York College Alumnus named President, Chief Strategy Officer of Universal Media

In May, Universal Media tapped Kyle Cook ’11, who majored in Business Administration, to lead the company and its Universal Sports & Entertainment division.

Kyle Cook ’11 believes May 3, 2024, to be a landmark day in his career. That’s when Anne Carnathan, President and CEO of Universal Media, Inc. (UMI) and its Universal Sports & Entertainment division, announced Cook’s promotion to President and Chief Strategy Officer. 

UMI specializes in paid media planning, placement, and reporting services across various platforms. The company’s offerings include digital and traditional media planning, consumer analytics, and maximizing brand and media return on advertising spending.

In his new role, Cook will lead the UMI team in continuing to diversify and integrate new media and data offerings. Cook’s objective is to make disparate forms of media, from YouTube to Hulu to TikTok, connect for his clients. At the same time, he will focus on understanding and overseeing UMI’s 70-plus employees and their growth. 

“Allowing employees to be entrepreneurial is the foundation of UMI. Every department in our organization was born from an employee stepping up and owning a new process. It’s imperative that I continue to show employees the same rapport I was given so our capabilities can continue to diversify,” he says.

A home-run decision

Cook joined the UMI team in 2011 as a sales coordinator after earning his Business Administration degree from York College. Over the last 13 years, he has transitioned through the ranks from sales to strategy to leadership. He points to his time and experiences at York College as helping him build a foundation for success. 

A longtime baseball player, Cook chose York College so he could play on the Spartan team. His four years on the squad earned him much more than a Division III batting average and a chance to tour the region playing ball. He credits much of his business success to the mentorship of his coaches, especially Mike Scappa and Paul Saikia.

“There was no greater impact in my life than time on the baseball team,” he says. “They instilled discipline, competition, and ability to never make excuses but find the solution to best approach and attack a problem.”

Open doors for intrapreneurship

While at York College, Cook connected with Chris Young, the son of UMI founder Jim Young. Chris introduced Cook to the company, and Jim soon took the graduate under his wing as a salesman. 

“I owe everything to Jim Young,” Cook says.

The founder and his team’s entrepreneurial mindset afforded Cook the freedom to explore and grow various sectors of the business. Despite the company being around for 35 years, leadership is perpetually looking for ways to expand. They allowed Cook to seize an opportunity to develop digital advertising just two years after he started with the company. 

Using skills he had honed while earning his degree, Cook put together a business plan, presented it to the ownership group, and received the go-ahead on the project. A decade later, thanks to Cook’s bold fortitude, digital advertising makes up 75 percent of the company’s revenue.

Cook’s strategic insight and innovative thinking built UMI’s Digital Advertising Department into a core component of the company. His ability to adapt and grow in the firm, combined with the entrepreneurial skills he developed at York College, were key in his rapid rise through the ranks.

Encouraging aspiring professionals

As someone who has built a successful digital marketing team from the ground up, Cook has valuable advice for young professionals. 

“Ultimately, they have to be ferocious readers and consumers of knowledge—white papers, YouTube videos, conferences, seminars,” he says. “York has an Integrated Marketing Communication program, but the tech aspects of media buying, you’re only going to learn that by doing it.”

Cook’s education at York College provided a launchpad for his career, especially the entrepreneurial aspect of his classes and the understanding of marketing he gained. It also prepared him to pursue an Executive Master of Business Administration degree, which he completed at The Wharton School in 2024 while managing a demanding career and preparing to step into the roles of President and Chief Strategy Officer. His goal in the degree program was to sharpen his leadership, management, and financial skills.

To top it off, while working on his MBA, Cook had two children under the age of two at home. In August, he’ll welcome child number three. 

“I had an incredible support system,” he says. “All praise to my wife for being very understanding.”

Empowering teams, expanding boundaries

Cook believes that effective leadership in the fast-paced, ever-changing world of media and entertainment requires conviction and leadership. 

“You have to be confident and sure of the decisions you’re making,” he says. “You’re not going to make every decision correct. If you’re changing things, make your employees feel empowered while building a strong team around you. Focus on building your strengths and bring in others to fill your deficiencies.”

Cook also points out that graduates don’t have to head to a large city to work for a world-class company. Mechanicsburg-based UMI is one of the nation’s largest independent media companies. With discipline, intelligent investments, and strategic planning, anyone can build a great business that eclipses geographical boundaries, he says. 

With a commitment to pushing the company forward, Cook is excited about utilizing artificial intelligence to a greater degree. He remains passionate about guiding UMI to new heights while supporting the growth of his team. He knows he’s where he wants to be and eagerly anticipates what the future holds. 

For students interested in pursuing a similar path, he hopes they’ll reach out to him for an internship at UMI.

“You have to have that self-awareness of what you want,” he says, “what is going to be best for you both personally and professionally. Identifying a role that will help you make the biggest impact on your organization is something you should focus on.”