May 2019 Covers

May 2019. Issue 3

INSIDER'S VIEW: XANDR IN NY

WHERE DATA - DR I VEN ADVERT I S I NG AND CONT ENT MEE T

One of the greatest things about the development programs here at AT&T is the sense of community and family created across our vast organization Through the launch of LDP Connect Conversations, Ray Carpenter, CFO of Xandr and  a development program alumnus, expressed interest in engaging with the LDP Connect Leadership team and discussing long-term collaboration. One such way provided me with the opportunity to visit the Xandr headquarters in New York City. Ray was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss his career path, advice for current development program participants and the rapid growth of Xandr. Ray’s team was very generous with their time during my visit to NYC and as a result, we’re taking each of you on a virtual visit to our offices in the “Big Apple!” The morning in Midtown started with coffee at Brooklyn Roasting Company just down the street from the office. Upon arriving at the “South” Building (as it’s referred to by AT&T locals), we uncovered a little history behind  the former AppNexus headquarters from a pair of long-time security guards whose tenure began in the 1970s.

1988 Academy Award-nominated “Big”, including the first shoot of what would become the now famous piano scene at the toy store, were filmed out of our AT&T “South” Building in Manhattan. The security guards had very fond memories of Director Penny Marshall inviting them to join the crew for food, and a young Tom Hanks stopping by their desks to tell a few jokes or extend an invite to fill an extra chair in a game of poker. We all know that our company has a long and storied history, but we can certainly now add this to the list of happenstance connections to the entertainment business long before adding WarnerMedia to the family. The afternoon was then spent at our AT&T “North” Building at 1 Rockefeller Center. Our offices overlook the iconic skating rink, which has to be a pretty special view come the holiday season when the area is decorated along with “the tree of trees” each December. One of the other highlights was walking by Xandr CEO Brian Lesser’s office and seeing first-hand the artwork on “the intersection of data-driven advertising and content.” It was an exhilarating day and the journey left me even more optimistic about our company’s very bright future, in New York, Texas and across the globe!

A good number of the office scenes from the