Leadership

Phil brings more than 30 years of experience in advertising, marketing, and investment banking to his New York City based firm, including:

• Partner and Managing Director of an M&A advisory firm focused on the marketing services industry.
• CEO of MC2, an event-marketing firm for corporate events, meetings, exhibits and environments.
• President of Ammirati Puris Lintas, where he oversaw $600 million in revenue as a member of the worldwide board.
• General Manager, CFO, and Partner of the renowned and highly respected Ammirati & Puris advertising agency. Phil led the highly successful sale of the agency to IPG delivering a remarkable 25:1 return on equity to shareholders.

His experience within the banking and marketing worlds as a former owner and seller provides a unique perspective to clients in digital advertising, public relations, media buying, and other marketing services sectors seeking M&A and financial counsel.

Phil is often quoted in the press and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where he is a recognized expert in developing practical strategies for creating and driving shareholder value, and in helping owners formulate succession and exit strategies.

David brings 30 years of experience to PALAZZO, including:

• President of David Abraham & Company, LLC (DAC), a financial advisory firm specializing in electronic media transactions.
• General Partner of DAC Capital Partners, LP, which invested in a communications technology company.
• VP of Operations and Finance of AMSAT Cable, a cable television operator.

At DAC, David advised and helped form JetBroadband. He was involved in its initial acquisition and related three-tier financing, and a subsequent accretive acquisition/trade of cable TV subscribers. Jet was sold for $150 million in 2009.

Among numerous other transactions, David served as financial and strategic advisor to SkyView Media Group (originally Ethnic-American Broadcasting Company), completing 10 transactions during a span of 6 years culminating in a $200 million multi-faceted transaction. These efforts enabled the company to achieve 11-fold growth during that period.

His extensive finance and operations experience provide a broad perspective to clients seeking strategic advice and financial counsel.

David has participated in many industry conferences and panels, with presentations and discussions regarding developing trends throughout the media business.

• Executive Principal-COO of Publicis Groupe’s Dialog division, managing integrated marketing services, including direct marketing, interactive, sales promotion and public relations, with a focus on fully integrated advertising and marketing services.
• Agency Principal and Executive Vice President/CFO of Gramercy Group, a full service marketing agency; and,
• Vice President of Carlson Healthcare Communications. specializing in Rx & OTC marketing initiatives for physicians, patients, and consumers.

Gary's experience as both a banker and a hands-on operator gives him uncommon insight into the issues and opportunities owners and operators face as they strive to build their firms, and is expert at forging practical, actionable solutions for clients.

Author Robert Solomon is recognized as one of America's most knowledgeable and respected client service experts, known for his skill in agency strategy, new business development, account management, and competitive assessment.

Robert previously was:

• President and CEO of Rapp New York;
• President of Direct and Interactive Marketing at Ammirati Puris Lintas;
• General Manager of FCB Direct West; and
• Senior Vice President and Associate Partner of Bronner Slosberg Associates (now Digitas).

Robert is at work on a new book on account management, called, Day One: What You Need to Know to Thrive in a Marketing Agency, and blogs regularly on client service issues at adventuresinclientservice.com.