MNTN hires Snap veteran Frank Lee to scale CTV agency partnerships

The appointment of Frank Lee signals a strategic shift to capture performance marketing budgets that have traditionally been reserved for search and social platforms. By recruiting a veteran from Meta and Snap, MNTN is attempting to standardize CTV buying through self-service measurement tools that mirror the workflows of established digital giants. This move challenges the traditional view of television as a top-of-funnel awareness medium, forcing a convergence between digital performance metrics and premium video inventory. Watch for whether MNTN can successfully migrate independent agency spend from social platforms to CTV as Lee leverages his existing network of agency holding companies.

MNTN has been building its agency-facing infrastructure aggressively. In early 2025, the company launched Performance TV, a self-service CTV platform that enables advertisers to run performance-based campaigns with measurable outcomes, directly targeting budgets that have historically flowed to search and social channels. The hire of Frank Lee, who spent over a decade at Snap building agency relationships, signals MNTN's intent to replicate the agency integration playbook that made Meta and Snap dominant in performance marketing. Lee's experience managing Snap's agency partnerships during its growth phase gives him direct relationships with holding company executives who control billions in digital ad spend.

The competitive landscape for CTV performance advertising is intensifying. MNTN raised $100 million in a Series D funding round in 2024 at a $1.2 billion valuation, positioning itself against both legacy TV measurement firms and digital-native CTV platforms. The company's Performance TV product differentiates by offering closed-loop attribution that mirrors the measurement frameworks agencies already use for search and social, reducing the friction of adding CTV to existing media plans. Meanwhile, competitors like Teads Sam Maloney appointment continue to focus on brand-oriented CTV measurement, leaving a gap that MNTN is targeting with its performance-first approach.

Frank Lee's background at Snap is particularly relevant given Snap's own struggles to monetize CTV and its eventual retreat from the space. Snap discontinued its CTV advertising efforts in 2023, focusing instead on its core mobile and AR advertising products. Lee's departure from Snap and move to MNTN reflects a broader industry recognition that dedicated CTV performance platforms, rather than social networks trying to extend into TV, are better positioned to capture performance budgets. The appointment also follows MNTN's broader hiring push, with the company adding multiple senior executives from digital advertising backgrounds to build out its agency and direct sales capabilities.