Interview With Sarah Wood, Co-Founder Of Unruly Media

In an industry obsessed with the next big platform, Sarah Wood quietly helped invent one of the most important ideas in modern marketing: that
sharing is the real currency of video. As co-founder of Unruly Media, a pioneering social video advertising company later acquired
by News Corp, she helped brands move beyond counting views to understanding why people feel compelled to hit “share.”

This interview-style deep dive looks at Sarah Wood’s journey from academic life to ad-tech leadership, how Unruly Media turned viral videos into a
data-driven business, and what today’s marketers can learn from her approach to culture, diversity, and creativity in advertising.

From Academic Life to Ad Tech Revolutionary

Before she became a tech entrepreneur, Sarah Wood was a university lecturer, commuting long hours between East London and Sussex University, immersed
in topics like the American Revolution. A near miss during the 7/7 London bombings in 2005 prompted a serious re-evaluation of her path. That moment
of shock became a turning point: instead of just studying revolutions, she decided to join one the digital revolution.

In 2006, she teamed up with co-founders Matt Cooke and Scott Button to launch Unruly Media in London, right as the web was morphing from an
information highway into a social, talk-back ecosystem. YouTube was still young, Twitter was just emerging, blogs were exploding, and brands were
suddenly confronted with a noisy, opinionated internet they couldn’t fully control. That unruly energy gave the company its name and its mission:
help brands navigate and harness the chaos of social video.

Wood brought an academic’s curiosity into the startup world. Rather than rely on intuition alone, she pushed Unruly to gather evidence early on,
the company built a blog-scanning engine to track which videos were being shared and why. That simple obsession with real behavior, not guesswork,
would become the backbone of Unruly’s products and culture.

Building Unruly Media: Making Videos Famous, Not Just Watched

From day one, Unruly wasn’t interested in just serving video ads. The goal was more ambitious: make the right videos famous. Brands didn’t
simply want impressions; they wanted people to talk, react, and share. Unruly’s pitch was straightforward but powerful: “We don’t make the videos
we help make the videos famous.”

To do that, Unruly built a massive data set around how, where, and why people share videos online. The company tracked social sharing across blogs,
social networks, and publisher sites, turning messy viral behavior into something marketers could analyze and plan for. Over time, that data grew
into trillions of video views and shares, powering predictive tools that could estimate a campaign’s “shareability” before it even launched.

Unruly’s platform helped power or distribute some of the most talked-about campaigns of the social video era, including ads filled with moonwalking
ponies, roller-skating babies, and other delightfully oddball concepts that dominated water-cooler conversations. The company worked with major
global brands across categories, from beverages and telecom to personal care and automotive, helping them understand what kind of storytelling
actually resonated with audiences enough to earn a share.

The science behind virality

One of Sarah Wood’s core beliefs is that there are patterns to virality it’s not pure magic. According to her, a video that travels widely usually
does two things exceptionally well:

• Triggers strong emotions. The content has to make people feel something intensely joy, awe, surprise, inspiration, or even
  a good kind of discomfort.
• Gives viewers a reason to share. People share not just because they like a video, but because it says something about who
  they are. It might make them look generous, informed, funny, thoughtful, or on-trend.

Unruly built technology around those ideas. Its ShareRank scoring system analyzed emotional responses and social motivations, giving brands guidance
on how likely their content was to be shared and how it could be improved. Instead of simply asking “Is this ad good?” the question became “How will
people feel when they watch this and what will make them want to pass it on?”

Wood also cautions against lazy assumptions. Humor, for example, is one of the most overused tactics in advertising. Not every brand has permission
to be outrageous or comedic, and a random “funny” video can fall flat if it clashes with the brand’s personality or customer expectations. The real
power lies in being emotionally resonant and authentic.

Culture, Diversity, and Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

Sarah Wood is equally well known for how she builds companies as for what those companies do. At Unruly, she championed an unusually inclusive and
human workplace culture. Women represented a large share of the workforce, management, and even the board rare numbers in tech and the offices
became famous for being friendly to both kids and pets.

Her philosophy is simple: people do their best work when they don’t have to pretend to be someone else. Rather than enforcing a sharp line between
“work” and “home,” Wood encourages team members to bring their full selves into the office. That mindset shows up in everything from flexible work
arrangements to the way leaders are expected to listen, coach, and support rather than simply command.

This culture isn’t just a feel-good story; it’s a strategic advantage. In fast-moving ad tech, Unruly needed people who were creative, resilient,
and comfortable learning quickly. An environment that treats employees like adults, values diverse perspectives, and makes room for real life
creates exactly that kind of team. It also makes it easier to retain talent in a fiercely competitive industry.

From three founders to a global team

Early on, Unruly was just three people sharing desks and trying to figure out how to turn its data into a business. As the company grew to dozens and
then hundreds of employees worldwide, Wood and her co-founders focused on hiring “multitaskers and self-starters” people who could switch between
roles, learn new skills, and stay curious as the product evolved.

They leaned into a test-and-learn mindset: move quickly, gather feedback, and don’t be afraid to scrap ideas that aren’t working. That lean approach,
combined with a strong internal culture, helped Unruly scale without losing its experimental edge. It also made the business attractive to larger
media groups looking for cutting-edge video expertise.

The News Corp Acquisition: Staying Feisty Inside a Giant

In 2015, Unruly’s work paid off in a major way when News Corp announced it would acquire the company for an upfront cash payment reportedly around
$90 million, with further performance-based earn-outs. For a London-based startup, this was a huge validation and a case study in how specialized
ad-tech companies can slot into global media empires.

Post-acquisition, Unruly continued to operate as a distinct business unit under the News UK umbrella while extending its technology and data across
News Corp properties worldwide. Its tools for predicting virality and distributing video were integrated into a broader portfolio of digital
products, from news sites to sports and real estate platforms.

The big challenge after any acquisition is cultural: can a “feisty and creative” startup stay true to itself inside a much larger corporation?
Wood’s answer has consistently been that independence, clear alignment on mission, and respect for the founding team’s expertise are non-negotiable.
Unruly remained focused on its core promise helping brands create and amplify video that audiences genuinely want to watch and share.

Lessons for Founders and Marketers From Sarah Wood’s Journey

Behind the headlines and viral campaigns, Sarah Wood’s story is packed with lessons for entrepreneurs, brand leaders, and marketers who are trying
to survive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

1. Let real behavior guide your decisions

Unruly didn’t start with a grand theory about what should work in advertising; it started by observing what actually worked. By tracking
which videos people shared and why, the team could make smarter calls about product direction, client advice, and media strategy. For today’s
brands, the takeaway is simple: listen to what your audience does, not just what they say.

2. Treat virality as a discipline, not a miracle

Viral success may look like lightning in a bottle, but Wood’s work argues otherwise. When you break it down into emotional triggers, social
motivations, and distribution strategy, virality becomes something you can plan for and increase the odds of even if you can’t guarantee it every
time. That mindset helps teams move from “We hope this works” to “We know why this might work, and how to improve it.”

3. Build the culture you wish you worked in

Wood didn’t accept the default, often exclusionary culture of tech. Instead, she designed a workplace that valued flexibility, diversity, and
humanity and then protected that culture as the company grew and was acquired. For founders, it’s a reminder that culture isn’t an afterthought;
it’s an operating system. For employees, it’s a reminder that asking for better isn’t naive; sometimes it’s exactly what fuels growth.

4. Align brand personality with content style

One of Wood’s most practical warnings is that not every brand can or should chase the same style of content. Outrageous humor might be perfect for a
challenger betting on shock value, but it can feel wildly off-brand for a trusted financial institution or a healthcare company. Matching content
style to brand personality is just as important as picking a clever idea in the first place.

Q&A-Style Highlights From Our Conversation

On what inspired Unruly Media

Asked what sparked the idea for Unruly, Wood often points back to that moment in the mid-2000s when social media, blogging, and user-generated
content were starting to reshape culture. Brands were anxious: conversations were happening in public, and they were no longer fully in control.
Unruly was born to address that anxiety by turning social video into something measurable, predictable, and useful instead of terrifying.

On making a video go viral

When people ask her for the “secret formula,” Wood emphasizes that virality isn’t about gaming an algorithm so much as understanding human nature.
People share what moves them, surprises them, or makes them feel part of a story. The most successful campaigns, in her view, don’t just entertain;
they invite viewers to express something about themselves when they hit the share button.

She also stresses the importance of distribution: even the most emotionally powerful video needs a smart media plan to reach initial audiences who
will amplify it further. Unruly’s technology was built to connect those dots from creative concept to shareable audience moments.

On being a woman in tech and leadership

Wood is candid about the realities of being a woman in tech, but she prefers to focus on solutions. Rather than simply pointing out the gender gap,
she worked to close it inside her own company, hiring and promoting women into leadership roles and ensuring diverse representation at every level.
Her view is that diversity isn’t just morally right; it’s strategically smart, especially in an industry that claims to understand consumers from
every background.

She also rejects the idea that professional and personal identities should be kept strictly separate. By designing a workplace where parents don’t
have to hide their family responsibilities and where people can bring their whole selves to work, she believes companies can unlock more creativity
and loyalty.

On balancing entrepreneurship, teaching, and family

Between running a fast-growing company, teaching at a top university, and raising three children, Wood’s life is intensely full. Her answer to
“How do you manage it all?” is refreshingly honest: there’s no perfect balance, just continuous trade-offs and a lot of support. She uses academic
holidays to prepare courses and mark papers, and she leans heavily on routines, planning, and a strong support network.

For other leaders juggling multiple roles, her advice boils down to this: be intentional with your time, accept that you can’t do everything, and
try to prioritize the work that feels meaningful whether that’s building a company, mentoring students, or being present for your kids.

Experiences and Practical Takeaways for Today’s Marketers

So what does all of this mean if you’re leading a marketing team, building a startup, or simply trying to make your next video campaign less “meh”
and more memorable? The experiences of teams who’ve applied lessons from Unruly’s approach point to several practical steps.

First, successful teams treat emotional insight as a core part of their process, not a last-minute garnish. Instead of starting with a generic
product brief, they begin by mapping which emotions and social identities their audience cares about. Are viewers seeking inspiration, laughter,
belonging, or reassurance? The creative direction then grows out of those emotional goals. This mirrors how Unruly analyzes emotional triggers and
sharing motivations when scoring ads.

Second, there’s a strong emphasis on testing early and often. Many modern campaigns now run “soft launches” with small audiences to measure
reactions before rolling out at scale. Teams watch not just completion rates, but also comments, saves, and shares. If viewers are tagging friends,
that’s a good sign the content has social currency. If they’re scrolling past silently, it may be time to rework the story or the opening seconds.

Third, teams that thrive in this environment adopt a culture similar to what Wood championed: lean, respectful, and experimental. They encourage
creative partners, media planners, and analysts to sit at the same table instead of working in silos. Data specialists don’t just produce reports at
the end; they’re involved from concept stage, asking, “How will we know if this is resonating?” and “What are we trying to make people feel?”

There is also a clear cultural dimension. Organizations inspired by Wood’s leadership style make room for real life: flexible schedules when needed,
openness about caregiving responsibilities, and recognition that burnout doesn’t lead to better creativity. These teams typically see lower turnover
and more consistent creative output. When people feel safe to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and admit when something isn’t working, campaigns
improve faster.

Finally, marketers who take virality seriously understand that distribution strategy is half the game. They plan for how content will travel across
social platforms, publisher sites, and creator partnerships. They think in terms of “shareable moments” the specific joke, twist, or reveal that
viewers will want to send to a friend. This kind of thinking is a direct descendant of Unruly’s mission to engineer not just views, but meaningful
social sharing.

In many ways, the story of Sarah Wood and Unruly Media is the story of modern advertising itself: the shift from controlling a message to earning a
conversation. For anyone building campaigns today, her journey is a reminder that the most powerful media strategy combines human insight, robust
data, and a culture where people are free to bring their best, most unruly ideas to the table.

Conclusion

Sarah Wood’s path from academic to ad-tech leader, from three-person startup to global acquisition, shows what can happen when you respect both the
science and the art of communication. By focusing on how people feel and why they share, Unruly Media helped redefine what “success” looks
like in digital video.

For founders, her story is a blueprint for building a company culture that is inclusive, curious, and resilient. For marketers, it’s a practical
guide to creating content that resonates deeply enough to travel on its own. And for anyone watching the future of advertising unfold, it’s proof
that even in a world of algorithms and automation, the most powerful force is still human emotion and the simple desire to share something that
matters.