"People were really rooting for him to succeed, and they're still rooting for him. That doesn't happen by accident. That happens over decades of delivering results."

— John Muszynski, U.S. Chairman, Publicis Media Exchange

By Jon Lafayette

Every year at the Disney upfront, Jimmy Kimmel skewers people in the ad business. This year, Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, floated into Kimmel’s crosshairs. At NBCU’s event the previous day, Marshall had remarked that NBCU had the greatest collection of content ever assembled. Kimmel wondered if Marshall had heard of Pornhub.

“Based on the expression on his face, I feel like he has,” Kimmel cracked. “But listen, Mark’s personal … habits are none of your business, and shame on you for even thinking about them.”

Marshall said he got about 40 texts in 40 minutes letting him know he was being roasted. Marshall ended up sending Kimmel an autographed picture of himself and a gift card for Peacock. “These things are all about fun and entertainment,” Marshall said.

The incident highlighted Marshall’s prominence in the business. “He’s in the big leagues now,” said Publicis Media Exchange U.S. chairman John Muszynski, who called Marshall “one of the best sales guys I’ve ever dealt with … He is just an astute businessman. He really gets it, but his personality and his presence set him apart.”

Comfortable on Center Stage

This year wasn’t the first time Marshall was in the spotlight. When his predecessor, Linda Yaccarino, suddenly left to become CEO of X just days before the 2023 NBCU upfront, Marshall stepped onto the Radio City Music Hall stage and crushed it.

“It was a wild few days,” Marshall recalled. “No one’s really prepared to walk on in front of 6,000 people, but we got through it.”

Marshall grew up outside Chicago and went to Valparaiso University in Indiana. His grandfather had been in the advertising business. “I always just assumed I was going into advertising,” he said.

A Valpo alum was hiring at The Family Channel and Marshall got his first sales job in Chicago. He soon moved to Turner Broadcasting System. Marshall displayed attributes that showed he was destined for the big time, said his former boss at Turner, Jon Diament, now executive VP, ad sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. “He was super-creative as well as good with numbers,” Diament said. “You don’t usually get both in the same person. He also developed amazing relationships because he had great Midwestern values.”

Marshall moved to Los Angeles (where he listened to Kimmel on the radio) to run Turner’s West Coast sports-sales operations. He returned to Chicago with Turner before following Yaccarino to NBCU. “No one moves back to Chicago from Los Angeles other than the Marshalls,” he said.

Marshall moved to New York in 2018, first as executive VP, NBCU Entertainment Sales, then as president, Advertising and Client Partnerships. Marshall focused the NBCU sales team on meeting client needs. “I want us to wake up every day and figure out how to make our clients’ marketing more effective,” he said. “I think they will take care of us if we take care of them.”

Buyers believe Marshall takes that approach to heart. “He's always been very client-focused,” Maureen Bosetti, chief investment officer at IPG Mediabrands, said. “He’s always someone that you can call,” she continued. “He’s willing to help you out and find a solution. He deals with a lot of difficult circumstances but I enjoy working with Mark. He's a great partner.”
 

“It’s the best job ever because you get to learn about all these different industries and all these different clients. That’s my favorite part.”

— Mark Marshall

Relationship Builder

Matt Strauss, now chairman of the NBCU Media Group, observed that connection when Peacock was being created. Unlike other streamers, which were commercial-free, Peacock was designed to be ad-supported. “We didn’t have a product,” Strauss said. “We didn’t have any subscribers. We weren't even clear on exactly what the programming lineup was going to be. And Mark and the team were still able to bring those partners to the table. It really speaks to the relationships and the trust that he has with the advertising community that they saw the vision. “He’s a very relatable person for such a senior executive,” Strauss added.

When Marshall was named chairman, “people were really rooting for him to succeed, and they're still rooting for him. That doesn't happen by accident. That happens over decades of delivering results.”

Marshall met his wife Maura at Family Channel when he was a sales planner and she was a sales assistant. “She had been along for the ride the whole time,” he said. Marshall doesn’t expect his son or daughter to follow him into the family business, though he says he comes home from work most days with a smile on his face.

“I love my job,” he said. “One meeting might be with the CMO of an oil company. The next one is with Walmart. The next one is with Nike. It’s the best job ever because you get to learn about all these different industries and all these different clients. That’s my favorite part.”