Skip to content
ATDbbeta
WR

Wade Rifkin

Operator

Wade Rifkin is a senior advertising technology executive at Disney Advertising, where he serves as General Manager of Streaming, overseeing ad product strategy and monetization across Disney's streaming portfolio including Hulu and Disney+. He is recognized for helping shape how one of the world's largest media companies approaches addressable advertising, audience targeting, and programmatic capabilities in the streaming era. His work sits at the intersection of premium content, data-driven advertising, and the evolving connected TV landscape. Rifkin joined Disney through its acquisition of Hulu, where he held leadership roles in ad product and technology. His career has been defined by building scalable ad infrastructure for streaming platforms, including developing audience segmentation tools, dynamic ad insertion capabilities, and programmatic marketplace offerings. He has been a key figure in translating Hulu's early leadership in streaming advertising into Disney's broader unified advertising strategy following the consolidation of Disney's streaming assets. With over a decade in digital and streaming advertising, Rifkin is regarded as an operator who bridges the technical and commercial sides of AdTech. He has been a visible voice at industry events discussing the future of streaming monetization, identity solutions in a cookieless environment, and the role of first-party data in premium video advertising.

Last updated Jun 11, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment · Connections updated Jun 15, 2026

Role
General Manager, Streaming
Company
Disney Advertising
Based
New York, New York, United States
Connections
2
Years in industry
15 years

Bio

Wade Rifkin is a senior advertising technology executive at Disney Advertising, where he serves as General Manager of Streaming, overseeing ad product strategy and monetization across Disney's streaming portfolio including Hulu and Disney+. He is recognized for helping shape how one of the world's largest media companies approaches addressable advertising, audience targeting, and programmatic capabilities in the streaming era. His work sits at the intersection of premium content, data-driven advertising, and the evolving connected TV landscape. Rifkin joined Disney through its acquisition of Hulu, where he held leadership roles in ad product and technology. His career has been defined by building scalable ad infrastructure for streaming platforms, including developing audience segmentation tools, dynamic ad insertion capabilities, and programmatic marketplace offerings. He has been a key figure in translating Hulu's early leadership in streaming advertising into Disney's broader unified advertising strategy following the consolidation of Disney's streaming assets. With over a decade in digital and streaming advertising, Rifkin is regarded as an operator who bridges the technical and commercial sides of AdTech. He has been a visible voice at industry events discussing the future of streaming monetization, identity solutions in a cookieless environment, and the role of first-party data in premium video advertising.

Career

  • VP, Ad Product

    Hulu · 2018-2021

  • Director, Ad Product

    Hulu · 2015-2018

Expertise & education

Expertise

Streaming AdvertisingConnected TV (CTV)Programmatic AdvertisingDynamic Ad InsertionAddressable AdvertisingFirst-Party Data StrategyAd Product DevelopmentAudience Targeting

Speaking topics

The future of streaming advertisingAddressable TV and audience targetingFirst-party data in a cookieless worldProgrammatic monetization for premium video

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Led ad product strategy at Hulu during its growth into one of the most sophisticated streaming ad platforms in the industry
  • Helped architect Disney Advertising's unified streaming ad product offering following Disney's consolidation of Hulu and Disney+
  • Advanced programmatic and addressable capabilities for Disney's streaming portfolio at scale
Connection details