AKA has announced an expansion of its paid media team, creating new positions and introducing both new hires and promotions across the team. The larger team will include specialized departments in digital and legacy media, each helmed by a member of senior leadership.
The online media department is now led by senior digital directors Hailey Barton and Joe Antonini. Barton was promoted in April, having started as a senior media director at the firm in 2025. Antonini joins from ad and marketing agency Situation, having served as media director for Broadway clients like Disney Theatrical Group, “Wicked” and “MJ.” Barton and Antonini will oversee departments specializing in search engine and social media advertising, as well as <a href="https://<a href="https://bitcomme.com/crm-features-your-business-cant-function-without/” title=”CRM Features Your Business Can't Function Without”>business.adobe.com/blog/basics/programmatic-advertising-made-simple?ref=broadwaynews.com” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>programmatic advertising, in which software is used to automate digital ad space purchases. They will report to head of paid media Samantha Bussell.
New hires Gianna Schott and Marshall Shaffer joined the team in May as performance marketing directors. They will be tasked with using audience, creative and media data to optimize digital marketing, using data from past AKA campaigns to influence future strategy. Schott and Shaffer will also report to Bussell.
In addition, Alyssa Wagner, who has been with AKA since 2024, has been promoted to director of paid search as of April. Wagner will continue to lead AKA’s Google strategy, responding to the increased influence of intent, discovery and AI on search engine usage. Wagner will also report to Bussell.
As of May, Wei Ma, who has been with AKA since 2023, will helm the firm’s offline media strategy as senior media investments director. In this role, Ma will guide the firm’s negotiations with legacy media platforms like news, television and radio, reporting to Bussell.
AKA’s expanded paid media offerings will be supported by its business intelligence team, which helps clients translate data — like audience behavior, market demand and campaign performance — into actionable marketing strategies. The business intelligence team has also announced a new hire: Nishant Varughese joined AKA in May in the newly created position of director of commercial strategy and insights. Varughese and his team will serve to connect clients with the paid media team, using the results of AKA’s past campaigns to determine marketing strategies for clients. To that end, Varughese will collaborate with the paid media, strategy and client services teams, reporting to AKA vice president of business strategy Marc Jablonski.
“Media is no longer just about buying attention,” said Bussell in a statement. “AKA sits at the intersection of data, technology, creativity and live entertainment. Our singular scale gives us a powerful view of the entertainment market, but our people are what turn that intelligence into strategy, performance and growth for our clients.”
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“Our clients are not looking for channel plans. They are looking for smarter decisions,” added Amanda Blackman, chief strategy officer for AKA US. “The future of media belongs to agencies that can connect the speed of technology with the nuance of human behavior. That is especially true in live entertainment, where the product is emotional, time-sensitive, culturally driven and deeply human. This team gives AKA the structure, senior talent and technical rigor to lead that future.”
AKA is an independent, full-service advertising agency with a special focus on arts and culture. The company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Manchester. AKA NYC counts among its current Broadway clients “& Juliet,” “Buena Vista Social Club,” Tony Award-winning Best Play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” Tony-winning Best Musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” Tony-winning Best Musical “Schmigadoon!” and Tony-winning Best Musical “The Book of Mormon,” as well as the upcoming Broadway productions of “Dolly,” “Evita,” “Inter Alia” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” AKA has also collaborated with the nonprofit theater companies Lincoln Center Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club.
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Personnel — AKA — News — Hailey Barton — Joe Antonini — Samantha Bussell — Gianna Schott — Marshall Shaffer — Alyssa Wagner — Wei Ma — Nishant Varughese — Marc Jablonski — Amanda Blackman
