Day in the Life: Ron Petty, Senior Director, Independent Demand Facilitation

Ron Petty, our senior director of independent demand facilitation, describes a typical day in his life working in Magnite’s New York office. 

Magnite’s Day in the Life series dives into the various people and teams that make up the world’s largest independent sell-side ad company.

How would you describe your role to someone outside of the ad tech industry?

I usually start with, “I work in digital advertising,” and explain that I help agencies and their advertisers manage digital marketing budgets more effectively. 

My role is to serve as a consultative resource to partners focused on programmatic buying. Rather than just “selling ads,” I help them prioritize Magnite supply within their DSP, curate deals, optimize supply paths through SPO agreements, and apply data partnerships when applicable. In a crowded ecosystem, the biggest challenge is differentiating Magnite from other suppliers available within DSPs. Being a part of the first SSP Independent Agency Demand team in the industry has been an amazing experience. Especially at a time when most publishers focus on holdco and brand-direct demand, creating an opportunity to accept niche, independent demand. Every day brings a new challenge as you attempt to support multiple agencies’ innovation strategies and AI solutions by enhancing their ad tech stacks. 

How does your team support Magnite? Who are your closest collaborators in other departments? 

The Independent Demand Facilitation team manages demand partnerships for agencies not owned by holdcos and for emerging in-house advertisers. 

I work most closely with Client Success and Media Planning, but also collaborate with Demand Strategy, Business Intelligence, and Legal to activate campaigns, troubleshoot deals, negotiate SPO agreements, and ensure strong performance while providing transparency.

What does a typical day at Magnite look like for you?

After commuting in from New Jersey, my focus is on building client relationships by partnering with them on programmatic strategy. Independent agencies handle a high volume of smaller accounts with highly customized needs. Every day is different. One day, I may work on curating inventory for a new request for proposal (RFP) or troubleshooting a deal to drive share. Other days, I’m consulting with agencies or advertisers on the ways Magnite can play a role to support a new strategy, brand launch, or new ad format testing. 

There are many tasks that independent agencies look to achieve in a short amount of time. This means we have to adapt to their needs. Many agencies prefer to set up deals themselves in the DSP and then reach out for troubleshooting. A typical problem we solve daily is managing communication with publishers. I typically ask clients to identify their priority content providers so Magnite can manage communication across all other supply partners. That approach takes work off their plate and allows them to complete more daily tasks. 

A large part of my day involves improving client partnerships with consistent internal collaboration across multiple departments to support the clients’ biddable strategy. 

Talk about a recent project that you’re proud of yourself and your team for accomplishing.

One of my biggest accomplishments includes boosting revenue in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions with the largest independent agencies. My book of business has grown from seven to nine figures annually over the past three years (20%+ YoY growth since 2022). 

I’m proud to be one of the first members of the Independent Demand team to bring Supply Path Optimization (SPO) or Post Auction Discount (PAD) agreements into the independent agency space at Magnite. While SPO used to be more common with holdcos and brand-direct clients, we identified a significant opportunity and closed one of the first annual agreements in 2023. Fast forward to 2026, I’m responsible for managing five or more SPO partnerships. 

These agreements deepen our partnerships, support long-term collaboration, and reinforce Magnite as a preferred supply partner within agencies’ core SSP groups.The most rewarding result of this project has been the adoption of this type of partnership across our Independent Demand Facilitation team. 

You’re part of Magnite’s Black employee resource group, Thrive. How has it made a positive impact at Magnite?

Thrive meets quarterly and hosts internal events throughout the year, including celebrations around Black History Month and Juneteenth, that are open to all employees. One of the biggest impacts has been creating opportunities for different teams to connect outside of a traditional working environment. With how busy everyone is, we don’t always get time to build relationships beyond our day-to-day responsibilities. Thrive events give people the chance to be themselves, build cross-functional connections, and meet colleagues they may not interact with regularly.

We’re also working toward launching a speaker series that will highlight internal leaders and, eventually, external voices. As we attract more early-career talent, we want to create space for industry veterans to share their journeys, including challenges, lessons learned, and how they’ve navigated obstacles within advertising. Thrive helps foster community, visibility, and encouragement across Magnite as a whole.

What’s your go-to hobby to unwind and recharge outside of the office?

In my free time, I’m most likely traveling or exercising in the gym. My favorite recreational sports are snowboarding, golf, and boxing.

At home, my wife and I recently welcomed a new baby. Between that, plus two dogs and two cats, life is always busy. Spending time with my family has become my favorite way to unwind and recharge. While it may not always feel like “downtime,” being present at home or while traveling is what truly resets me before returning to the office.