Ryan leads Reddit’s App Sales team. He lives in San Francisco, CA with his wife, son, and hound dog, and is originally from Brooklyn, NY (the pizza and bagels in SF are tragic, as he often jokingly points out). 2025 will be his 20th year in advertising.
In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?
I lead Reddit’s Global App Developer team, which is a Sales team focused on partnering with clients who are looking to solve their UA and LTV goals with the expansive Reddit communities and the power of our passionate users.
How did you end up working in apps? / get started?
My first experience with mobile apps was way back in the world of UDIDs and titles like Zynga’s Mafia Wars, King’s Candy Crush, and Machine Zone’s Mobile Strike. My experience really started while leading Performance teams at Pandora from 2013-2018 before going to Reddit.
What are you most excited about in apps right now?
We’re seeing the app space evolve tremendously with the limitations that SKAN placed on the industry, while that loss of data granularity caused headaches, it’s also allowed platforms and publishers to see the value that can be derived from incrementality, and in Reddit’s case community marketing.
Is there anyone you’d like to shout out to who has influenced your journey in the app industry?
We learn the most from our clients, there’s not a more savvy group of individuals who are constantly balancing the data from multiple attribution sources, their business priorities, and the shifting landscape of platforms. Everything that has made us better as a solution has come from listening to our customers and users.
What do you like most about working in apps?
The majority of decisions, from where to invest, what products to build, and what audiences are strongest, are data-driven. While there’s always an emotional component to fighting for what you believe is best, the battle is usually solved with data and the ability to tell that story effectively.
What one thing would you change about the app industry/market? Where do you think there’s an opportunity for apps / or unmet needs?
For an industry so focused on lifetime value and ROAS, there’s so much more that can be done to reward users for their loyalty. Companies like Stakeholder Labs are starting to do this in the fintech space, and I’m hoping to see more take root over the next few years across verticals that depend so much on returning customers who are passionate about the app they are using, whether it be gaming, finance, shopping or more.
If you weren’t working in apps what would you be doing?
In my day dreaming fantasies outside of ads, I’m running a go kart track or a car theme coffee shop. Maybe both.
iOS or Android?
Blue text > Green text.
What’s on your Spotify / Music party playlist?
It’s almost exclusively heavy metal, so bands like Gojira, Origin, Power Trip, Cattle Decapitation, and more. There’s also room in there for a curveball or two, like Wu-Tang and Gesaffelstein.
Any Netflix/ TV show recommendations?
Mr. Pickles (IYKYK – I’m sorry/You’re welcome).
Is there anything else we should know about you?
Reddit has been an excellent source for app discovery for me, and I wanted to share some of my top favorite subreddits from the last year to see if it also helps you:
- dadditchefs – A subreddit created from r/daddit, this is a great place to get inspiration for what to make for dinner, or last minute breakfast and lunch ideas.
- FindTheSniper – Good, usually wholesome, fun way to pass the time and find your, often difficult to spot, zen.
- PizzaCrimes – A fantastic place to get irrationally angry.
Do you know someone driving change and growth in the app industry? Nominate an app leader here.
