The Middlemen Podcast — The people behind commerce media
The latest from the show.
S3 E30 · Oct 27, 2026 · 28 min
The Stay is Just the Start — Monique Perlmutter, Marriott Media Network
Travel changes how we shop. Whether we're preparing for a family vacation, attending a business conference, or taking the kids to a hockey tournament…
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S3 E29 · Oct 12, 2026 · 43 min
Can CTV Finally Be Measured on Sales? — Patrick Albano, Best Buy Ads
Patrick Albano doesn’t love the term retail media network. Days after Best Buy Ads’ upfront event, The Drop, the new CRO joined Tom and Todd to explain…
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S3 E28 · Oct 9, 2026 · 28 min
In-Store Before It Was Cool — George Forge, Quad
Quad was in-store before it was cool. Recorded at Groceryshop 2026, George Forge of Quad traces the company from a print shop in the back of a family…
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S3 E27 · Oct 5, 2026 · 42 min
The Agencies Are Coming — Jason O'Toole, Dentsu
Jason O'Toole spent most of his career on the brand side, most recently running media and connected commerce at Gildan, where he managed retail media…
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S3 E26 · Sep 30, 2026 · 35 min
What it Takes to Move Retail Media Offsite — Mark Sluzinski, BJ's Media Edge
BJ’s Media Edge has spent five years building its retail media business largely through owned-and-operated channels. Now the network is preparing to…
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S3 E25 · Sep 21, 2026 · 36 min
From Creators to CTV: Building a $2B Ad Business – Jesús Moreno Sosa, Mercado Ads
Tom and Todd spend a lot of time talking to retail media networks in the US. Somehow, they missed a $2 billion ad business in Latin America.
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About the show
Conversations from the center of commerce media.
The Middlemen is a long-form podcast with the people building commerce media: the operators, founders, retailers, publishers, agencies, and brands shaping what comes next.
Each episode gets into the decisions, partnerships, and infrastructure behind the industry—straight from the people in the middle of it.
30
Episodes this season
3
Seasons
3
Co-hosts
Meet the Middlemen
Tom Limongello
Co-host & Producer
Built retail media at Quotient and mobile ad tech at Crisp, after early CPG roots at Unilever in Chicago and Shanghai. Talks about retailer–brand relationships like grand military strategy — because that's what they are.
Todd Sawicki
Co-host
Founder of Nextipedia. Former CEO of Zemanta (acquired by Outbrain, 2017) and CRO at Cheezburger Network. Deep operator background across retail media and ad tech.
Scott Messer
Co-host
Founder of Messer Media, advising publishers and ad tech companies. Former SVP Media at Leaf Group. Two decades scaling digital media businesses through shifts in data, privacy and audience.
Where you'll catch us next.
November
The Intelligent Store: Physical Retail as a Channel
Shopper Missions
Deeper analysis of retail media and commerce, and how we stay in touch with the Middlemen community — the guests, operators and readers working in the middle of it. Free, on Substack.
[Latest post · Oct 22, 2026
Every retailer knows what you bought. Albertsons wants to know why.
Shopper missions give retail media more levers than price, and give shopping agents something to work with.
Read the post →](https://middlemen.substack.com/p/every-retailer-knows-what-you-bought)