Nick Dan-Bergman: Taking Flight in the New Agency & Franchise World
In the weeks leading up to Street Fight LIVE 2025, we’ll be getting up close and personal with some of our speakers, encouraging them to share stories of how they found themselves in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Nick Dan-Bergman, CMO of agency LT(Lane Terralever), will be joining us to discuss everything franchise-related and sharing the results of a groundbreaking study on what franchise owners should focus on today, based on what their customers want and need.
How did you get your start in the agency world?
“I got my start through a digital marketing course taught by a professor who also ran an agency. He brought in industry speakers, and instead of just listening, I built relationships with them. Many of those connections still matter today, including the founder of the agency where I now work. From the beginning, I leaned toward research and strategy, which later evolved into business development and now marketing. It’s a role that combines the things I enjoy most: connecting dots and people, solving complex problems, and shaping strategy.”
What have been some of your finest moments at LT? Wildest or weirdest incident that’s fit for public consumption?
“When I first got into agencies, I thought the thrill would be working with ‘cool brands.’ Over time, I realized that what’s most rewarding isn’t the logo on the door, it’s solving a real business problem for a client, whether they’re a global brand or a regional one. Those are the moments that stand out to me most.
As for wild or weird, let’s just say agencies collect plenty of those stories. I probably have a dozen, but nothing I’ll commit to in public today.”
What agency functions do you think will be disrupted by AI?
“AI will reshape every corner of agency life. Honestly, anyone claiming to have a locked-down playbook right now is missing the point. For me, it’s more about mindset than a fixed process. If you’re defining your playbook today, chances are it’ll be outdated in a couple of weeks. The key is building a philosophy around how to use these tools, rather than chasing one ‘silver bullet.’
At LT, we’ve adopted a FAFO mindset (“figure it out”) that gives people across the agency freedom and budget to experiment. One example is the AI Hub we’ve built in-house. Because we have a highly technical team, we created a portal that taps into several large language models with parameters customized for different job functions and use cases. It gives our team some guardrails while still encouraging experimentation. If I’m being honest, we’re still in early days. This technology is evolving too quickly for everything to be standardized yet. But by 2026, I’d expect AI to be fully embedded in structured workflows across the agency.”
One of the most fun parts for me has been doing research interviews with senior marketers across industries. Inside an agency or a tech company, it can feel like everyone is ‘all in’ on AI. But the reality is that most marketers are still lightly experimenting or taking a wait-and-see approach. Very few have it figured out, which makes this moment both exciting and wide open.”
Why did you decide to do your latest report on franchises?
“We’ve conducted research in casinos, attractions, higher ed, and sports. Franchises felt like the natural next step, especially given the pace of change right now. Consumer behavior is shifting dramatically with AI-driven search, social media as a discovery engine, and loyalty expectations that are higher than ever. Franchisors and franchisees are being forced to rethink how they meet those expectations while juggling the realities of multi-location (MULO) operations.
Because franchise systems span hundreds or even thousands of locations, small shifts in strategy can create massive ripple effects. That makes this category both fascinating and high-stakes. We wanted to dig into how franchise marketers are navigating the gap between what consumers want and what brands deliver, and how those shifts will define the next few years of growth.”
What do you do when you’re not working?
“Travel is a big one for me. I’ve been spending time in Latin America recently, brushing up on my Spanish in places like Medellín, Mexico City, and Antigua. I wouldn’t call myself fluent yet, but I can hang. A couple of my favorite phrases are ‘¡Ay Dios mío!,’ which I’ve started using as a lighthearted alternative to some of the expletives I’d normally lean on when I’m frustrated, and ‘Todo bien,’ which captures my positive, steady mentality with a simple ‘all is well.’
Closer to home, I’m big on fitness. You’ll find me in HIIT classes, on a tennis court, or exploring new wellness routines. And if I didn’t live in the desert, I’d probably be on a sailboat every weekend, trimming the spinnaker.”
Be sure to register and join us for Nick Dan-Bergman’s session at Street Fight LIVE 2025 and hear the results of the new LT study. And, maybe he’ll even tell you one of those wild and weird stories at the cocktail hour!
