Effectv, Comcast Cable’s advertising sales division, said it has hired Chris Vail as VP, political sales.
Vail, who had been head of government, political and omnichannel advertising at Snap, fills a post that had been held by veteran Dan Sinagoga, who has become a senior adviser to the company.
In his new position, Vail will head Effectv’s political sales unit and oversee its relationships with Comcast Government Affairs and Ampersand.
Vail previously worked at Effectv (then known as Comcast Spotlight) in 2013 as an account executive.
Sinagoga will continue to work closely with the political sales team and Effectv leadership as the company prepares for the 2024 presidential election cycle.
“At Effectv, we firmly believe that talent is our greatest asset. Having Chris join and bring to Effectv a wealth of digital experience and passion for building and motivating high-performing teams, while also retaining Dan and his years of deep industry knowledge, is wonderful for our nationwide team of political sellers,” Pooja Midha, executive VP and GM of Effectv, said. “As we enter a major presidential election season, these moves allow us to have two of the industry’s top political ad experts bring their best to serving our customers.”
Before Snap, Vail was VP of sales for Downstream and manager and business site lead, advertising sales, at Amazon.
“Returning to Effectv is such a full-circle moment for me and comes at a perfect time, just as we are heading into a pivotal election year,” Vail said. “While we currently live in a fragmented world in terms of how consumers receive their news and content, there remains much opportunity for political advertisers to reach viewers at scale with Effectv’s audience-driven, multiscreen approach.”
Sinagoga has been with Comcast for more than 20 years, rising from political manager to his most recent role as VP, political advertising.
“As I step into my new role, I just want to say that I am incredibly thrilled, grateful and humble at the same time,” Sinagoga said. “These new appointments attest to Effectv’s commitment to continue investing in, retaining and growing key company talent. I am excited to be moving into a new role and am greatly looking forward to the opportunity for our political team to continue growing, innovating and bringing customers best-in-class solutions and service under Chris’s leadership. I’ve known Chris a long time and one of the things I admire most about him is his emphasis on people and culture.”
