MDC Partners

Barry Lowenthal is a boomerang. We call Barry a boomerang because, like quite a few other kbs+pers, he’s returned to us. However, unlike an ordinary boomerang that returns in the same condition that it was sent, Barry returns to kbs+p with experience, knowledge and a new role: president of The Media Kitchen (TMK).

Barry began his career in the big agencies of New York, such as NW Ayer, Backer & Spielvogel and Grey. But he decided to try a smaller agency, namely kbs+p, and ended up spending his eight self-described “most formative years” there. By the end of his stint, he was kbs+p’s media director.

Barry took a position as the managing principal of the New York and Atlanta offices at the online agency Hook Media. Most recently, he served as the media director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s New York office, the only BBH office to have media capabilities.

Barry was one of the early champions of strategically driven, creatively inspired communications planning. He has often said "the most interesting communications ideas only come from understanding what media consumers use and how they feel when they’re using them."

Over his 20+-year career, Barry has worked in just about every category, from luxury goods and business consultancy to consumer electronics and beer. The clients on Barry’s roster include Miller Brewing, Delta, Snapple, BNY Mellon, Levi’s, Bvlgari Parfums, Mohegan Sun, HotJobs, and Moet.

Under Barry’s leadership, TMK has increased its staff, diversified and grown its client base and built an industry-recognized digital media capability. Two years ago, Varick Media Management, MDC’s demand-side platform, was incubated in TMK and has become an industry leader in its own right.

Despite having an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Baruch College, Barry believes the best education in this business comes from staying close to consumers and keeping abreast of emerging technologies. To that end, Barry likes to consider himself a media anthropologist and is obsessed with new ways to construct communications plans.