AdFest 2025 Welcomes Dan Muirhead as Speaker

Dan Muirhead, Executive Director of Strategy at Hearts & Science, will bring his strategic expertise to the AdFest 2025 Fireside Chat Independent Agencies vs. Holding Companies: A New Era of Media Partnerships. In this discussion, he’ll explore how brands are weighing agency structures in an era that demands speed, transparency, and channel fluency—unpacking the strengths and trade-offs of each model, the specialized capabilities shaping success, and how these choices influence marketing agility.

Dan Muirhead is an Executive Director of Strategy at Hearts & Science (part of Omnicom Media Group) with 15+ years in client service, growth strategy, and full funnel paid media planning. He began his career in Dallas, TX as a campaign manager of performance media campaigns working with hundreds of local SMBs. He then transitioned into an Account Director managing national promotion campaigns for Shell Oil and L’Oreal. He spent a year brand side at a post Series-A SaaS startup where he led a rebrand and marketing transformation initiative that ultimately led to an acquisition by the largest player in the category. He returned to the agency world by joining Wpromote and worked with challenger brands in growth in their DTC business, which included the launch of HBO Max in LATAM. Since joining Hearts & Science, he has been leading integrated teams in driving growth for DIRECTV, Virgin Voyages, Virgin Hotels, and Philips Home Appliances by focusing on balancing brand building and performance driving media.