Ted Dhanik has spent more than two decades at the center of digital advertising, from his early years helping build marketing strategy at MySpace to co-founding engage:BDR, the online advertising technology company he has led as president and CEO. Dhanik joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour for a conversation that ranges far beyond the ad-tech world he built his career in.
The conversation moves through some unexpected territory — microdosing, the early days of social media, a personal battle with depression, and the trappings of success that come with building a company from the ground up.
About Ted Dhanik
Ted Dhanik spent several years as VP of strategic marketing at MySpace during its formative years, working alongside founders Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson to help shape the platform's early growth. In 2009 he left to co-found engage:BDR, an online advertising technology company that later went public in Australia.
As president and CEO, Dhanik has spent years navigating the fast-changing world of digital advertising while building a public profile as a writer and commentator on marketing and technology. Ted Dhanik's willingness to speak openly about the personal side of that success — including his own mental health — adds a layer to his story that goes beyond the business résumé.
What Ted Dhanik and Sean Kelly Talked About
- Ted Dhanik's path from early MySpace marketing strategy to co-founding engage:BDR
- His experience navigating the online advertising industry through two decades of change
- What led him to explore microdosing and how he thinks about it today
- His account of overcoming depression while building a company and a public career
- The perspective he's gained on success after achievements like owning a Bugatti
- How working alongside MySpace's founders shaped his approach to marketing
- Lessons from taking an advertising technology company public
- His take on what actually matters once the traditional markers of success are met
Why This Conversation Matters
Ted Dhanik's conversation with Sean Kelly pulls back the curtain on a career built inside some of digital media's biggest moments, then goes further into the personal cost and reflection that came with it. It's a candid look at what building a company and a public career actually requires once the highlight reel ends.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
Related Digital Social Hour Episodes
About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
About The Author
