Description:

Matt Weisbecker is a media and advertising executive with 30 years of experience building and scaling revenue organizations across broadcast, digital media, and ad tech.

In this episode, Ray Erickson sits down with Matt to trace the full arc, from an unexpected start at AOL (selling early digital programs like search banners and helping shape revenue models for iconic brands like AIM), to leading in complex organizations like NBC, to building high-performing teams across roles at Amazon, GumGum, Epsilon/Conversant, and as Chief Revenue Officer at MyCode.

Matt shares what great leadership actually looks like day-to-day...adapting your leadership style to different personalities, staying transparent with teams (“go do this… and here’s why”), and why “professional persistence” is one of the most underrated skills in sales.

They also dig into a practical edge for modern sellers...storytelling that works in today’s shorter meetings, and why listening, including being comfortable with silence, often gets you the truth faster than talking.

Chapter Breakdown:

01:45 - Morning routine: gratitude, mushroom coffee, news scan

04:56 - Falling in love with digital & building inside sales at AOL

06:35 - When leadership became the path (and why)

11:47 - Mentorship theme: who shaped Matt’s leadership

12:01 - AOL mentor story, Paul Corvino & the Motorola meeting

15:27 - NBC mentors & the “empower your people” leadership model

24:49 - Advising founders now: what leaders consistently underestimate

29:08 - What he hopes people say about working for him (impact, trust, “I have your back”)

33:27 - Sales skills that matter, professional persistence, storytelling, transparency

38:24 - Listening, reading the room, and being comfortable with silence

41:42 - Lightning round

43:18 - Ray’s recap & closing thoughts

44:15 - Outro / where to follow The Seat

Keywords:

sales leadership, mentorship, professional persistence, digital advertising, ad tech, media sales, leadership development, storytelling in sales, listening skills, transparency in leadership, managing up, managing down, AOL, NBC, Amazon Ads, GumGum, Epsilon, Conversant, MyCode, multicultural marketing, Mundial Media, ThinkLA

Matt's Bio:

Matt Weisbecker is a media and advertising executive with 20+ years of experience building and scaling revenue organizations across broadcast, digital media, and ad tech. He’s held leadership roles at AOL, NBC, Amazon, GumGum, and Epsilon/Conversant, and most recently served as Chief Revenue Officer at MyCode. Today, Matt is an Executive Advisor at Mundial Media, partnering with leadership teams on growth and commercial strategy, and serves on the board of ThinkLA.

Ray's Bio:

Ray Erickson is a media and advertising sales leader with deep experience in CTV, digital, and ad tech. On The Seat, he interviews revenue executives to unpack the mentors, setbacks, and defining moments that shape how sales executives lead.

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