IAB Creator Economy Workshop

Mark Avnet is Senior Director of Learning and Development at IAB, bringing over 25 years of senior leadership, learning and development, talent management, thought leadership, and innovation experience to IAB, its members and partners.

Mark was Head of Learning and Development at 360i, founding and leading L&D and Thought Leadership at this large Dentsu-owned digital-first advertising and marketing agency. At 360i, Mark created and facilitated training and workshops for employees, as well as developing and delivering training programs for clients including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Kraft, Mondelez, Mattel, and Oscar Mayer.

Other industry roles have included SVP and Director of Technology and Production at Ammirati Puris Lintas’ APL Digital, CTO and Head of Innovation at Lot21 Interactive, Head of New Media at @radicalmedia, and Executive Producer and Head of Production at Hearst New Media.

Mark’s academic credentials include Professor and founding Head of the Creative Technology program at VCU Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter, widely recognized as the nation’s top graduate school in advertising and marketing. Mark was Chair of Communications at Russell Sage College/Sage Colleges of Albany, Visiting Professor at Marist College, and Adjunct professor in both NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications.

Mark has been a professional musician, recording engineer/producer, and recording studio owner. He is a certified clinical hypnotherapist and, in an early career left-turn, briefly raised giant sea slugs for a living.

Ruth has been the Managing Partner at Talk Shoppe since 2011, where she applies her extensive experience from her previous roles in ad agencies and at Nielsen. She has a wealth of experience with integrated research projects, particularly consumer purchase journeys and illuminating target markets. She works across tech, social media, and entertainment sectors, developing narratives connecting with advertisers and audiences.

Her media and communications planning background has given her a broad perspective on the advertising industry. This, combined with her ability to analyze complex consumer behaviors, enables her to create effective strategies for clients like Meta, Netflix, YouTube and Pinterest.

Ruth is actively involved in her community outside of work, including a leadership role in the PTA. She enjoys running, is a super fan of Pearl Jam, and loves spending time outdoors with her family in LA, showing her appreciation for the local culture with a specific passion for the LAFC soccer team.

Jack joins the IAB with over 20 years of experience at platforms, brands, and agencies leading global research and insights initiatives that foster smarter business decisions. An enthusiastic data-driven storyteller, he’s passionate about exploring the boundaries of research to elevate industry intelligence and strives to inspire action through insights.

Prior to joining the IAB Jack led and scaled global research, insights, and measurement teams at rapidly emerging digital media platforms including Microsoft, EA, LinkedIn, and Spotify. Most recently Jack was at Reddit, where he established the Marketing Sciences organization responsible for advancing ad measurement capabilities and partnerships, producing research amplifying industry awareness and understanding of online communities, and uncovering contextual insights and identifying audience trends that tell the world about their world.

Jack and his teams have accepted awards from industry bodies such as the Advertising Research Foundation and the Insights Association, and he’s had the pleasure of sharing research findings in publications and on industry stages around the globe. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, earning degrees from the Olin School of Business and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Dylan Lemay is the largest ice-cream focused digital creator in the world, amassing 17M combined followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Currently, Dylan is pursuing plenty of different opportunities to bring his products, ideas, and content directly to customers across the US. With lots of change, Dylan expects a very exciting and fun 2024 year!

YouTube | TikTok | Instagram