From Pubs to Principles:
Julia Linehan’s Journey to Becoming Adtech’s Unlikely Conscience

If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the digital advertising world, you’ve probably heard of Julia Linehan. Maybe you know her as the “Mouth of Media,” the woman who never met a buzzword she couldn’t demolish with a cheeky grin and a zinger. Or perhaps you know her as the engine driving The Digital Voice, the PR agency with the soul of a startup and the heart of a storyteller. Either way, one thing is for certain: Julia doesn’t just enter a room—she takes it over like a rock star at a sold-out concert, armed with charisma, candor, and the kind of wit that can slice through a room like a hot knife through butter.

“I’ve never seen an industry that enjoys boozing and partying more than this one,” she says, with a blend of amusement and exasperation. “When I first started out in the industry in ’95, your third interview was in a pub to see how much you could drink.” It’s a statement that’s funny and blunt, much like Julia herself, but it also hints at a deeper truth: this is a woman who’s seen the culture up close and knows its strengths and its pitfalls.

But don’t mistake her straight talk for arrogance. Despite her reputation for calling things as she sees them, Julia has a knack for making friends wherever she goes. “I love people,” she says warmly. “I genuinely enjoy getting to know what makes someone tick, what drives them. That’s where the real stories are.” And it’s true—Julia’s got more connections than an over-caffeinated LinkedIn algorithm, and she seems to collect friends like some people collect frequent flyer miles.

It's a balancing act she manages with grace: telling the truth without making enemies, being real without being rude. “If a client partner treats us like an agency, it’s a bit of a red flag,” she says, only to quickly soften the blow: “We’re not an agency. We’re an extension of their team.” And just like that, what could sound like a criticism becomes an invitation to build something deeper and more collaborative.

Julia’s earned her stripes in an industry that can feel like a marathon on a treadmill set to double speed. She’s quick to remind you that PR is one of the most stressful jobs out there, right up there with “being a doctor or a firefighter.” And while she laughs off that comparison as “a bit of fake news,” there’s a glimmer in her eye that suggests she knows exactly how tough it can be. “It’s relentless,” she admits. “You’ve got to have a huge amount of energy and not run out of juice.”

Her secret weapon? “I stopped drinking alcohol five years ago,” she shares with the kind of straightforwardness that’s become her hallmark. “I never wanted to have the effects of alcohol again. It was stopping me from being the best I could be.” For Julia, ditching the booze wasn’t just a lifestyle change—it was a game-changer. “If you see enough people at an event who also don’t drink, it encourages others. You can still have fun. I have more fun because I remember it,” she laughs.

That decision led her to co-found Spill, a group that aims to make the ad industry more inclusive for non-drinkers or “mindful drinkers.” “We’ve seen too many people we love who are no longer with us because of excessive drinking,” she explains. “It’s a wake-up call.” For Julia, it’s not about being preachy or holier-than-thou—it’s about creating a space where everyone can be at their best. “We encourage event organizers to respect people who don’t want to drink alcohol but don’t want to be stuck with orange juice or Diet Coke. We’re not twelve!”

Her fight is never about picking sides—it’s about picking principles. And that’s why people love her. She’s built The Digital Voice into one of the most respected PR firms in the game, not by playing it safe, but by pushing boundaries and speaking up. “People think PR is just press releases. It’s so much more,” she says, rolling her eyes as if she’s heard it a thousand times. “It’s about building narratives, creating engagement, and yes, sometimes telling a story when the story itself isn’t all that sexy.”

She’s got no time for jargon or the endless cycle of buzzwords that plague the industry. “What’s the buzzword that gives you the most grief?” she asked a crowd once, prompting an audience-wide exorcism of terms like ‘year of mobile’ and ‘cookie-less future.’ “I said to them, ‘Now shout it out!’ and they all did. It was like a therapy session, only louder.”

But don’t be fooled—Julia isn’t just here to criticize. She’s here to change things for the better. “If you could get everyone in one room and lay down some tough love, what would you say?” I ask. She doesn’t miss a beat. “Transparency in payments. Do you know where your money’s going? Do you know what you’re buying? Seems so simple, but if each company could actually say, ‘Yes, we do,’ then we’d be in a better place.” It’s about more than just tools and tech—it’s about a mindset shift.

It’s no wonder Julia has become such a beloved figure in the ad tech community. She’s not your typical PR maven hiding behind jargon or platitudes. Julia brings a level of sincerity and transparency that’s as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot day at Cannes. She’s got this rare knack for cutting through the noise and nonsense with a blend of honesty and warmth that makes people sit up and listen. It’s the kind of realness that’s hard to come by in an industry often built on smoke and mirrors. When Julia speaks, people know they’re getting the unvarnished truth—no fluff, no filter, just the raw, uncut version of what everyone else is too afraid to say.

But Julia doesn’t just make friends; she builds alliances. She knows that relationships in this industry are everything, and she treats every connection like a long game of chess, where every move is thoughtful, deliberate, and meant to create something lasting. “I genuinely enjoy getting to know what makes someone tick,” she says, and she means it. This isn’t just some PR platitude; it’s how she operates. She has a way of making everyone—from the junior exec nervously holding a coffee cup to the CEO of a major ad tech firm—feel like they’re the most important person in the room. She doesn’t network just to collect business cards; she connects on a human level, weaving a web of trust and mutual respect that turns acquaintances into allies and partnerships into friendships.

And this approach isn’t just about feel-good vibes; it’s a philosophy that permeates everything she does. “Be bold, be brave, be you,” she says, and it’s a mantra she’s lived by every day, from her early days in the industry to running The Digital Voice today. She believes that every voice has value, every perspective counts, and that even the most junior person in the room can have the best idea. It’s this commitment to authenticity and empowerment that makes people rally around her. Julia champions the underdog, amplifies the overlooked, and, in doing so, inspires others to find their own voice and use it. She’s not just speaking for herself—she’s giving a microphone to everyone else, and that’s why she’s so respected, admired, and yes, downright loved.

And it’s this belief in the power of voices—young and old, loud and soft, rebellious and reflective—that makes Julia Linehan more than just a mouthpiece for the media. She’s a force to be reckoned with, a mentor to many, and a friend to even more. In a world where everyone is trying to sell something, Julia’s just trying to tell it like it is. And that, in itself, might just be her superpower.

Because in the high-stakes, high-pressure, often absurd world of ad tech, the one thing you can count on is that Julia Linehan will never be silent, never settle for mediocrity, and never, ever play nice just for the sake of it. And for that, everyone loves her all the more.