Day in the Life: Andreas Finzel, Senior Account Director, Business Development, EMEA

Andreas, a senior account director in EMEA, takes us through a typical day in his life in Magnite’s London office.

Magnite’s Day in the Life series dives into the various people and teams that make up the world’s largest independent sell-side ad company.

How would you explain what you do to someone outside the industry?

I help storytellers and streaming services make money. At Magnite, we run marketplaces that publishers use to sell their ads. My job is to work with media companies from around Europe to help them get the most out of their ad spaces. Our conversations are about how they can improve their business models and what data can help make their offerings even more attractive to advertisers. So, if you ever wondered where all the ads are coming from suddenly, sorry, not sorry!

How does your team support Magnite? Who are your closest collaborators in other departments? 

The Business Development team focuses on those TV and media companies we don’t work with yet. Our goal is always to win new partners to work with so that we have more and better inventory to sell, more deals on our platforms, more ad spend running through, and, ultimately, more net revenue. We primarily work with our SpringServe ad server team, lawyers, tech operations, and account managers. Together, we can give our partners a more holistic advertising solution, including contracts, onboarding, and ongoing support. 

What does a typical day at Magnite look like for you?

I constantly review lists of potential companies we want to reach. It’s usually names that I am excited about. What channels, platforms, or services do they run? What’s their plan for monetisation? How can we help them? What’s the latest update we got from them? When can we talk again? The team and I split our time talking to clients online or in person, preparing these conversations, or following up with other departments to make sure our partners get what they need. 

Talk about a recent project that you’re proud of yourself and your team for accomplishing.

We recently started working with a partner that brings a major sports brand into their first programmatic CTV offering. This is an area that’s changing right now, and it’s exciting to see how beloved sports organizations are taking steps to transform their business into the future.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

What I like most is that I get to chat with all kinds of famous media brands about their strategy. I love the content, but also the business behind it. It’s fun not just to work for one publisher but to get insights across the media economy.

What’s your go-to hobby to unwind and recharge outside of the office?

Since moving to the UK, I have become an enthusiastic rower and find myself splashing around in rivers and lakes around the country. It’s surprisingly fun to do the same movement hundreds of times without seeing where you are going. Try it out!