The Limelight series focuses on employee culture across the iSpot organization. Follow along as we take a closer look at the real people behind one of the most comprehensive TV ad catalogs and more.

This month we interview Brett Jensen, Director of Data Partnerships — exploring his career at iSpot and how he has seen the industry evolve over the years.

1. What is your current role at iSpot.tv?
   I work as Director of Data Partnerships at iSpot.tv. Our brand customers demand that their marketing tech stacks have an evolved perspective on television. Partnerships and integrations that make TV measurement as turnkey as digital are a must.
2. How did your background lead you here?
   I have enjoyed a career which combined TV business and its related technologies from many angles across our industry. A job in traditional sales at Dish Network came with skills in set-top box coding, K-band satellite challenges, and a nascent addressable product. A job at a traditional ad agency was paired with exposure to the gamut of advanced TV advertising and marketing technologies. I’ve tacked on studio, network, SaaS, and even a stint as an executive management consultant in the meantime.
3. What are the typical challenges you face with new partnerships?
   It’s no secret that the world of ad tech and marketing tech is wildly saturated. The need for all parties who work on TV to cut through the noise and arrive at concrete iterative steps to improve methodologies is critical. Without some guidance, it can absolutely feel like hacking your way through a jungle of techy confusion with a machete.
4. What is the most exciting part of new partnerships?
   iSpot is TV marketing’s killer app. Building out our capabilities and answering customer demand for richer data that informs real world business results means that our partnerships are not specious. Our partnerships signal a lot of industry-first abilities, and the market is as excited as we are.
5. How has the industry changed over the course of your career?
   This question feels like a trap to get me to date myself. Let’s just say that ten-plus years ago, there were loose applications of Simmons/MRI to the TV buying process, but age and gender were still entirely how TV was bought… you know, in 2006, the year Google bought YouTube. Brands today are taking informed control of the money they spend on TV and demanding mathematical rigor in how to calculate their return on investment.
6. How has iSpot fit into the changing environment?
   The market has spoken. Over 200 premiere brands use iSpot to measure the success of their TV investments on a granular and always-on manner. Without a comprehensive picture of the TV ad ecosphere, brands are stuck in ad-hoc campaign work, looking through a keyhole at their own performance. iSpot lets brands in on the secret of what works for their business.
7. What do you value most about working at iSpot?
   iSpot answers so many questions that everyone in this industry has considered unsolvable for a long, long time. I get to be a part of “ah-ha” conversations every day, and that’s fun.