How NBCUniversal Ad Sales Chief Mark Marshall Keeps His Cool as Tough Upfront Negotiations Loom
09.05.2024 - 16:05
/ variety.com
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Mark Marshall has been given a lot of time to prepare for NBC Universal’s annual presentation to advertisers. Last year, he only had 72 hours.
Marshall, a longtime second-in-command at NBCU’s ad-sales division, at about this time last year found himself unexpectedly in charge of the company’s “upfront” process — an annual sale of advertising that has in recent years generated approximately $7 billion in commitments from sponsors — after the abrupt departure of his colorful predecessor, Linda Yaccarino. She had served in the role since 2012 and surprised her corporate bosses and dozens of clients by taking a new job as CEO of X, the social-media hub once known as Twitter.
NBC typically dazzles Madison Avenue with talk of BravoCon, “Sunday Night Football” and “Saturday Night Live.” Marshall was being asked to do just that when the chatter around the company was about anything else. Within hours of Yaccarino’s departure becoming known, Marshall got a call from Mike Cavanagh, president of NBC’s corporate owner, Comcast.
The executive “called and said, ‘This is not how we thought today would start, but you are the interim [leader], and you need to help us put on a really good show.” Marshall recalls. All of this happened in the middle of last year’s Hollywood writers strike as well, meaning Marshall had fewer scripted series to show off to the advertisers who gather each year to study NBC at Radio City Music Hall.
“It started that crazy,” says Marshall in a recent interview. “So the rest of it has seemed pretty normal.” *** LISTEN: Mark Marshall Talks Olympics, Upfronts and Why NBCUniversal is Becoming a Technology Company on Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast *** Even so, Marshall, 54, is
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