This is Milner Butcher Media Group

We help companies invest their
dollars for maximum impact.

Back in the day, Bruce Milner and Andrew Butcher met one another as employees of Media Buying Services International…one of the first independent Media Services in the world.  They became fast friends and decided to open up their own shop, creating International Communications Group, Inc. (better known as ICG).

At its apex, ICG grew to be one of the largest independent media agencies in the United States, with 10 offices and a roster of clients big and small.  In 1997 ICG was sold to Aegis (now Dentsu Aegis) and became the foundational entity of Carat North America. 

What next?  As habitual builders and creators they founded a new media service with a nugget of insight at the core:  smaller clients want the same level of experience and attention that the big clients get.  

With a new philosophy and design, they created a nimbler, more efficient and fully transparent media services group catering to small and mid-sized accounts and structured entirely around clients’ business goals.  This new model leverages big agency experience and a best practices approach while still offering direct access to senior staff and management. 
This is MBMG.

We overdeliver for our clients in our core areas of expertise, while excelling in responsiveness, professionalism and a commitment to invention.

Why choose us

We're big enough to matter and small enough to cherish ALL of our clients

Active In All Media Types

From National Television to Local Search, (and everything in between), we're active!

Legitimate Expertise

We know the nuances of the marketplace like the backs of our hands.

Serious About Your Investment

We don’t just “place” media. We leverage the lowest price for the inventory that works for your brand

Focused On Results

We were into KPIs before they were a thing.

Capabilities

Our Solutions

Communications Planning
& Media Planning

Our Account Directors are all classically trained at the major agencies, and led by a President who was Director of Planning for Carat USA and set up Carat’s original Comms Planning Team for P&G…and supported by an Insights Director who is also a trained planner. We have planning covered.

Research & Insight

Supported by a wide palette of syndicated sources, and orchestrated by a noted media industry Insights Director, our staff is fully supported to pull insights from data and craft strategies based upon those insights.

Direct Response Planning,
Buying, Analysis &
Optimization

Direct response is in our DNA. From the simple old days of unique 800 numbers and call centers to today’s ACR dataset attribution methodologies, we have guided multiple clients to fantastic growth with a keen eye to CAC. We trade in all of the inventory marketplaces and pull those levers daily. DR is our sweet spot.

Media Buying & Reporting
Across All Media Types

Does the plan call for a National TV Upfront buy? Local search in Seattle? A first-party targeted OTT campaign? A LinkedIn campaign? Digital OOH in Los Angeles? A campaign of P4CB spreads in the culinary category? A radio remote in Bend? We buy it all and we negotiate it all.

Analytics, Modeling
& Dashboarding

With a Direct Response orientation MBMG has focused on results since inception. From one-off segmentation projects to ongoing cross-channel attribution and optimization, analytics is a ready tool in the MBMG toolkit.

Full Transparency Reconciliation and Billing

All media invoices are reconciled back to orders (and audience guarantees where applicable). We are full disclosure, so any client can see the original invoices if they wish and can dissect a reconciliation report if they wish. There are no hidden fees or “one division selling media to another division” nonsense at MBMG.

CLIENT EXPERIENCE

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Let's create magic together

Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

Get free consultation

MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

There is a cliché in the media agency business – after piece of business is won the “Pitch Team” recedes into the background and clients find themselves with an account/planning team long on working hours and short on experience.  And that team is tasked with shuffling workload through massive specialist departments.  That’s not us.

We are a closely-knit team of seasoned professionals, many with global experience at holding company agencies, who are singularly focused on our clients’ success. And we work as an integral member of our clients’ marketing teams, with a tireless drive to exceed their expectations.  Our departments are people a few feet away that we know and like.  The average tenure of our client list is over 9 years.  Our Account Directors have a minimum of 15 years of experience and they actually work on their clients’ businesses every day.

 

We tell the truth, build trust and grow our clients’ business.

We know what we are doing, we do it well and we do it on time.

Bruce Milner

CO-CHAIRMAN, CEO
bmilner@mbmg-media.com
Bruce is a car collector, seeking the most exquisite examples of the models that move him. He brings the same search for perfection to media planning and buying for clients. He began his advertising career working in J. Walter Thompson’s international offices, managing clients like Gillette, Kellogg’s and Ford. In 1975, Bruce met Andrew in Los Angeles and four years later they co–founded ICG and have walked the same path ever since. Bruce’s media passion is direct response. To him, there is no truer form of marketing. He is mad for distinctive, high quality cars of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. He has always been the engine.

Andrew Butcher

CO-CHAIRMAN
abutcher@mbmg-media.com
After all this time running media agencies, Andrew still likes to roll up his sleeves and get involved in clients' day to day business. Andrew's career started at Ogilvy & Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi and Media Buying Services. In 1979 he and Bruce Milner founded ICG (International Communications Group), which was ultimately sold to Carat, where Andrew was Co-Chairman for 5 years before leaving to start MBMG in 2003. He is a devoted patron of the arts. He’s a voting member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a Founding Sponsor of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, a Supporter UCSB Arts and Lectures and a Jazz-Patron Lobero Theater Jazz Series, Monterey Jazz Festival, Brubeck Society. Andrew is the glue and the inspiration.

Bruce Dennler

PRESIDENT
bdennler@mbmg-media.com
Through an illustrious career that includes roles as President of Carat USA, Nielsen Entertainment and Palisades MediaGroup, along with Managing Partner of Assembly (West Coast), Bruce has remained a media strategist at heart while also managing research and analytics teams. Drawing insights from crosstabulations and whiteboarding strategic approaches still gets him going. He has plied his trade in New York, Los Angeles, London and San Francisco on brands including P&G, Hyundai/Kia, Pfizer and 21st Century Fox, to name but a few. He loves to read, watch movies, golf, watch football and cook – not necessarily all at the same time. He’s a pro’s pro.

Adrian Nash

COO, CFO
anash@mbmg-media.com
Adrian spent more than 20 years on the finance side of the media business with Mindshare and Carat, leveraging that experience to ensure that MBMG's operations run like clockwork so our team can focus on driving our clients' success. He’s crazy for rugby and sometimes seeks solace in the deep blue sea with a fishing pole in his hands. He has broad shoulders and makes everything go.

Julie Laforga

VP, BRAND DRIVER
jlaforga@mbmg-media.com
As a communications major at UC Santa Barbara, Julie had a college internship with the Day One advertising agency. It was there she knew that her career path would be in the advertising industry. After graduation, Julie joined Western International Media (now Initiative) then Carat. Her account experience ranges from QSR to retail, electronics to automotive and insurance, as well as direct response, and international markets. Julie joined MBMG in 2004. Her passions are seasonal sports and seasonal fruit. Her mistake-free output makes us think she may be a cyborg.

Anne Fullmer Chin

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BRAND DRIVER
achin@mbmg-media.com
Anne has worked with the MBMG team for more than 20 years, starting at ICG in 1989. Her extensive experience in media planning and buying took her into account management, working primarily on Pennzoil and Hardee’s. Anne started her media career in Portland, Oregon planning and buying media for regional McDonald’s and Toyota accounts. She moved to Los Angeles and continued developing her media skills at DJMC prior to joining ICG. She’s all about time with the family, traveling, and the Oregon Ducks. Anne is all about “over-deliver” all day long.

Jamie Bartholomew

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BRAND DRIVER
jbartholomew@mbmg-media.com
Jamie joined MBMG in July 2014 after 26 years at Western/Initiative. She is a results-driven executive with extensive experience in digital video, digital audio, local television, radio, cable, network radio, ethnic media and traffic radio. She has worked with clients in virtually every category and brings real world understanding and relationships to every engagement. She loves spending quality time with family and friends, traveling to Oregon to visit her granddaughters and entertaining. Ask any radio station manager on the West Coast about Jamie – the respect is palpable.

Susan Perez-Dumler

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BRAND DRIVER
sperez-dumler@mbmg-media.com
Susan began her career with Grey Advertising where she was trained in the art of brand planning on a litany of blue-chip accounts. After Grey, Susan became media buyer/planner at response-focused Walker Advertising then returned to brand advertising at cruz/kravetz:IDEAS as senior buyer/planner and was eventually promoted to Media Director. Susan manages a number of accounts at MBMG, ranging from QSR to DR and retail. She’s running to keep up with her three kids and English Bulldog but in her quiet moments she can be found baking bread, catching up on her DVR, and all things Disney. Susan knows it all without being a know it all.

Rob Chusid

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BRAND DRIVER
rchusid@mbmg-media.com
A native New Yorker, Rob has worked at both full-service and media services agencies in NY and LA before joining the team at MBMG. Rob has been fortunate to work with clients ranging from automotive to travel, banking, education, healthcare, insurance, media, museums, spirits/liquor and telecommunications. He is a gifted planner and client service professional with an intense client focus. Passions: The art of the negotiation, family, food, wine, music, and travel. Rob delights.

Marc Maiman

VP, NATIONAL IGNITION
mmaiman@mbmg-media.com
Marc is a veteran national broadcast executive with more than 20 years of experience in both buying and sales. He joined MBMG in 2013 and has been responsible for overseeing all network television negotiations, stewardship and account maintenance ever since. Marc is an aggressive negotiator and maintains excellent relationships with the National TV sales community in LA. He has worked on a wide array of clients from entertainment, packaged goods, video games, and financial/insurance. He’s never had a cavity and he’s a former EMT. He’s an exceptional and renowned buyer.

Lauren Iser

DIRECTOR, LOCAL IGNITION
liser@mbmg-media.com
Lauren has 25 years of experience in media buying. Over her career Lauren has worked at both large and boutique agencies on categories that include fast food, cars, hotel, social issues and retail. In 1995 she took her talents Westward from NYC, joining Ground Zero Advertising in 2000 where she created and supervised an in-house broadcast buying department. In 2011 Lauren joined MBMG where she oversees local broadcast buying. She’s an Israeli Army veteran (it’s a fun story) and can be found in the front row of any Springsteen concert she can get tickets to. Quite simply, Lauren rocks.

Tom Meyer

DIRECTOR, CONSUMER INSIGHTS
tmeyer@mbmg-media.com
There’s not enough room in this square for Tom. Tom began as a planner at ICG, ultimately becoming Director of Strategic planning at Carat on brands like Jack in the Box, Red Bull and Petco. Then Carat sent him to London where he flipped to research/insights. He came back and built a name in the research world (serving on industry organizations including the AAAA’s Media Measurement Committee, Nielsen’s Local Policy Guidelines Committee and Experian’s Advisory Council) with Carat and long stints at Horizon Media and KSL Media before coming home to MBMG. He’s a recognized industry gem.

Alysa Prieto

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR DR, NATIONAL IGNITION
aprieto@mbmg-media.com
Alysa is a Los Angeles native, graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Marketing Management and an emphasis in Advertising. Her first job in media was buying and planning DR radio campaigns. She enjoyed working with radio stations but was ready to make the move to TV. For the past 5 years, she has been buying and planning local and national DR TV campaigns. With 8 years of experience buying and planning DR campaigns, she has worked on a wide array of clients. Outside of work she enjoys traveling, binge-watching TV shows, and spending time with her yorkie, Fiona. Alysa is a weapon…a warm, gracious weapon.

Marina Crum

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL
mcrum@mbmg-media.com
Marina began her career at Threshold Interactive, where she found her passion in digital advertising. From working on social content for Nestlé products to planning digital campaigns for Kia Automotive, Marina was all in. She phased in traditional media chops at Campbell Ewald where she was a senior integrated media planner for Kaiser Permanente. Marina joined MBMG in November 2019 and since that time has collaborated with clients to build full-funnel campaigns, drive successful results. Passions: Exploring Los Angeles’ treasures and traveling the world. Marina is an island of calm and well-earned confidence in a stormy sea of digital detail.

How we work

THE 6 PILLARS OF MBMG

1.

Deliver Boutique At Scale

We believe in hand crafted, not cookie cutter. We are large enough to have leverage and small enough to care about our smaller clients. We are a team of experienced, senior level professionals with large agency pedigree dedicated to ensuring that our product is quality - and delivered with agility.

2.

Own The Truth

Truth allows us to sleep easy and breathe easy in a high-pressure industry. It is foundational to who we choose to be, who we choose to hire and who we choose to associate with. On the list of “Pros and Cons” there are no “Cons” for Truth. Truth builds trust which builds long term relationships.

3.

Unleash Data

Built on a foundation of response-driven clients, MBMG employs data to describe the past, set the course, optimize results and illuminate new opportunities. Our analytics team employs advanced analytic techniques that can lead to strategies that create a step change in business while also grinding the edges to find incremental gains.

4.

Open The Mind

Our communications planning process is agnostic, where we start with a clean slate and no preconceived strategies or tactics. Our Insights Team works to distill the essential brand-to-target connection and provides the data that helps us identify the best channels to reach the right target, in the right context, at the right time with the right message.

5.

Work The Price

It seems simple - almost quaint – but the notion of negotiating for the best rate possible is still good business. If a $100 unit can drive a $20 cost per sale, an $85 unit can drive an $17 cost per sale - which may be the difference between break-even and profitability. So let’s find a way to get that $85 rate. We put in the time to find the negotiation dimension that unlocks pricing.

6.

Results

Results are the scorecard. Most of our clients have been with us for years - without the results, they wouldn’t be.

Our agency in numbers

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Contact Info

Inquiries

Adrian Nash

310-923-7232

Email

anash@mbmg-media.com

Career Opportunities

careers@mbmg-media.com