MarTech Interview with Kurt Donnell, CEO @ Freestar

Kurt Donnell, CEO at Freestar chats about the changing world of adtech and ad monetization in this MarTechSeries catch-up:

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Hi Kurt, take us through your adtech journey and time at Freestar so far?

I began my career as an M&A lawyer but realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t for me. I moved into digital media at SHE Media, where I took on various roles in business development, audience growth, corporate development, and eventually landed in a COO-like position. I then briefly stepped away from ad tech to help take a yoga company public, thinking I’d trade chaos for meditation. But it didn’t take long for me to realize I missed the fast-paced, problem-solving nature of our industry.

In 2019, I joined Freestar as its first CEO. The company was already growing quickly. But it needed more structure to achieve its long-term vision. So when I joined, I focused on formalizing operations, hiring key leaders, and transitioning to a remote-first model.  The shift helped us tap into global talent while maintaining a strong culture.

Since then, we’ve scaled from 25 to 185 team members across 15 countries, grown revenue 7x, and kept ourselves on the Inc. 5000 list every year after debuting at No. 1 in 2019. Strategic acquisitions like Triple13 and Sortable expanded our tech and market presence. What really keeps me here is the constant evolution of our industry and our second-to-none team. I love it. Every month (sometimes, even every week) brings a new challenge that no one’s faced before, and I thrive on that.

In what ways are you seeing the world of adtech evolve today, top adtech features and trends you’d like to discuss here?

One of the most encouraging evolutions I’m seeing right now is a clear flight to quality. I think this is driven by a maturing market and a growing intolerance for bad actors. Over the past year, we’ve seen some solid progress in cleaning up issues that have plagued the industry for too long—arbitrage sites, cluttered pages, and low-value inventory. Consolidation across the space and increased scrutiny have helped spotlight these types of problems, pushing the entire ecosystem to raise its standards.

We’re also seeing smarter buying behavior. Instead of broad decisions like “we like this company” or “we don’t like that one,” DSPs are now evaluating inventory at a more granular level, using better tools to pinpoint where the real value lies. This precision helps us as a publisher monetization partner to deliver cleaner, higher-quality experiences.

Anecdotally, we’ve seen multiple instances where reducing ad footprint actually increased revenue via increased CPMs. This is contrary to the old “more is more” mentality, which just doesn’t hold anymore. We’re seeing that less can be more, or at the very least equally as effective. As both a user and someone in the space, I always prefer fewer, better ads if it means a more meaningful touchpoint with audiences. It’s a no-brainer. This evolution is making the industry better as a whole.

How do you expect to see AI play a significant role in how the publisher and ad revenue model will change in future?

We know AI will play a critical role in evolving the publisher and ad revenue model by streamlining operations, uncovering actionable insights, and enabling more personalized, data-driven decision-making. It’s undeniable. AI can optimize ad placements, improve yield strategies, and automate routine tasks. This will continue to allow publishers to move faster and smarter.

But while the technology is powerful, it’s the human element that will ultimately differentiate how successfully (or not) companies use AI. Innovation alone isn’t enough today. It has to be rooted in values, customer needs, and thoughtful execution. That’s where trust is built and long-term value is created.

The most effective AI strategies will enhance human potential, not replace it. Freestar’s approach is to leverage AI for what it does best so that our people can focus on what they do best. Ultimately, it’s our team members who are solving complex problems, building relationships, and delivering a high-touch service. The future of the ad model will belong to those who find the sweet spot —that balance between technological and human connection.

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What about today’s ad monetization tactics should end users and providers be more focused on understanding better?

Both end users and providers need to better understand that ad monetization isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s really dependent on the advertiser’s objective. The industry has evolved beyond basic metrics like clickthrough rates or even viewability. Today, what really matters is aligning tactics with desired outcomes.

For direct response or performance-based advertisers, conversion rates and placement, like checkout pages, are critical. But for brand advertisers, it’s more about attention, engagement, and long-term impact. Metrics will continue to evolve, and the focus should shift to understanding the intent behind the ad spend.

I think at this point everyone knows that cookies are sticking around–for now anyway. So we’re not facing another wave of fundamental change to the ad tech plumbing. That stability makes space to concentrate on what really matters: What drives results for advertisers, and how do we deliver it in a way that respects users and supports publishers?

Ultimately, it’s about understanding the medium and adapting strategies accordingly.

When it comes to ad monetization in today’s ecosystem: what should brands keep foremost in mind to gain more traction?

Brands looking to gain more traction in today’s ecosystem should keep one thing top of mind: quality. The quality of where the ads are appearing and the quality of the viewer. Real users who intentionally visit a site are much more valuable than accidental clicks from someone who’s just trying to navigate somewhere else. Engaged audiences are what drive outcomes.

That means being thoughtful with allow and block lists. We’re seeing a growing problem with over-blocking, especially with quality editorial content like news. Yes, news can be unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean it’s unsafe or ineffective. In fact, breaking news environments often attract highly engaged, loyal users. With better sentiment analysis tools available, brands can now distinguish between truly harmful content and valuable journalism.

This circles back to my previous point of “flight to quality.” It’s about aligning with trusted, human-created content and not being overly focused on avoiding all risks. Bottom line: focus on context, real users, and quality editorial environments. Brands that over-sanitize their placements can end up in bland environments that don’t deliver true value while skipping over high-performing, high-integrity content.

Five concluding tips you’d share with everyone in adtech and martech before we wrap up?

Prioritize quality over quantity – More impressions don’t equal more value. Focus on meaningful, high-intent user engagement to drive meaningful results.

Use AI where it actually adds value – Lean into AI for tasks like data collection and optimization. But don’t over-use it where it doesn’t belong and makes the outcome worse. It needs to be the frosting on the cupcake, not the sprinkles.

Also, please stop calling machine learning AI.  There is a difference.  Haha!

Get comfortable being uncomfortable  – This industry changes so quickly you rarely have a minute to get comfortable. So embrace the inevitable chaos as part of the fun.  Something deemed “catastrophic” happens every year now. Don’t let fear cause overreactions. Watch things play out. Stay vigilant, be thoughtful, and avoid knee-jerk reactions.

Look upstream and downstream – Understand the entire supply chain. Better efficiency and performance generally come from better alignment, not more spending.

Play the long game – This industry presents an awful lot of opportunities to play in grey areas and make a quick buck.  In fact, many companies have made millions of dollars in those grey areas, but very rarely do they stick around in the long run as every loophole does eventually get closed and access to information about what is really happening is only increasing every day.  Accordingly, I highly recommend setting on a path to sustainable, profitable long-term growth, even if it means having to watch some other companies print some cash in shady ways.  I promise it will help you sleep better at night knowing you are doing the right thing.

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