Q&A with Anton, VP Product & Innovation

Meet Anton, the driving force behind ElementalTV's innovation engine, and one of the leading masterminds behind VISTA, our game-changing audience activation platform. Anton’s passion for technology, precision engineering and continuous improvement is what makes VISTA a cut above the rest of the CTV monetization tools out there. A veteran in the field of advanced TV, Anton brings in years of expertise and tech mastery to the ElementalTV team. And when he’s not shaping the future of CTV, you can find him exploring new countries, swimming, biking, or hitting the gym. Anton’s unique blend of creativity and technical expertise fuels his vision for VISTA, making him the perfect architect for our CTV vision.

Q1. Tell us a bit about your background - what led you to venture out into Product Management?

My journey in product management began quite spontaneously and has been a culmination of experiences across the ad tech landscape. Back in 2015 I decided to change my offline entrepreneurship venture and joined an ad tech startup. Running a few startups such as, a mobile monetization platform and later a DSP, I gained insights into real-time bidding, affiliate marketing and got acquainted with the ad tech ecosystem, along with mastering the fundamental principles of product management. My role as a Product Manager at Adoppler honed my product management skills and deepened my ad tech understanding. Adoppler was designed as a unified platform for moving digital media buying and selling in-house, including tracking, monitoring, analytics, reporting and fraud detection systems. Adoppler’s product evolution driven by changes in the market led to a shift in our focus towards the CTV space, resulting in the inception of ElementalTV - a leading CTV product. Heading product at ElementalTV allowed me to delve very deep into the CTV domain, leading to the creation of groundbreaking ad solutions. This progression reflects my commitment to bridging technology and business needs, ultimately steering me towards the dynamic realm of product management.

Q2. Tell us about the story behind VISTA? How did it come into existence and where do you see it in the future?

From a product perspective, VISTA represents the culmination of iterative enhancements and a commitment to staying ahead in the CTV landscape. It emerged as a response to the challenges within the rapidly growing CTV industry and our inception was fueled by a commitment to address prevalent gaps and pain points.

CTV publishers possess a wealth of untapped audience data, leading to a significant portion of valuable inventory falling into the hands of intermediaries. VISTA aims to fill this void by augmenting inventory with powerful and actionable data, transforming audiences from mere deal IDs into cohesive groups of real viewers with precise interests and preferences. Looking ahead, I envision VISTA as a transformative force, setting new standards for audience engagement and revenue optimization.

Q3. How would you differentiate VISTA and the tech behind it from other similar platforms?

VISTA's differentiation lies in its proprietary technology and unique features. The platform seamlessly integrates DMP, DSP, and SSP functionalities, setting it apart in the CTV landscape. VISTA stands as a testament to ElementalTV’s unparalleled audience monetization capabilities, integrating advanced media planning, audience insights, and business intelligence tools in order to elevate client experience. VISTA's focus on holistic audience planning, supply path optimization (SPO), and advanced campaign management ensures advertisers have unparalleled targeting precision and operational efficiency. The commitment to cross-device attribution and privacy further cements VISTA's position as a frontrunner in the market.

Q4. What does a routine day look like for you and your team?

My routine revolves around collaborating with cross-functional teams, whose expertise and dedication make sure our product is continuously improving. We work seamlessly together with the dev team, utilizing agile methodologies to iterate and enhance VISTA. In the rapidly evolving CTV landscape, our agile sprint cycles are a testament to the team's adaptability, ensuring we stay nimble and responsive to our clients' evolving needs. The success of VISTA is not just a result of ongoing product enhancements but also the result of our business and product teams' proactive anticipation of industry trends, keeping us at the forefront of innovation. I am truly grateful for the collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment of all ElementalTV team members, whose efforts contribute significantly to our continued success.

Q5. What excites you the most about VISTA and its potential to transform CTV advertising?

The platform's unique, holistic approach to audience planning, supply optimization, and advanced campaign management sets a new standard in a crowded industry, fraught with fragmentation and a disconnect between buyer and seller objectives.  By offering audience-centric advertising solutions, designed for publishers to target audiences effectively across the diverse CTV landscape, VISTA stands out from amongst the plethora of tech partners offering audience monetization solutions. VISTA doesn’t claim to “sell” your inventory for you, it empowers you to be the driver of your own success by championing your audience data and packaging it for campaign success.