Ben Thaler
Media Supervisor
(2004 – 2008, 2010 – present)

This is Ben’s second go-around with Davis. After spending 3 and a half years as Media Director, the birth of his twin boys caused a momentary lapse in judgment and he left to pursue other interests. But he is back bringing with him wisdom beyond his years.

In his 2 year sabbatical, Ben was able to gain knowledge in the areas of Direct Response and National Cable in addition to working on Lead and Order Generation campaigns for both local and national clients.

Ben brings his expertise in the New York–New England markets to manage all electronic media projects for the shop's extremely broad client base. With a 60+ client pool that is geographically far-reaching, Ben has developed an effective and intimate knowledge of media outlets/markets throughout the entire country. From northern New England down to Florida, to Chicago all the way to LA, Ben navigates the media terrain with skill and success. Day after day, Ben relies on his extensive ad agency and television sales background to secure the most impactful TV and radio schedules, resulting in high-scoring impressions for our clients.

A native of Stoughton, MA, Ben is a serious sports fan with favorites being the Red Sox and the Patriots. He lives with his wife Amy, two and a half year old twin boys Max and Mitch and Yellow Lab Acadia in Ayer, MA.

Melanie Benoit
Assistant Media Director (2006 – present)

Melanie joined the agency to work in this newly created position. Our 60+ clients depending on electronic media will receive her able assistance and attention. Melanie buys and negotiates the media, sending out the traffic for specific clients at the agency. She also organizes the billing for radio and TV before it goes to bookkeeping.

For five years, she worked at Pro Media in Newton: half of that time she spent in the Finance Department, and for the remainder she served the Broadcast Department as a Buyer and Broadcast Coordinator.

Melanie attended Worcester State College and majored in Business. She is a lifelong resident of our fair city and also bartends at the Banner Bar & Grille.

Ami Cadugan
Senior Media Buyer (2008 – present)

Ami brings her passion for buying media to Davis Advertising. Ami loves the art of the negotiation and has enjoyed buying TV, Radio, Online and getting Added Value for a variety of Davis clients over the years. Her main focus is the Charter Communications Account (Carolinas and Georgia/Alabama KMAs). With her outgoing personality and aggressive style, 'shy' is not an adjective that can be used to describe Ami!

Prior to joining Davis, Ami worked as Media Buyer in New York City with McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy and Mather, Mindshare, MediaVest and Time Warner Cable. She has had the privilege of buying media for such diverse clients as General Motors, BP/Amoco, Sears, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and Unilever. Ami briefly crossed over to the 'dark side' and did a stint in TV sales with Telerep in Boston, before returning to her media buying roots at Davis.

Born in New York, Ami grew up in South Florida, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising from Florida State University. Ami also has a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a track in Advertising from the University of Florida, where the subject of her Master's Thesis was "Factors Influencing the Formation of Small Advertising Agencies from 1990-1993."

Ami lives in Shrewsbury with her husband Bryan and two daughters, Valerie and Sadie. She enjoys spending time with her family, working out, volunteer work, dining, cultural activities, and travel. Ami also has a lifelong shopping habit, which has helped make her the media buyer she is today!

Bob Lynch
Media Buyer (2009 – present)

Bob Lynch joins the Davis Media Services team as a media buyer and planner, working with such clients including Charter Business, Berkshire Bank and Ralph’s Wines and Spirits.

Working for both large and small advertising agencies in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Bob has 20-plus years experience in media.  He graduated from Villanova University, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, where he was also the captain of the rugby team.

While born in Malden, Mass and spending his childhood on the South Shore, Bob resided in New Jersey for a number of years before finally moving back to Leicester, Mass.  Bob enjoys live music (classic rock), live comedy, sports, movies and the outdoors. 

Kelly Belmont
Media Buyer (2009 – present)

After spending three years on the sales side of the ad desk at HRP Chicago, Kelly is excited to get back to the agency side of the business. Her previous agency experience includes working as a media buyer at Zenith Media and Leo Burnett/ Starcom.

Kelly was born and raised in Chicago. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton in Ohio. After college, she moved back to Chicago where she has spent the past 13 years (with one year in California thrown in for spice). Don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you: she is a ham at heart. She is a graduate of the famed Second City Conservatory, and has performed in several theatrical, improv, and sketch comedy productions around Chicago.

Kelly recently relocated to Worcester, and is finding it to be quite different from the Midwest. Her favorite new discoveries: Polar Orange Dry, Shrewsbury Street, and lobster rolls. Kelly is also digging all these beautiful hills in Worcester, but knows that will change once she experiences her first real-live “nor’easter”. Oh, and after being a lifelong Cubs fan, it feels kind of cool to have a baseball team that actually wins championships.