In 2004, I worked with digital colleagues at a prominent search engine company to architect the outsourcing of sales and ad operations, thereby making my position irrelevant and changing my status to “in between jobs.”. Long story short, I found a vacuum waiting to be filled – consulting on media operations. One of the key accelerants to my business was writing a series of 20+ articles on various aspects of media ops – not because I was paid to do it, but because I’m the type of geek that loves the intersection between technology and human beings. I saw flaws that made good people unhappy and I wanted to write about how to improve that state and build a business around it.
In 2020, 16 years later, I think enough time has passed to engage in some reflection, if only because nothing induces reflection like a pandemic, right? How right or wrong were my opinions and forecasts on our business? How has the business changed, or has it? And what does all that say about the future?
This series will resurrect those articles and opinions and either revel in their accuracy or mercilessly show how shortsighted an individual can be. Lucky for you I wasn’t writing when I started in digital media in 1988, because inscribing on stone tables just doesn’t translate well to the digital medium.
Doug Wintz is the founder and principal of DMW MediaWorks, a consultancy focused on media operations, technology and project management. Our services range from workflow and gap analysis to vendor assessment and recommendations. Additional specializations include configuration and deployment of ad platforms and a data management practice that provides ETL services for digital media companies.
“We help emerging companies set up their media operations departments, we help established companies improve them”
Doug Wintz began his interactive career with Prodigy in 1988. During that time, he pioneered the sales and development of online applications for automotive clients Toyota, Ford and Autobytel, brokerage firm DLJ Direct and grocers Dominick’s and D’Agostino. He led the development of one of the first online ad networks for Softbank, managed sales/operations for game site Uproar and served as VP of Digital Media Solutions for Lycos.
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