Mindgruve, a prominent marketing agency headquartered in San Diego, has successfully merged with Levelwing, a data technology firm based in Charleston, South Carolina.
This merger is viewed by industry insiders as a strategic move that solidifies Mindgruve’s status as a global leader in media, commerce, and data technology, enhancing its growth trajectory as one of the world’s fastest-growing independent agencies.
This marks the third merger for Mindgruve in the past year.
In June 2024, it joined forces with Macarta, a Denver-based marketing firm, leading to a rebranding to MindgruveMacarta.
Soon after, in September 2024, MindgruveMacarta merged with Icon Commerce, located in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With the latest merger involving Levelwing, Mindgruve has reverted to its original name.
A spokesperson for Mindgruve shared with Times of San Diego, “Given the recent mergers with Icon Commerce and Levelwing, MindgruveMacarta consolidated back to its original name, Mindgruve.”
The transaction details, including the purchase price, remain undisclosed.
However, the spokesperson confirmed that there will be no layoffs at either Mindgruve or Levelwing as a result of the merger.
With the addition of over 60 Levelwing employees, Mindgruve’s workforce now exceeds 400 individuals across its offices in the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
According to sources, Levelwing initiated this merger, facilitated by Madison Alley Global Ventures, which served as strategic advisor for the transaction.
The Mindgruve spokesperson stated, “Michael Seidler from Madison Alley Global Ventures ran a formal process that included some of the world’s largest holding companies and private equity-backed agencies.
Mindgruve was chosen by the Levelwing executive team due to the cultural alignment, shared vision for the combined agencies, and complementary capabilities.”
The decision to merge was also influenced by the belief that this partnership would ensure growth and competitiveness on a global scale for both agencies.
A formal statement from Mindgruve emphasized that this merger significantly enhances its performance marketing offerings, expands its presence in the U.S., and adds a portfolio of prestigious clients across various industries.
Chad Robley, chief executive officer of Mindgruve, remarked, “The merger with Levelwing strengthens Mindgruve’s performance marketing offering, expands its U.S. footprint, and adds a robust portfolio of blue-chip clients across multiple industries.”
Robley continued, “Levelwing brings world-class talent and clients that add more buying power, create a deeper bench of performance marketers, and elevate our tech capabilities within predictive marketing analytics.
Together, we’re poised to deliver an even greater impact for our clients and partners.”
Founded in 2001, Mindgruve has always aimed to stay at the forefront of marketing trends.
Levelwing, established in 2002, has built a strong reputation for fostering revenue growth for brands through fully integrated strategies combining creative, media, and predictive marketing analytics solutions.
Their clientele spans various sectors including automotive, restaurants, financial services, healthcare, and consumer products.
Along with its South Carolina headquarters, Levelwing has expanded its footprint to include offices in New York and Nashville.
Steve Parker, Jr., chief executive and co-founder of Levelwing, expressed excitement about the merger, stating, “We are incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Levelwing and are excited to join forces with Mindgruve.
Both agencies share a commitment to transparency, measurable results, and delivering real business value.
This partnership provides us with a global platform and top-tier talent to drive meaningful growth for our clients while staying true to the principles that have guided us for over two decades.”
Additionally, Jeff Adelson-Yan, president and co-founder of Levelwing, outlined the strategic vision behind the merger.
He stated, “This is more than a merger; it’s an acceleration of our collective vision.
By combining Levelwing’s extensive expertise in performance marketing, data science, and creative with Mindgruve’s advanced analytics and commerce capabilities, we are transforming how brands utilize data-driven insights to fuel innovation, optimize customer experiences, and achieve measurable growth.”
Adelson-Yan will take on the role of chief product officer at Mindgruve post-merger.
In other news within the San Diego media landscape, the alternative rock radio station 91X XTRA-FM has announced the return of personality Marty Whitney to host morning shows, alongside the appointment of Hilary Doneux as the brand manager for 91X.
Doneux’s new role complements her existing titles as assistant program director, music director, and afternoon host on the station.
Expressing her enthusiasm, Doneux stated, “For a Southern California kid who started on 91X back in 1997, I am humbled, honored, and so stoked to get the opportunity to steer this legendary ship.
Joining the list of incredible programmers who’ve helped shape 91X for over 40-plus years fills me with gratitude and butterflies.”
Marty Whitney’s return marks his third tenure at 91X.
He previously hosted evening shows from 2003 to 2006 and made a brief comeback in 2019 but was let go in January 2025 due to a strategic realignment following Local Media San Diego’s sale of KFBG 100.7-FM.
In a social media post made late January, Whitney expressed, “LMSD sold 100.7 BIG-FM, which landed me outside of their new staff mix.”
Recently, Whitney shared, “I couldn’t be happier or satisfied to hold on to another small piece of such an important part of San Diego and our beloved FM industry for a third time.”
Local Media San Diego stated that these roster changes followed the announcement of Garett Michaels’ departure from 91X, as he plans to move to the Pacific Northwest to assume the role of general manager at KSER 90.7, a non-commercial station based in Everett, Washington, with simulcast operations on KXIR 89.9 in Freeland, Washington, on Whidbey Island.
LMSD general manager Gregg Wolfson expressed disappointment at Michaels’ departure but noted that he would remain as a consultant for 91X.
Wolfson expressed confidence in Doneux’s ability to excel in her new role as brand manager, stating, “Hilary has earned the promotion to brand manager and will do an amazing job moving 91X forward.
Likewise, we will be bringing Marty back home to host 91X mornings where he belongs.
I’m excited for 91X’s position as one of the leading and most influential alternative rock stations ever.”
Local Media San Diego operates three FM radio stations in the area, including XTRA-FM 91X, XHRM-FM Magic 92.5, and XHTZ-FM Z-90.3.
In a notable shift in television viewing habits, streaming TV services have officially surpassed traditional broadcast and cable viewing in America.
For the first time in television history, the share of American viewers engaging with digital streaming services outnumbers the combined audience of those watching conventional television.
This shift has been evident over the past few years, as traditional cable and broadcast networks have experienced a steady decline in viewership in favor of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Max, and Disney+.
In May 2025, streaming accounted for 44.8% of total daytime viewing, while traditional broadcast and cable collectively garnered 44.2%.
Other sources, including video on demand, audio streaming, gaming, and DVD playback, made up the remaining share of 10.9%.
Among cable networks, they held a 24.1% share, with broadcast channels at 20.1%.
As detailed by O’Dwyer’s, when examining individual streaming platforms, YouTube topped the chart with a viewership share of 12.5%, followed by Netflix with 7.5%.
Disney, which encompasses ESPN+ and Hulu, claimed a 5.0% share, while Prime Video held 3.5%.
Other platforms like the Roku Channel, Paramount, Tubi, Warner Bros. Discovery and Max, and NBC’s Peacock had lower percentages of viewership.
YouTube has experienced over a 120% increase in viewership since 2021, while Netflix has seen a growth of 27% during the same timeframe.
This growth can also be attributed to the rise of Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST), where content is supported through advertisements, including platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Roku Channel.
The trend toward streaming has been significantly influenced by younger viewers.
A 2024 Statista study found that 50% of Americans aged 18 to 24 no longer engage with any traditional television.
However, streaming services have also gained traction among older demographics, with Nielsen reporting that traffic from users aged 65 and over has nearly doubled in the past year.
Nielsen has been monitoring streaming TV viewing trends for the last four years, noting that streaming has surged by 71% since May 2021.
In contrast, broadcast television consumption has decreased by 21%, and cable TV usage has dropped by a substantial 39%, as noted by Barrett Media.
image source from：timesofsandiego
