What’s next
While it is unclear what exactly is next for Kassan, one thing is certain—he isn’t going away any time soon.
Behind the scenes, Kassan has been proactively calling some of his staunch supporters ahead of launching his next venture, according to multiple people, including one agency executive who said Kassan called his shop to essentially say, “‘I’ll be back, so if you’ve got projects, wait.’”
According to another person close to the matter, Kassan has also been getting “dozens” of calls from former clients asking when his next venture will be ready to launch.
Kassan declined to comment on these conversations.
There is still an ongoing legal battle that will determine whether Kassan can open a competing company to MediaLink, which he founded in 2003. UTA’s suit against Kassan has focused on whether he can compete since March, when it moved its other original claims centered around financial improprieties into arbitration, meaning behind closed doors. On May 15, the judge overseeing the case then ruled to move UTA’s non-compete claims into arbitration, as well.
“Our focus is on supporting the great work MediaLink has always done and continues to do on behalf of its clients, and we look forward to unlocking new opportunities together,” a UTA spokesperson said regarding the lawsuit. “Separately, we will continue to pursue this matter through legal channels and are confident that the facts will prevail.”
Kassan has argued that his former parent company is trying to tarnish his reputation and that he is entitled to form a new company because he resigned on March 6, before UTA said it fired him on March 7.
“No, there are no existing non-competes, or restrictive covenants, as Michael waived his $10 million severance as set forth in his agreement,” Sanford Michelman, Kassan’s attorney, said. “All UTA has done since then is try to tarnish Mr. Kassan’s reputation since they know they can’t keep him from competing and hope the impact is a synthetic non-compete. It won’t work.”
Some ad leaders suggest that Kassan has done enough in building MediaLink and should just let it thrive by not creating another venture—that he’s only going to hurt the talented people who still work there whom he himself recruited. Kassan declined to comment.
Still, one recruiter who knows Kassan said he truly seems to love the industry and shouldn’t be faulted for wanting to continue working in it. “Michael Kassan isn’t going to wake up one day and become a yoga teacher,” this person said.
Behind Kassan’s industry rise
Kassan got his start as a tax lawyer for the entertainment industry. He would eventually join Interpublic Group of Cos. media buying agency Western Initiative Media Worldwide in 1994 and serve as president of U.S. operations, where he also was caught up in a messy breakup. The recent legal back and forth had UTA pointing to civil judgments against Kassan and earlier arbitrations, including a 1999 lawsuit with his former employer Western Initiative Media Worldwide, in its complaint.
According to the person close to the matter, Kassan filed a suit against Western Initiative Media Worldwide that was then settled. After that, IPG became a venture partner of Kassan’s and a MediaLink client for more than 15 years.
Kassan went on to start MediaLink in 2003 and grow it into a behemoth that has been sold twice: first to Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity parent Ascential in 2017, in a deal valued at $207 million, and then to UTA in 2021 for $125 million.
MediaLink is a major player in ad agency reviews and placements of key chief marketing officers and CEOs, such as former Dentsu Global CEO Wendy Clark and the 4A’s President and CEO Marla Kaplowitz. It also offers consulting on mergers and acquisitions, marketing, media and tech. MediaLink is currently handling a CRM agency review for General Motors and consulting on the automaker’s media model, as well as a creative review for Adobe. It also just wrapped up a Gap media review, resulting in Omnicom taking the business.