Bryon Schafer

Bryon Schafer is a recognized voice in the digital advertising industry, known for championing the interests of premium publishers at the intersection of research, technical standards, and business strategy. As SVP of Research & Standards at Digital Content Next (DCN), he shapes how quality media companies engage with evolving programmatic ecosystems, privacy regulations, and industry-wide standards bodies such as the IAB Tech Lab. His work helps translate complex technical developments — from identity resolution to supply path optimization — into actionable frameworks for DCN's membership of trusted media brands. Schafer has built his career at the nexus of publisher monetization and industry governance, contributing to conversations around the deprecation of third-party cookies, the rise of first-party data strategies, and the ongoing tension between advertiser targeting needs and consumer privacy. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a contributor to trade publications, lending a publisher-centric perspective to debates often dominated by buy-side and platform voices. Through his role at DCN, Schafer has helped position premium publishers as essential partners in a responsible advertising ecosystem, advocating for standards and research that support long-term sustainability over short-term yield optimization. His influence spans both the technical and policy dimensions of AdTech, making him a credible bridge between engineering-driven standards work and C-suite business outcomes.

• Led research and standards initiatives at DCN representing premium publishers in programmatic and privacy policy debates
• Contributed to industry dialogue on post-cookie identity solutions and their implications for quality media
• Served as a consistent publisher advocate in IAB and IAB Tech Lab standards processes

• Contributor to DCN research reports on programmatic advertising and publisher monetization trends