While many of his colleagues have begun planning their retirement parties, Yallen continues to do breakthrough advertising for more than 30 current Inter/Media clients. Syd provides day-to-day leadership on many of the company’s key accounts, oversees the financial and administrative operations for the firm, and heads new business development.

Syd Yallen founded Inter/Media in 1974, after a remarkable career in the heart of Southern California’s advertising community. He originally began work in the broadcast and advertising industries at the age of 13 as a part-time office boy for KFWB radio in Los Angeles. After joining KFWB at such a young age, he worked his way up through the news, production, promotion, advertising, and sales departments eventually to station manager, where he stayed for nine years. At that time, KFWB was a music-news-sports format ranked 5th in the greater Southern California Market. In 1958, Syd introduced "Color Radio-Fabulous 40" to the Southern California listeners, which was at the time, the most successful advertising promotion campaign ever conducted by a radio station. In only five weeks, KFWB became the number one radio station in Southern California.

In 1958, Yallen moved on to become executive vice-president of Continental International Productions, a leading syndicator of radio and television programs. Nine years later, he joined broadcast barter company Pepper and Tanner to assume the position of West Coast regional manager. In 1970, Syd established the West Coast operations for the media buying service Media Partners, headquartered in New York. When that partnership dissolved, Yallen formed Inter/Media, now in its 32nd year.
Syd holds a Bachelor of Science degree in advertising and marketing from the University of Southern California. Like his son, he was once a track and field star, in high school (at Fairfax High) and at College of the Pacific. He was clocked in 9.7 in the 100-yard dash when the world record was 9.4.