich cover: Rich’s journey from CTO at iVillage to Vice Chairman at Daily Mail The future of direct traffic and its role in publisher growth Post-cookie challenges and the rise of curated audiences Fixing attribution to prove ROI for adverti...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Dr. Jonathan Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer at Dotdash Meredith. In our discussion MSG and Jonathan cover: Jonathan’s journey from physicist to media and publishing innovator Becoming the official cartographer for Game of Thrones Adapting legacy brands like  About.com  to the digital-first era through verticalization Building audienc...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome David Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer and President at Contxtful to discuss: David’s debut at  Advertising.com  during the early days of digital advertising The potential breakup of Google and its impact on the publishing industry The rise of competition in ad servers and its implications for publishers Challenges for publishers as sear...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Jeremy Kaplan, Content Director at Future PLC. In our discussion, Jeremy and MSG cover: Jeremy’s journey to becoming a writer Rising importance of niche and specialized media AI’s impact on publishing: challenges and opportunities The ongoing debate around AI-generated content vs. original work Criticisms of content aggregation platform...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome David Rowley, VP of Revenue Technology at News Corp. In our discussion, MSG and David cover: His unlikely journey from artist to media and tech executive Consolidation within ad tech and publishing The need for publisher alignment to tackle current challenges The emergence of new ad servers Competing with the walled gardens for advertis...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Andrew Q Kraft, the former President and COO of The Arena Group, currently on a listening tour working to diagnose the media industry’s needs, connect key players, and help chart the future of the industry. In their discussion, MSG and Andrew cover: Diagnosing media’s needs by listening to over 200 media professionals Gen AI’s role in e...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Andrew Casale, President and CEO at Index Exchange. In our discussion, MSG and Andrew discuss: Andrew’s journey building Index Exchange How publishers can navigate the loss of signals by becoming a destination The current state of measurement and attribution in publishing and CTV How curation can help publishers increase CPMs Index Exch...

Could separating buy and sell at Google drive innovation in adtech? On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Paul Bannister, Chief Strategy Officer at Raptive to dig into that and more, including: Adtech at the dawn of programmatic Generative AI’s role in changing news and information consumption habits The effect of declining search traffic on lifestyle publishers Building an...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Larry Allen, VP & GM of Data and Addressable Enablement at Comcast. In our discussion, MSG and Larry cover: Improvements and advancements in measurement and attribution The changes coming to CTV in the next 5 years How to use AI to optimize ad placement Comcast’s role in delivering great viewing experiences for users during major ev...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Johnny Won, Global Head of Martech, Ad Tech, and Operations at EssenceMediacom. In our discussion, MSG and Johnny discuss: His entrepreneurial background and unlikely career path Building and scaling businesses The role of privacy sandbox and cookies in shaping the future of advertising The current advertising landscape and the new emer...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Jennie Baird, Chief Product Officer at BBC Studios. In our discussion, MSG and Jennie discuss: Her methods for building and leading product teams Building the product functions at News Corp Her role as Board Chair of the Ethical Tech Project and their work to ensure the ethical use of data and technology The effects of generative AI on...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Amanda Martin, Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine. In our discussion, MSG and Amanda discuss: Her professional journey from buy to supply, Her experience working at Goodway Group, Her current role helping independent publishers build sustainable businesses with Mediavine, The current state of the media and publishing industry, and much...

This is The Community Exchange Podcast, brought to you by OpenWeb: an interview podcast series featuring the leaders building the media ecosystem of the future. This season, our host is industry veteran Matthew Scott Goldstein (a.k.a. MSG). Each episode he explores our guests’ journeys through the media world, the work they are currently doing, and how they’re shaping the media and publishing indu...

The engagement game is getting trickier. Sure, producing high-quality content is extremely important—but how else can publishers truly stand out in an increasingly crowded field? The answer lies with a loyal, engaged community. When audiences find more reasons to interact with content and engage with others, publishers win. Take The New York Post—one of America’s largest newspapers, and one of Ope...

AI innovation is showing no signs of slowing down. It’s tough for even the most forward-thinking publishers and brands to keep up with the latest developments in AI. On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we dive into the unstoppable force of AI innovation with our Guest Rob Meadows. Rob is the President and CEO of The AI Foundation and AI Advisor to OpenWeb.  As a leading voice i...

How did IGN grow to become one of the web’s most active communities of enthusiasts? This week, we’re joined by Peer Schneider, one of IGN’s founders and current Chief Content Officer, and Jada Griffin, Head of Community. These two leaders have built IGN into the essential gaming and entertainment hub it is today. And given that this team has been publishing content for over 25 years — from the ear...

What’s the most important part of building a community? Jon Birchall, Director of Editorial Strategy at LADbible Group, says it has a lot to do with authenticity. On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we hear Jon’s perspective on how to weave authenticity into every interaction and foster genuine connections with your community, strategies for managing content across dozens of channel...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we welcome Angela Johnson, Client Development Officer at Dentsu and Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Oasis Consortium and Dale Lovell, OpenWeb’s SVP of Advertising Partner Success. In this wide-ranging discussion, Angela — a renowned brand expert — explains how to find success today brands must not only distribute their message but find...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast, we’re welcoming Peter Wang. Peter is the founder of First Principles Studio, former Chief Technology Officer at Buzzfeed and Refinery29, and investor and an innovator.  We cover a lot in this episode. Peter shares his experience building communities—online and off, the importance of brand trust, the rise of AI and AR, and how all of these fac...

We often hear about how tech is ruining democracy. But what if, instead, tech can save it?  We wanted to know. So we asked Rose Jackson to join us for this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast.  On this episode, Rose explains how, in her work as Director of the Digital Forensic Research Lab’s Democracy + Tech Initiative at The Atlantic Council, she and others in civil society are ch...

On this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast we speak to Noam Bardin. Noam is the Founder of Post—a social platform poised to rival X and Threads—and the former CEO of Waze. In our discussion, Noam shares his perspective on what it takes to grow massive online communities, drawing on his experience building Waze and Post. We cover several topics including online safety, disinformation and tox...

Joining us on this episode of The Community Exchange Podcast is Jeremy Hlavacek, Chief Commercial Officer at Experian Marketing Services.   Throughout the conversation, Jeremy shares valuable insights into the role of data and how it can help brands participate in cultural conversations. He also tackles the importance of involving users in the feedback loop to help them take their rightful se...

This is The Community Exchange Podcast, brought to you by OpenWeb.  On this podcast, we’re dedicated to documenting and tracking the emerging economic engine of the open internet: the community economy. Join us as we track the development of this emerging economic and social engine, and talk to the leaders of the companies who are bringing it to life. We'll explore how everyone in the digital...