Media.net’s Terrence Moduthagam on Smarter Curation & Human-Centered AI

In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem live from Adweek, host Adam Katz sits down with Terrence Moduthagam, VP at Media.net, to reflect on a year of partnership, cultural alignment, and shared innovation between their companies. Terrence leads the curation business for Media.net Exchange — a nearly 2,000-person, product-led organization shaping the future of sell-side media targeting. Terrence explains how curation is evolving beyond data signals alone — toward pairing intelligence with culturally relevant moments that matter to real people. He discusses why collaboration with partners like Sightly has helped unlock growth through culturally aligned activation and stronger marketplace influence. The conversation dives deep into: AI’s true role in advertising — not replacing people, but elevating creativity and decision-making How democratized knowledge is expanding global maturity and leveling access to innovation The importance of product experimentation and tinkering to drive what’s next How Media.net builds global culture and scale while still operating like a scrappy startup Terrence also shares his passion for mentorship — helping others break into the industry — and how teaching empathy to his daughters keeps him grounded, optimistic, and focused on what matters most. This episode is an inside look at where ad tech, culture, and humanity meet — and how leaders like Terrence are steering the industry into its next wave of intelligent change.