The Bad Pod, An Advertising Podcast (The Bad Pod, An Ad Pod)

The Bad Podcast welcomes our first creative partnership in Nate Nichols & Steffi Behringer. Also life partners, Nate & Steffi seem to have bottled lightning and are using it to better our industry and fuel their creative pursuits. 
 
In this episode, we hear how their separate paths crossed--Nate as an art school student turned agency founder and Steffi working brand-side for luxury car brands which she parlayed into a career as a producer. We also get a first-hand account of the ideas that inspired Allyship & Action, a behind-the-scenes peak at some of their recent work for for the City of Newark, and the unfiltered honesty that seems to go into everything they do. 

PS. This is also our first time having some of our guests work available within the episode! Thanks, Nate & Steffi!

Find out more about:

Palette Group - palettegrp.com & @palettegrp on Twitter
Allyship & Action - allyshipandaction.com & @allyshipaction
City of Newark spot - https://www.palettegrp.com/case-studies/welcome-to-newark

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Lindsay Bennett's career trajectory is a steep one. In only a few years she has gone from covering businesses as a journalist in the Sydney area to her new home in NYC + new role as Global Head of Marketing for DDB,  just 3 years after going agency-side.

Dogged determination certainly played a part—see: her 11 months working ET hours from Australia—but she's also a huge proponent for self-advocacy and community building.  She talks with TBP about some of the tools that helped her the most in today's episode. 

You can find Lindsay on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter and TikTok at @LindsayBennett.

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Carrie Ann Latimer can beat you up (but she totally would never). While excelling in a role that is notoriously overworked, even by ad industry standards, she manages multiple brands for DeVries/Golin and is a dedicated power lifter. 
In this episode we talk about the type of professional boundaries that allow her to stay so balanced, what her different experiences as the online voice for brands like Southern Comfort, L'Oreal, Mountain Dew, and others, and some of her strategies to manage trolls and build brand momentum. 
Her talent and charm are undeniable. See for yourself by following her on Twitter at @barelycarrie. 
Good luck at your powerlifting competition, Carrie Ann! 

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Buckle up, ad nerds. This one is a wild and wonderful ride and it's not just because of the technical difficulties! Which we feel like we ironed out pretty well if we do say so ourselves.

Ep 28 features our conversation with Manuel Bordé, Global CCO of VMLY&R Commerce—formerly Geometry. Manuel made his way through the ad industry starting in Columbia and picking up several of just about every ad award there is before landing in his current role. We talk with him about finding consumer moments in emerging tech like Web3 and why he doesn't trust headhunters. 

You can find Manuel's work at https://manuelborde.com/

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Todd Turner is of the mind that if you're not having fun, then you're doing this advertising thing all wrong. It's why he invented Ad Twitter's favorite headlines game, Wash-a-pig. And he's not done there. This episode we talk with Todd about the origins of WAP and his future plans for his creative game business as well as his long career in outdoor advertising—the purest form of advertising.

You can order your very own deck at washapig.com and find Todd's portfolio of work at toddmadethis.com 

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Susan Credle forged her own education in the advertising profession through sheer tenacity and talent. Starting as a receptionist at BBDO NY, she eventually earned her way into a creative role which she parlayed into one of the most notable careers the wider world of advertising has ever seen. Her career as a creative saw her reinventing the M&Ms characters into the world famous icons they are today, she oversaw the advent of Mayhem for Allstate while at Leo Burnett, and the list goes on and on. 
Today, she focuses her prowess as a creative leader into making the offices of FCB as forward-thinking, diverse, equitable, and creative as possible—championing leadership roles for all types of people with the wisdom that true creativity comes from having broader conversations at every level of the creative process. 
We were absolutely blown away by Susan's thoughtfulness and generosity before and during this conversation. Despite her rank, this was one of the easiest guest bookings ever for the podcast which just speaks to the passion that she has for her role as a leader at FCB. 
Enjoy this very good episode of the Bad Podcast and please leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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Saurabh Kakade, of Hyperinteractive, an innovation agency in Hamburg, Germany & Tobias Natterer, a Sr. Copywriter at DDB Berlin, were a couple of the creative minds behind this year's brilliant "Truth Wins" campaign for Reporters Without Borders. Essentially, they used the Russian government's own lottery against them in order to provide people in Russia with access to the news outside of the state sanctioned propaganda disguised as news. It's the kind of work we all strive to do as advertising creatives and we're so grateful they took the time to join us from Germany to walk us through their process.

You can find out more about the campaign and the agencies behind them at the following links:

Campaign Website: thetruthwins.eth.link/

Campaign Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enGJmBM4DHE

Twitter Russia: russia.thetruthwins.eth.link

Blockchain based decentralized archive: russia-info.thetruthwins.eth.link

Twitter Turkey: turkey.thetruthwins.eth.link

Twitter Brazil: brazil.thetruthwins.eth.link

Hyperinteractive Website: https://www.hyperinteractive.de/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/hyperinteractive_/

And more on de-centralised storage: https://ipfs.io/ 

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Andy Pearson returns to the Bad Podcast to tell us what life has been like from the helm of one of the world's most exciting new brands, Liquid Death. The constant outpouring of hilarious, original, and brave work from this brand has them on just about every creative's dream roster. We talk about nimble creative teams, not overthinking it, freelance life, and why he hates the Super Bowl. 

See Andy's portfolio at www.ievenwrotethissickurl.com
Liquid Death YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRMG5MU1RurWtdiRFtPyvQ
Liquid Death Website: https://liquiddeath.com/

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Manuel Frank has been the Chief Creative Officer for Edelman Deutschland since 2014 and joins The Bad Podcast as he transitions to his new role as Global Co-chair of Edelman Health. He has also served on many major awards show juries including Cannes Lions and the One Show. He joins us from Edelman's Chicago office where he and Amelia shared a zoom window. We talk about his 15 years as a copywriter, his new global role, Edelman's history as a PR juggernaut, and more. 

Enjoy this episode and please leave us a review if you can!

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Jen Mageau is an art director, freelancer, teacher, co-founder, business owner, and one of Brian's most influential advertising mentors. She's also a Department Head at the hallowed Ad Land institution, The Creative Circus. 
After 26 years of supplying some of the best minds in the ad industry The Creative Circus will be closing its doors for good.  We talk to Jen about what that looks like, what it's meant for her throughout the years, and what it means to move on. Buckle up, baddies. Episode 34 is a good one!

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Joshua Womack joins us to talk life, advertising, and his new book, "I'm not a copywriter but... [Lessons learned from a late bloomer] and the life that led to its publication. We discuss the spiritual implications of a creative career, killing your ego, the monumental task of writing a whole book, and working from home vs the office. Ad newbies and crafty veterans alike will find a inspiration and solidarity in Josh and his new book--as well as this episode. Enjoy!

Link to Josh's book -- https://www.amazon.com/not-copywriter-but-Joshua-Womack/dp/1950843556

Josh's portfolio -- https://www.joshwomack.net/

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Kate Horvath is your luckiest day if you're looking for your next perfect career fit, whether you're an individual or an organization. Partner at Salmela Creative Recruiting, she joins us to talk about the science and sentiment behind effective recruiting. We also get a peek into her long career as an actress and theatre manager and how that role (pun intended) helped her become the career trajectory rocket scientist she is today. 

Find out more about Salmela Creative Recruiting at https://www.meetsalmela.com/

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Eric L. Hu is a world traveler, a photographer, Head of Fintech Strategy at Walmart, and the new unofficial third host of The Bad Podcast. He joins us from NYC to talk advertising, capitalism, morality, cars, and compassion. Tangents include cars and what we're gonna do with our lives. Find Eric on LinkedIn or IG @ericlhu

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Brendan Robertson is Chief Strategy Officer at the storied small agency M/H, historically known as Muhtayzik Hoffer.  Brendan's tenacity and affinity for an authentically great insight, idea, and technological avenues for ads has taken him coast to coast, working for some of the best agencies and brands around. We talk about his advertising family, the changing landscape of advertising avenues, and his new home in LA. 

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Patrick Holly, Executive Creative Director at Upwork, is a multidisciplinary creative whose career has run the gamut from agencies like R/GA and AKQA, to brands like Apple and Uber and Harley Davidson.  Patrick joins us to talk about the new Upwork campaign, brand-side vs agency life, what it takes to be a capable leader and high-functioning creative team in a remote world and more. 

See the new Upwork campaign at https://www.youtube.com/c/Upwork

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Robin Landa is a Distinguished Professor at the Michael Graves College at Kean University and author of 25 books. She joins us for our 40th episode to discuss how to generate your best ideas and the foundational points of her newest book, The New Art of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential.  Grab a copy of your own online or at any retail book store. All of Robin's proceeds from her books go back to scholarship programs for her students.

Episode Links:
More about Robin Landa
The New Art of Ideas on Amazon

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Simon Bruyn has been a player in some of the best ads to come out of some of the best ad shops in the past decade. After pivoting from a computer programming career back in his hometown near Toronto, he found his creative calling as a copywriter and now celebrates one year as the Executive Creative Director for none other than Mother LA. He joins us from sunny California to talk about the years and agencies in between, the mentors who have shaped him and the gems of wisdom that he has collected along the way. 

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GSD&M's Chief Creative Officer, Jay Russell, joins TBP to tell us what The Chicken Sandwich Wars were like from the front lines, why he loves running, and how he delivers creative feedback. 

Buckle up bbs, this one is Bad™ to the bone. 

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In this episode of TBP, we speak with Will De Lannoy, Head of Media/New Engagement Models at Anomaly.

Will discusses what sets Anomaly apart from other ad agencies, living up to their name. He also talks about why he chose to pursue a career in advertising rather than as an Art Director, despite his impressive artistic skills.

Tune in to hear Will's insights on the world of advertising and how Anomaly is breaking the mold in the industry.

Episode Links:
Anomaly
Will's Art IG

Episode Sponsor:
Wash-a-Pig

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In Episode 45 of The Bad Podcast, we welcomed Cameron Day, an award-winning ECD and copywriter, and the author of two books, Chew with Your Mind Open and Spittin Chiclets. He's also advertising royalty, being the son of Guy Day, co-founder of the inimitable Chiat/Day. Cameron shares his experience of the blessings and challenges of following in his father's footsteps, which business sectors in  advertising  can trap a copywriter and how to overcome them and a few thoughts about how to treat clients. 

Episode Links:
Cameron Day's Website
Buy Spittin Chiclets: The Advertising Survival Guide - Stage Two: the Messy Middle Years

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Portland-based photographer, Ivan McClellan, joins us on Super Bowl Sunday to take us behind the scenes of his journey of creative self-discovery. Post agency life, Ivan is now the driving force behind Eight Seconds - Cowboys of Color, a celebration of black cowboy culture in America today. We first heard Ivan's story from his performance on The Moth. Listen to Ivan's Moth story at the link in today's episode notes.

Episode Links: 
https://eightsecs.com/
https://themoth.org/storytellers/ivan-mcclellan

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Thomas Kemeny signed Brian's copy of Junior, "Learn the quadratic equation, math is fun!" It's gems like this that have made his advertising how-to for juniors (and everyone else) one of the most talked about ad books out there. 

But seriously, Thomas Kemeny and his book are both chocked full of wisdom and good humor. 

In this episode we talk about how creativity should feel like vandalism and the future of pickle ball.

 Find his work (and hire him for yours) at https://www.thomaskemeny.com/

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Erick Worrell joins us from Oklahoma City to talk emotional intelligence, leadership lessons, and the specifics of non-profit ads. 

He's both a freelance creative, working under Coin Creative with his longtime creative partner, Abbie, and ECD at TCM Creative, an OKC-based agency that handles the niche of national nonprofit advertising.  

Follow him on twitter at @irreverick and find out more about TCM and COIN in the episode links. 

Episode Links: 
https://www.coincreative.co/
http://targetedcontentmarketing.com/

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Co-founder of Knack Recruiting and former Copywriting Department Head of the Creative Circus, Paul Korel, joins us from Atlanta to reminisce on bygone circus days with Brian. 

Episode Links: 
https://www.knackrecruits.com/

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Welcome to the 50th episode of The Bad Podcast featuring Michael Steves, a content creator turned Talent Producer with a wealth of knowledge on platforms like Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, and the gaming industry in general. Michael's unique perspective on content creation and management is a breath of fresh air, and with over 7 years of experience in the field, he has a lot to share with our listeners. In this episode, we'll dive deep into Michael's journey, exploring his transition from content creator to Talent Producer and the lessons he's learned along the way. We'll also discuss the Michael's go-to games and the future of content creation. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this milestone episode of The Bad Podcast.

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This time on the Bad Podcast, we get to know Elise Ott, a freelance copywriter who left her full-time role at an agency to pursue a more fulfilling life in the great outdoors. Elise shares her experience and how it led her decision to pursue her passion for long-distance hiking.

Elise talks about the challenges of balancing her career with her love for nature and how she ultimately made the difficult decision to prioritize the latter. She also discusses the importance of mental health and taking time for oneself, and how her decision to leave the advertising industry has improved her overall wellbeing.

Throughout the episode, Elise provides insights into the world of copywriting and advertising, including the pressure to always be "on" and the challenges of staying creative in a fast-paced environment. She also shares her tips for any would-be thru hikers that want to follow in her footsteps.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in prioritizing your wellbeing while also working in the demanding field of advertising.

Episode Links:
Elise's Portfolio
Elise's YouTube Channel

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In episode 52 of TBP, Amelia interviews Matt Van Hoven, co-founder of Nashville-based Raven PR firm. 

Raven PR is known for its strategic public relations services, catering to the world's most creative businesses including ad agencies, media and production companies, ad tech platforms, creative technology businesses, media networks, and publishers. Their expertise lies in shaping the market perception of their clients and translating their unique qualities into narratives that drive the industry forward.

They discuss his background as a journalist for Agency Spy and how his knowledge and insights from that role played a crucial part in the establishment of his successful PR firm. Matt emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning, highlighting the ever-evolving nature of the PR industry and the need for pros to stay informed, adapt to new trends, and continuously enhance their skills and knowledge.

Episode Links:
https://www.ravenpublicrelations.com/

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We're joined by Pete Sena, Co-Founder of Digital Surgeons, a forward-thinking design consultancy of makers marketers and entrepreneurs. Pete shares his journey as a design-led entrepreneur and his passion for unlocking new possibilities and building businesses with DS. Be sure to check out Pete's own podcast, "Forward Obsessed," where he shares conversations from the forefront of emerging tech and business trends.

Episode Links:
Pete Sena's Site
Digital Surgeons

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On The Bad Pod Episode 53, Brian reunites with his former mentor, Dan Balser, Director of The Academy at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners., a free tuition advertising portfolio program based at the historical agency. They discuss the inaugural year of The Academy and Dan shares insights into triumphs won and challenges faced overall.

Episode Links:
The Academy

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In this  episode of TBP, Brian sits down with Mark Robinson, a senior marketing and strategy executive and author of the new book, "Black on Madison Avenue" (available everywhere July 1st). The lack of diversity in advertising has been a long-standing concern, and Mark sheds light on the industry's ongoing struggles with empathy and inclusivity.

Mark shares how his mother's career and a life growing up in St. Albans Queens influenced his  aspirations. He reflects on an incredibly creative career from the account side, attributing his many promotions to his involvement in successful product launches like Lipton flavored teas and Fancy Feast.

Episode Links:
https://www.blackonmadisonavenue.com/

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Long-time creative team and co-founders of Major Agency, Andrew Fatato & Dave Haller join us for episode 56 to talk about their new pocket-portfolio school, Handbook for Hacks. It's a concise and thorough breakdown of the job of being a creative in advertising. We talk about the foundations of advertising, the problems facing modern advertising schools, their plant food side hustle, and how an accidental freelance project in Japan led them to founding their own agency. 

Episode Links: 
https://major.agency/
https://www.schoolforhacks.com/
https://drugsforplants.com/

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These young creatives gamified the Cannes Lion experience with The Loudest Roar,  a virtual juror experience for anyone with an eye for advertising to see how their taste stacks up against the real Cannes jury selections.

Chirag Khushalani is a strategist at AKQA Media City where he and his co-worker, Tobbi Vu, a UX/UI designer got the ball rolling on this budding community experience. Alongside an Art Director and Copywriter, the four of them launched the inaugural year of The Loudest Roar with style and grace.

It's one of those "I wish I had thought of that" ideas. But lucky for all of us,  they did. And they knocked it out of the park. Check out the links below to learn more about these killer creatives.

Episode Links:
The Loudest Roar
Chirag's LinkedIn
Tobbi's LinkedIn

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His friends call him "Mundo." Mundo Sando if they're being proper.

Edmund Sandoval is a Chicago-based Senior Copywriter for R/GA and a writer writer in his time outside of agency life. He brings us yet another completely unique story about a nonlinear entrance into advertising. He tells us how the pandemic shaped his creative life and what it feels like to submit a story.

For anyone with art in their heart, Mundo's story will resonate completely. And for anyone with advertising on the brain, here's another wealth of perspective from a great guest on The Bad Pod.

Enjoy!

Episode Links:
Mundo's Book

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Episode Summary: "Spark of Creativity: Philip Khosid's Journey with Battery LA"

In this episode of "The Bad Pod, Advertising Podcast," we interview Philip Khosid, the co-founder of Battery LA. With a background in Grey Worldwide and BBDO, Philip's journey led him to establish Battery in 2013, which saw him crafting campaigns for titans like Warner Bros. and NBC Universal.

Philip talks about Battery's philosophy that "the idea is king," how audacity in creativity can spark innovations, and how a creative director's job is not being the arbiter of taste in a creative department. We talk about how history is written by the winners and shares an example through his experience advertising for kombucha back before it became a cultural staple. 

Tune in to gain insights from Philip Khosid's journey!

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Extra thanks to our episode 60 (!!) guest Ellie Lloyd, Executive Creative Director at Glow, who joined us amidst a tropical storm that was falling on top of her Los Angeles home. But the connection holds out and we get a special look at her extensive career in advertising with a focus on promoting for hit movies and television series like The Last Jedi, The Rolling Thunder Review, Mayans, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Legion, Ready Player One and more. She brings us insights on building fandoms, why "nothing moves as fast as TV," and managing mental health while in such a demanding industry.

Episode Links:
Ellie Lloyd dot com
Ellie talks mental health with Ad Age

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Episode 61 welcomes back Joshua Womack to talk about his new book about his days as a Cleveland comedian. He tells us what he's learned about book publishing between his debut Copywriting manifesto, "I'm Not a Copywriter But...". He tells us about the importance of a good editor and why he loves the morning time best for his creative pursuits. Buy his new book at the link below!

Episode Links:
"You Are Not That Funny: Stories from Cleveland Stand-Up" on Amazon

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Sebastián is one of our favorite people and fellow VMLYR Commerce employee. Unfortunately for this pod's hosts, that's where the comparison stops, because Sebastián has separated himself from many in the advertising world by having more Lions than sub-Saharan Africa. He joins us off the heals of his most recent win, a Grand Prix for his work on Oreo Codes. Tune in for a world of wisdom from one of the industry's most winning (and totally humble about it) copywriters.

Episode Links:
Sebastián's Book
Oreo Codes
Book180.com
Washapig.com

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Rodney Johnson jumped into the deep end on production with his start at Tube Creative, an independent production studio in Atlanta, which gave him his 10,000 of hours of experience and then some.

Since then he's only added to his resumé, working on productions in the ad world, for music videos, and beyond. He and Brian met when Rodney was moonlighting as the Creative Circus' video editing instructor and campus guru.

Now, he's bottling his extensive knowledge into an easily accessible video editing course for budding video pros and seasoned veterans alike. 

We talk about his journey, editing on the 1's and 2's, Adobe Premiere vs DaVinci Resolve, and what makes him want to share his knowledge and chops with the world.

Episode Links:
Follow Rodney on IG
DaVinci Resolve (FREE Video Editing software)
Tube Creative Design/Video Agency

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Allie LeFevere and her co-founder/best friend, Lyndsay Sanders, have been using clever concepts and witty wordplay to grow a wide range of brands, like Blue Bunny ice cream, Native cosmetics, the LA Rams, CMT, and a slew of other organizations across myriad industries.

We talk about why humor works, why brands are scared of it, the sweet spot that comes with knowing your niche, and how your side hustle doesn't have to be your career. 

Episode Links:
Obedient Agency
Brandsplaining
Can they brand that? YouTube
Fangasm Pod

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In episode  65 of The Bad Pod, An Ad Pod, we delve into the mind of Ian Baer, an advertising maven with a storied 35-year career at the helm of industry giants like Publicis and TBWA. Ian recounts how the classic sitcom "Bewitched" sparked his initial fascination with advertising, setting him on a path to become a strategic powerhouse in the field.

From his early inspirations to his revolutionary work at Sooth, Ian provides a masterclass in advertising strategy and its evolution. Throughout our discussion, Ian shares his unique approach to dissecting popular campaigns, extracting strategic insights that have driven his success and led to transformative results in marketing effectiveness. Tune in for an episode packed with valuable lessons from a true industry veteran.

Episode Links:
soothbetold.com

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It's the Happiest of New Years here at The Bad Pod because we finally got to sit down with the co-founders of our long-time sponsors, Book 180!

Sarah Latz & Francesca Piancone were PR & Agency professionals who moonlighted as instructors at Chicago Portfolio School. And it's there where they first began to get the idea for another way to do this whole portfolio school thing, and where their friendship blossomed into a co-foundership.

And the results are in! It. is. working. Graduates of Book180's programs are getting hired.  Listen in to get their expert take on what's working and not working in modern advertising education, hiring, job seeking, and more. 

Episode Links:
Book180.com
Sarah Latz on LinkedIn
Francesca Piancone on LinkedIn

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Look no further than this episode's thumbnail image to see that Ryan Mack likes doing things differently. And it's that ability to go with his gut, even and especially when unconventional, that has ushered him through a truly inspiring career.

In his words, Ryan Mack's special talent is making small things medium. As the former President of Virtue Worldwide, he did just that, building Vice's agency into an advertising juggernaut.

As Chief Commercial Officer at Made In Network, he has overseen the brand-building of cultural superstars like Matty Matheson, Action Bronson, and many more. This episode is a masterclass in modern creator marketing and what big brands are missing in the conversation of how to stay relevant.

Episode Links:
Made In Network
Matty Matheson on YouTube
Babish Culinary Universe

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After 3 years and over 60 guest interviews, The Bad Pod co-founder, Amelia is leaving the podcast. 

AND Eric L. Hu,  Head of Strategy FinTech at Walmart and our episode 37 guest from August '22, is taking over as co-host! 

Eric & Brian talk with Amelia about the pod past, our futures, what makes the work "worth it," and what is most important in our professional lives. 

Please join us in bidding a fond farewell to Amelia and wishing her all the best as she continues to dominate over at VML Chicago!

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• Introducing our guest all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska… Clint Runge, CEO & Founder of Archrival!
• Turns out, advertising was a second chapter for Clint, who actually started out in architecture and design. 
• Archrival is a youth culture agency setting out to reinvent how brands with the hearts and minds of young adults, teens to twenty-somethings. 
• Clint and his team of 65 have worked with brands like Spotify, Adidas, and Epic Games, and they aren’t slowing down.
• “Rewriting the Ten Z playbook” - Vogue, March 2024
• Gen Z is breaking the traditional marketing funnel, moving away from a top-down broadcast model towards a bottom-up, grassroots approach to building brand identity 
• We chat about the job search, career satisfaction, creativity vs creativity management

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You'll be glad you caught this one. Matt Johnson has paved his ad career as a strategist and now agency founder with determination, humility, and of, course, a heaping helping of creativity. He cut his teeth at some of the most iconic names in LA advertising; Goodby, 72&Sunny, 180LA, and now Haymaker

Matt tells us about sharing an alma mater with Dan Weiden and “growing up” in his career path alongside the rise of Jordan in the ‘80s when, for the first time, a single athlete was defining the culture of sports and beyond. 

Episode Quotes: 

• Almost leaving advertising: “when you’re a competitive person, and a really hard worker, advertising is really easy to get sucked up into because it’s such a tough business and demands a competitive fire.” 
• “There’s never an end to the work… you could go forever.” 
• "Strategy IS creative." Say it back.
• On new business: “Hire the partner not the idea”
• On modeling the agency: "Haymaker is a reflection of the founders’ partnership and friendship"
• Industry friction/ truth: “Not everyone can eat a Creative Idea”
• On life: “I found my way into opportunity and listened.”

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Suzie Bao, IW Group's new VP Account Director for McDonald's stopped by the Bad Pod to talk about...

• Joy work; engaging career growth and creativity with a focus on multicultural representation
• Lessons on finding mentorship early and often; the courage it takes to embrace people willing to tell you what you are bad at
• Accelerating and championing Asians in Advertising, a non profit organization dedicated to elevating traditionally overlooked voices and faces. 
• Superpower: being a “fixer” and “client whisperer” — someone who packages an idea in a way that will get it across the finish line
• “It’s so nice to not be the only. I collaborate with clients that want to be a cultural icon.” 
• Virtually every brand wants to capture the Gen Z audience. To them, multicultural marketing IS marketing. 
• Learning by osmosis: "I know how to be an Account person. I’m NOT a strategist, so how can I become more strategist? I hang out with Strategists. I'm NOT a creative, so I hang out with creatives. I rather be around what I cannot do for a living."
• “Account is a thankless role and people often don’t fully appreciate it until I leave” 

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Multi-hyphenate creative legend JoRoan Lazaro, ECD of Experience.Monks joins us to talk all things emerging technology, career lifecycles, and getting his start AOL in a time when UX design was still a nascent discipline.

Our favorite stories:

• One of the odd birds in both product design and brand communications
• Going against the grain: started in client-side and transitioned to agency
• "Instead of choosing one major I chose three. Computer science, psychology, and art - it didn't make sense at the time. It goes back to the Asian experience because you're afraid to tell your parents that... I want to do art..." 

Big moments from doing the work:

• "One of the first things I did was the actual concept of the yellow running guy with a pencil... the idea was an easily identifiable icon or visual." - it changed how people use technology and helped usher in social
• "There was no usability testing. We just did it." 
• "In general, I already know all the questions I want to ask, but I'm always still really really surprised when I land."
• Pitching: receiving a standing ovation but losing the pitch. It is about relationships and it is about chemistry. There's just so much you don't know.

Career advice we'll live with: 

• Financial safety-net to take risks; "if I don't like it, I could always move again." 
• "Nothing replaces doing it."
• "A little bit of luck, a little bit of bravery" - the idea of working in a space that is deeply unsexy to designers, but makes a gigantic difference for every day people. 
• "The following your passion sounds really obvious but it makes more sense the older you get, because if you are doing something you are deeply interested in, you're gonna stick with it and work hard, and that's important for longevity." 
• "The contact in America is... you have a job. They will pay you for the work you are supposed to be doing. Everything else is up to us to make great or wonderful... nothing is entitled." 

Find us us on Twitter, Instagram, and at The Bad Podcast dot com

This episode, we sit down with Lameya Chaudhury, the driving force behind social impact at Lucky Generals, the UK-based advertising agency known for work that doesn't just resonate—it challenges perceptions and drives meaningful change.

With over 15 years of experience connecting brands to their communities, Lameya shares her journey of being curiosity-led, collecting mentors, and helping brands align their actions with their words.

Our favorite stories:

• Making a complicated topic simple and working with an oil-drinking national treasure for Make My Money Matter with "Oblivia Colemine" (Olivia Coleman)
• Matchmaking client partners e.g. The British Army + The Black Curriculum, educational partnership
• The difference between UK and US cultures in business and social impact

Big moments from doing the work:

• Getting brands to be brave, invest robustly, and have receipts 
• The value of forging relationships and partners within an industry where a Head of Social Impact has few to no peers
• Navigating the stages of a client relationship 

Career advice we'll live with:

• The benefits of curating a curiosity-led career
• "Never stay in my own lane"
• How can we make social impact "a core component of the brand platform, not an addition?"
• Collect mentors everywhere you can

Find us us on Twitter, Instagram, and at The Bad Podcast dot com

Theo Gibson, ECD of Joan Creative and visual artist Bank Moody, joins us from Joan's NYC office to share his Jedi-like wisdom around authentic artistic creation, and how it has served him during an award-winning advertising career, from his early days building a creative community in Toronto, Canada, to his current role and life in NYC.

Our favorite stories: 

• How a friend's words, "sketchbook Theo is the best Theo," reminded him to re-prioritize making art with his hands
• Intentionally curating your own inspiration; "our experiences shouldn't just stay with us" 
• Being a horror buff and Theo's favorite quote (and solid advice) from "Hellraiser"

Big moments from doing the work: 

• Learning how to and the value of picking your agencies even as agencies are picking you
• Straddling/pushing the line of safety to make good work
• While others are focused on RTBs, KPIs, etc. focus on making the work resonate with those who are watching

Career advice we'll live with: 

• Your own essence will inform the work better than the industry standard
• If you haven't made anything in 2 years, it's on you, not the agency
• Never think of it as a performance

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Our favorite stories: 

• "I started Bakery when I was 27... I didn't know how to do anything but I thought I knew how to do everything better than everyone else."
• "If you're from a place like the Dominican Republic, you're surviving... there's very few career tracks. You have a main career and a lot of side (hustles)."
• "Once puberty hits... I was out there tagging walls... and then I had a mentor." 
• "This is the passion of my life, working with people who are way more talented than I'll ever be." 
• "As an immigrant kid, you feel like there are these gatekeeping moments. Like that's not for you, and then you get into it, and people want your opinion..." 
• "Having great people in this industry, with nothing in return, give their time to someone that they don't know... it honestly makes you very humble, it makes you understand this is a give-back industry..." 

Big moments from doing the work: 

• Launching BioWare / EA Games - "it was like a school I never had"
• From :30s at a time to an industry that keeps people's attention for 200 hours at a time
• Failed multiple times - Bakery went out of business 4x - "I had to reinvent myself and the agency." 
• "...Decidedly an old school place. I wanted it to be a creative hub... like the agencies I grew up idolizing. Less digital, less data-driven... boring the crap out of me. Vaporware." 
• Starting KEN media with Shiner Beer AOR - a great example of clients giving you opportunity to grow. "I wish this kind of relationship on any agency. We use the word Partner so often... when I say partnership, they are on my mind. We are both in for the benefit of our people." 

Career advice we'll live with: 

• "Please stay dumb and curious"
• "I'll out-work anyone in any room I'm in. That's the super power..."
• Moving from survival to thriving model of thinking - "...we're in a Renaissance of indie agencies... there is something to be said about the agility afforded to you by independence." 
• "Capitalism never sleeps. Every time the checks have more 0's on them... as an immigrant to this country, the idea of the US is to make it. You have to come to terms with what that means to you." 
• "There was a pitch floating around... I want to do this just to see all the things we need to fix. If Bakery took off at this rate [like KEN], I'd be calling you from Air Force Bakery." 
• "I believe in know what you're good at and what you're not good at, and letting people do what they're good at." 
• "Watch Canada."

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"If you got one foot in tomorrow and one foot in yesterday, then you're squattin' on today." - Brian's grandma

Our favorite stories: 

• 3x author, professor, and agency chief turned clinical therapist 
• Over 20 years in China leading perhaps the most storied industry-shaper J. Walter Thompson on accounts like Kraft, Nike, and Microsoft. 
• There was a lot of proud when you saw your work up there... there was a lot of social cache. Investment banking was a big thing and consulting was too, but there was no shame in saying "I went to a business school and went into advertising." 
• "There was never a CMO... the relationship between agency and client was taken very seriously. Agency reviews were meant to consolidate relationships instead of cracking open fissures that might be helping in reducing fees." 
• On moving to China: "You could tell very quickly who was going to thrive... I came in and was immediately moved by the aspirational sparkle in their eyes... the willingness to absorb information..." 

Big moments from doing the work: 

• "There was tremendous focus on strategy and creative as the center of gravity... Leo Burnett and JWT had review boards making sure the leadership of the agency was collectively endorsing what was going on. There was no question the decision making was not focused on media." 
• "I helped launch Lunchables... the marketing head and I were very good friends and I knew his family and we went to multiple football games... cookouts... that relationship was particularly warm but not unheard of at the time." 
• "Living in the lanes... not a high rise where the ex-pats were... once you learn the language (Chinese), it gives you insight into how the Chinese view their relationship between the individual and society and the cosmos..."

Career advice we'll live with: 

• People are very frightened about digital technology. The people who have command over the digital ecosystem are the new aspirational characters in the industry.
• Down-funnel: a shift in the center of gravity; those who could understand and could harness the power of data vs ideas. Ideas were left by the wayside. 
• "Clearly there are areas in communication communities that are still brand-centric. The question that I have is, whether people that are part of these part of these functions are ultimately going to scale the ladders of the power structure." 
• Ask yourself, where can I feel most at home? 
• The fundamentals of what a good insight is... what a good brand purpose is -- these are not being taught, in fact they are being slightly ridiculed. You fall back on brand guide books that are overly prescriptive. 

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Our favorite stories: 

• Mass media shaped by sight-sound imagery, inspired by watching a ton of TV and critiquing the commercials as much as watching the programming. Recalling jingles, surgery cartoons, GEICO ads...
• On trying research journalism - "something just wasn't clicking, it felt like it drained me of energy." 
• Part time restaurant job and appliance & repair parts marketing... the perfect recipe for becoming the future Head of Strategy at Sid Lee? JK - it helped with learning how to relate with people. (KEY SKILL) 

Big moments from doing the work: 

• Originally applied to VCU for copywriting, but was identified as a strategist. Found mentorship in Earl Cox, late CSO of The Martin Agency
• On trust and taste: critical ingredients for a successful collaboration between strategy and creative. "you have to figure out the references that connect with them... but do not be the Judge Judy in the room" 
• On working with younger creatives: "get them into the habit of explaining their rationale... it makes for more fruitful working relationships." 
• Bringing together a high-velocity team: hiring for the right skills, but also leaving room for individuals to surpass their own expectations for themselves. 
• "I like seeing people's faces" - Earl Cox was great at taking a room and working it... reading it and regurgitating it... 

Career advice we'll live with: 

• On imposter syndrome: "Find people who are going to be your advocates... if you have someone accomplished that thinks you can do XYZ, maybe you can!" 
• Jargon Monoxide creates a fall sense of competence... folks from non-traditional marketing backgrounds have these razor-sharp minds but don't have that marketing-ese... Cardi B is a brilliant marketer but she does NOT sound like the people I'm in meetings with
•  "I love a From > To" - the more honest you are with that, the more provocative... that is always a money maker... when you can capture the mood of the clients, in addition to their ambition... reshape it in a way that gets people excited to hear what you have to say.
• On setting a vision for success: "all strategy is to get people to take the time to align on where we're going"
• "An informed opinion delivered with conviction delivers hope." On helping people find their own 'lightbulb moment'. 
• "Rigidity is the pitfall of strategy... overconfidence, over complication, too 'inside baseball'... those are all off-ramps." 
• "If I don't understand this, there's no way the consumer will understand it."

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Our favorite stories: 

• From record label & photography studio to ad agency; shaping incredible brands like Lollapalooza and Pitchfork to now Kimberly-Clark and Patagonia
• Renting a $700/month, 2,000 sq ft industrial space to make band posters & album art, produce music, and photograph musicians. 
• Creating Someoddpilot at 25 - "the gusto, the sincerity, the sureness even though I had no idea what I was doing" 
• "I'm the kid that walked out of art school and wanted to keep that feel going... of critique, of discovery... that's the dream. That's why artists are artists." 
• The record label was still going but it wasn't working and making money, I considered it a failure. But looking back it was exactly what I should be doing, what I loved doing. 
• "I never wanted to web design, it was just a giant door for us to walk through in 1999." 
• Launching the Public Works gallery

Big moments from doing the work: 

• "I had shown artwork in galleries when I graduated college and thought that was the end all be all... once I had a chance to experience that, and contrast with band shows, and feel the palpable difference of what it was like to be in those environments, it got me thinking that there were other ways to apply my skills... the camaraderie... the art gang that can laugh and pal around and make work, and get excited about something..." 
• Making a better website for The Empty Bottle and charting a rebrand. T-shirts, flyers, and digital for $3,000 of bar tabs. 
• "Pitchfork were the only ones who got up five days a week and published 3 articles by 9am" - sending records to Pitchfork and getting an in with the intern up the street. "They do websites too!" 
• An age-old problem: "I have a legacy brand with a generation of users that treasure and love what we're doing but we need to modernize and bring it forward to the future, expand what it can be, mean something to a new consumer, but not lose the thread on the old" 

Career advice we'll live with: 

• "I've always been a Straight-A student that had a bad mouth... I've always felt  good about expressing very honestly and very vulnerably... there's something about cursing or speaking as yourself." 
• "You didn't know what you were doing... there's no course at that age to explain diplomatic or democratic creative decision making... "
• "I didn't know what graphic design was but I knew I needed to make this flyer." 
• On getting a foot in the door: "How do you get half your body stuck in the door screaming your head off. Even if you know someone, they don't always know." 
• "Game of Thrones is a great example of a creative property that should be for nerds only. By definition it should be for DnD nerds, but what ended up happening is that everyone in the world loved that show because it was so well done, and the story was so rich."
• "You aren't going to pull the wool over anyone's eyes... who you are and the mythology around the work you are doing... it's not going to come from any briefs or approaches, that's going to come from a badass dedication to the heart and soul of what this business is, and going out in the world and communicating it in a way that turns heads, and inspires the shit out of people." - making a friend for life. 

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Our Favorite Stories

• Alec's journey as the "Photoshop kid" at Grey Entertainment, helping build the Batman movie's first website.
• His reflections on surviving the Web 1.0 era and the exciting chaos of startups in 1990s New York.
• Using virtual reality for healthcare. Talk about ahead of the curve! Alec tells us about a 1993 college paper he wrote at Columbia on VR as a treatment for schizophrenia.

Big Moments from Doing the Work

• Alec's transition from startups to healthcare advertising, driven by his desire for stability after his daughter’s birth.
• Leading engagement strategy at Area 23 and Neon, crafting human-centered storytelling for pharmaceutical clients.
• Exploring the potential of AI tools like MidJourney and Leonardo.ai for creating impactful healthcare narratives.

Career Advice We’ll Live With

• Embrace storytelling non-linearly; start with the compelling "hook" and let context follow.
• Use new technologies as creative extensions, not replacements, to enhance ideation and storytelling efficiency.
• Stay curious and connected: Participate in communities (like MidJourney’s Discord) and actively seek inspiration from creators and innovators.
• Balance passion with teaching—spread your enthusiasm to inspire and uplift others in your field.

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Happy New Year, we hope you've had a fantastic holiday filled with much deserved rest, good food, and even better company.

We're starting 2025 with strong with TBWA veteran-turned-indy CCO Chuck Monn.

Among many things, he takes us into the mind of an award-winning creative director who touched cultural pillars like the Olympics, Visa, and Apple. He leaves brands more memorable than he found them, and has shaped iconic work like 'Mac vs PC' and 'Shot on iPhone'.

Our top 5 moments:

"You're not making ads, you're making communication that helps you understand how an iPhone works." 

"The way it started having a life of its own, and expanding to mean how people see the world through Apple products, was such a powerful reminder of the importance of platforms and brands. Building something that people can play with and make bigger."

"These people would fly out to where their billboard was... there was one woman who had never been on a plane before who flew out to be in front of her billboard in Times Square... it was a heart-warming, lovely connection between the brand and the people who make it." 

"Between Chiat and MAL, I was between those two places for 25 years... after 15 years working on Apple, I just needed a break. I have two kids... I just needed for the first time to just be dad. That was really important." 

"My first job in Chiat I took off for like 7 hours because I was working on a pitch at 3 in the morning and started at Chiat at 9 the next day. 

Find us us on Twitter, Instagram, and at The Bad Podcast dot com

Our Favorite Stories:

• Hotboxing the next blockbuster idea: starting a career at the tail end of the "Mad Men" era in digital healthcare advertising. Working with Rich Norman, Todd learned how Allegra got its name. "An articulation, not of the problem statement, but of the relief".
• "Many times in my career, humans were reduced to numbers or broad statistics... not individualized and not humanized, and while that was the political ethos and mandate, that did not feel right to me." 
• If you are an 'Intrapraneur', you will be met with resistance. If you aren't... it may mean you were there at the right place / right time, or you aren't doing something right... and the latter is more pervasive. 
• Half the job description was written: "When you join, you'll write the other half" - I learned the hard way that they didn't know what success meant. Funding innovation efforts upfront because it gives you that "seed" money, to create an internal venture. You don't want to have to go back and beg for each dollar. You want to phase it out in tranches and show something in return for that." 
• Positive spike in American outlook of Pharmaceuticals since the outbreak of COVID-19 according to The Harris Poll, 2020. 

Big Moments from Doing the Work:

• Learning from trial and error: "I am a student of failure... in innovation you have to embrace it. It's only failure if you don't learn from it." 
• Organizational shift from being Top-down to Bottom-up: borrowing good ideas from regional teams and scaling them at the enterprise level – the idea of an internal organ transfer vs an external transplant: the latter is prone to rejection. 
• On having a Global leadership role: "when someone came from corporate... people would usually show me something that was a source of cultural pride." 
  • Whisked from airport to see protected artifacts in Prague
  • A night at the Museum of the Resistance in Warsaw
  • Ethnographic research: following the day in a life of key doctors in office and at home (US, Germany, France, & Italy)
  • Meeting a doctor at his home in Madrid. No furniture, only artwork. "I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to have artwork." Who we are supposed to be vs who he is. 
  • The power of wearing the White Coat: "it's like a cape and he projects this appearance because he believes it." - he lost a battle to the wind, by way of a plane crash, and since then he committed to his career where his patients can harness the wind itself. 

Career Advice We'll Live With:

• Identify functional, emotional, and social needs (of the customer) as the first step in every process. 
• Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram - documenting the multiple causes (i.e., stakeholders, methodologies, or technologies) for a singular event (i.e., bugs, consumer experiences, product defects) 
• Jobs to be Done model by Clayton Christensen - Todd held his tongue for our sake, but we know he really (REALLY) wanted to share the "Hire a Milkshake" anecdote :) 

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Throughout what's proved to be a very unique 20 year career consulting for both agencies, brands and even the government, Justin has been called a lot of names: The Sherlock of Strategy. The Barnum of Branding. The Copernicus of Copywriting. The Aristotle (he prefers Asimov) of Advertising.

All of which makes a lot of sense when you consider his unique reputation for Solving Problems Traditional Advertising Agencies Can't.

The secret to his success can be found in a mantra he likes to repeat to his advertising students.

"Write ads worth reading or create experiences worth writing about." -Justin Oberman 

[Bio from Justin's LinkedIn about section]

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Find us us on Twitter, Instagram, and at The Bad Podcast dot com

Samantha Geloso's spoof of a spot, "Hey, We're a Brand" [https://vimeo.com/430779998] gave us all some much needed reprieve from the seriously shitty start to 2020. This episode might do the same. We talked to this hilarious New York-based copywriter back in May and can't wait to do it again. 

Find all of Sam's witty and wonderful work over at samanthageloso.com. 

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Dan Nelken is a Creative Director and Copywriter that has worked for some of the most creative ad agencies in Canada, some of the world's largest brands, and for start-ups who have collectively gone on to raise billions.  

After burning out early in his career, Dan has become a passionate advocate for self-care in an industry defined my workaholism. He is currently working on a book scheduled for release in early 2021 that will be a toolbox for copywriting and creativity based on his years of experience. He founded Nelken Creative in 2015 and has been a Creative Lead for Lululemon since 2018. 

You can contact Dan or jump on his newsletter at nelkencreative.com.

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Brooke Strozdas is a copywriter and strategist  whose side hustle is telling an industry defined by overwork to take its unhealthy status quo and shove it. 

After circumventing portfolio school with an internship at Grey Group in 2018, she worked her way into a mid-level position while scooping up a coveted Super Bowl spot for one of the biggest advertisers in the world, P&G. Today, just two years after landing that internship at Grey, she works as a Senior Copywriter and Strategist for Cameo. (Re-read that if you need to.)

She was kind enough to hop in a zoom room with (back in July of 2020) to talk about her journey thus far. You can find her portfolio at justaloadofbs.com

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It feels reckless to describe Micöl Rankin by his professional title, but you should know that he’s a Senior Art Director at Moxie in Atlanta. The reach of Micöl’s personality and zest for life go far beyond such labels. 

What we’re trying to say is this episode is lit af. We talk with Micöl about taking every ounce of your humanity with you everywhere you go and the cost of downplaying who you are. He shares insights from a long career in the music industry and how it helped him crush this whole advertising thing.

Micöl is host of the You Are Dope show on LinkedIn and someone you should really be following on Twitter @iamnovinov which is also his musical moniker. Micöl, we thank you for sharing your energy and time with us. Everybody else, you’re welcome. 

Enjoy the hell out of this one. 

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Derek Walker is a badass. If the creators of Mad Men were to write a biopic about Derek Walker, they wouldn’t need multiple rounds of feedback to spice it up. 

The founder of Brown and Browner in Columbia, SC has seen a lot throughout a career that harkens back to a time when ad execs would occasionally punk out CMO’s in meeting rooms; A career that he has forged in the face of the baggage and bullshit that comes with being black in America. 

Somehow his love for the industry is stronger than ever. And it is precisely because of this love that he is an outspoken critic of the industry as well as an active force for change. 

The stories alone make this episode worth the listen, but it’s also chocked full of insights from his deep well of wisdom. You can follow him at @dereklwalker on Twitter. 

Enjoy the episode!

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Affectionately known by on Advertising Twitter, as “Ad Daddy,” David Griner is the international creative and innovation editor at Adweek and host of Adweek's podcast, "Yeah, That's Probably an Ad." 

He's been covering agencies, creativity, technology and marketing innovation for more than a decade.  Everywhere he goes he champions equality, diversity, and inclusion and never misses a chance to shine a light on his advertising fellows, young and old.

Follow him for good vibes and food porn on Twitter at @griner 

Related links:

Just Getting Started Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/jgspodcast

Don’t Get Me Started Podcast: https://balserville.libsyn.com/dgmspodcast

Yeah that’s probably an ad podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yeah-thats-probably-an-ad/id1148183191

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Today, we’re going to get to know the BadPod’s own, Amelia Carney. 

To know Amelia is to love her, she’s an effervescent creative who lives in Chicago by way of West Virginia and when we were interviewing Brown & Browner’s Derek Walker he said in no uncertain terms, “You should interview her.” 

So that’s exactly what we did. 

This conversation starts with an apology from me, and takes us through some of the inclinations and events that put Amelia where she is today. And what could be coming next. 

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Mary Buzbee is a badass. More specifically, she is a multidisciplinary creative badass from Alabama who got her agency start at Lewis Communications in Birmingham. She and her creative partner, Lauren, have forged an amazing career in a short time, garnering praise — including two Young Shits, six Addy’s, and a One Show Merit award, but who’s counting — and a position at the award-winning Kansas City agency, Barkley.  

Since becoming an established advertising pro, Mary has never shied away from passing along the lessons she has learned in the industry. In fact, as you’ll hear in the episode, Mary has become somewhat of a mentor to Amelia. 

This episode is packed with wisdom and charm that is unique to the wonderful person that is Mary Buzbee. Enjoy!

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Jessie Kernan is a strategist, storyteller, change agent, innovator, cultivator of talent, champion of equality and diversity, thought leader, systems thinker, business builder, boss mom, world traveler, and data geek who is driven by insatiable curiosity and an incurable commitment to doing the right thing.

She is curator of We Are Rosie's Rosie Report podcast and, alongside We Are Rosie's founder, Stephanie Olsen, is spearheading a change to the status quo as we know it. Before joining We Are Rosie, Jessie put her 20 years of agency and industry experience to work for her own consultancy, Outside Wave. She was kind enough to join our podcast from Tumeculah, California where she was pulling double duty as mom and podcast guest during her daughter's volleyball tournament. Thanks so much, Jessie!

You can find out more about We Are Rosie's mission and makeup at wearerosie.com. 

Thanks for listening!

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Ike Peters is not only our 11th guest on the bad podcast, he’s one of Brian’s favorite musicians. He’s a Senior Copywriter at CJRW in Little Rock and is father to two boys and a brand new baby girl. He brings 10 years of experience and no small amount of charm to episode 11 of the podcast. 

Find him at @IkeYouGuys on Twitter

Join the Lowercases slack group for small agency copywriters: https://join.slack.com/t/lowercases/shared_invite/zt-o3n7324g-Mrn2j3TKKNbOh3xMBc8zyw

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Nakita Pope is a branding expert. She is both the Design Chair and Diversity & Inclusion Advisor at the Creative Circus, founder of Branding Chicks, and most recently co-founder of the Bella Boss Box, a quarterly subscription box for Black women business owners. She’s also Brian’s former branding professor. As you’ll hear in our episode today, her affinity for teaching is part of what grounds her in her purpose and propels her through her career.   

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We'll be right bad! Hear the details of our downtime, how Amelia's portfolio school experience has been going, our lukewarm takes on the marvel/dc universe, and a little shmandemic delirium in today's (and I mean this in the loosest possible terms) season finale. 

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Our guest this week is Laurel Stark Akman. She is a creative director at EA, overseeing global efforts for The Sims game. 

Which is legendary in and of itself, right? But we hardly even talk about the Sims because Laurel is, first and foremost a passionate agent for change.

Outside of her role at EA sports, she has helped launch BlackTea, a video content series by and for Black Women in advertising created by Dotun Bello and hosted by Michelle Lawrence, presented by Muse by Clio. 

She co-founded Mentorship Matchmaking with Tescia Deak, which is a community and career-building mentorship model for underrepresented groups in advertising.

She and Victoria Rosselli created Our Silent Partner, a reflection on creativity and mental health. And, last but not least, she and Kasia Karolak are on their seventh iteration of Next Creative Leaders, a portfolio competition highlighting work by women and non-binary creatives and presented by The One Club and the 3% Movement. 

And that one is especially relevant because this year’s Next Creative Leaders competition opens this week. So if you’re a female-presenting or non-binary creative, this is for you. And it’s totally free to enter.

Laurel’s Site - laurelstark.com/about

Black Tea - https://musebycl.io/blacktea

Next Creative Leaders - http://nextcreativeleaders.org

Mentorship Matchmaking - https://www.mentorshipmatchmaking.com

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Andy Pearson can outrun you. You might be faster, at first. But somewhere between mile one and 100, this McKinney Group Creative Director and avid ultra-runner is going to pass you. And while his infiltration into the world of long-distance running started one run at a time as you'll hear in this episode, his career in advertising reads a little bit more like cannon fire.
 
From a trip to Cannes to pick up a Future Lions award as a student to working for legendary shops like Crispin, Porter & Bogusky to freelancing from Southeast Asia, Andy's career is propelled by an undeniable talent. (The evidence of which you can peruse at your leisure on the internet, specifically ievenwrotethissickurl.com.) He joined us from sunny LA to talk all things advertising — what he values in a career, a creative team, and a client. 

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Today, we are talking with Steve Bayley, a Chicago-based strategist - our first strategist on The Bad Podcast! -  at TEN35. Steve's journey into advertising has been both commonly circuitous and completely unique. It was driven by an insatiable curiosity that ultimately translated into an indefatigable talent. It has taken him from North Carolina to Georgia to Chicago where he has put that talent on brilliant display. 
As a strategist, he occupies a unique territory in agency life, at once a creative and an intermediary between client and agency creatives like some kind of advertising Hermes with Don Draper's pitch room prowess. 
This conversation is chocked full of insights and experiences from that territory that will be a benefit to anybody remotely involved with advertising or simply making a message that resonates with it's intended audience. 

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This episode stars our very own co-host Brian "Isn't Outdoorsy but Lives in Alaska" Revels. We talk about his roundabout journey to portfolio school, his rather straightforward journey to Alaska, and why he can advertise for anyone but himself. Plus some impassioned takes re: Tik Tok. 

Enjoy!

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Zoe Scaman is the founder of strategy studio Bodacious and co-founder of MCX, an experiment engine reinventing entertainment and basketball with Mark Cuban. 
A self-described swiss army knife, she has honed her expertise across myriad fields like brand planning, entertainment strategy, digital comms, new product development, business strategy, and innovation. 
Her resume includes stints at notable creative agencies like Droga5 and Naked Communications, Ridley Scott Creative film studio, and leading consultancies Undercurrent, London Strategy Unit, and The Upside. 
She joined us from her London home to discuss her affinity for the unknown, why pitches are antithetical to making great work, and her industry-shaking article 'Mad Men. Furious Women.' about sexism and discrimination in advertising. 

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Keni Thacker is the Founder of 100 Roses from Concrete, a network for professionals of color in the advertising, marketing media, and PR industries to connect, collaborate, and grow. 

Before founding 100 Roses he has worked at agencies like Golin, CMG, Wunderman Thompson, and JWT where he ran their Young Commodores program which helped introduce young creatives to the world of advertising. 

We talk about inclusivity and tokenism in advertising, what works and what doesn't in the fight against it,  and how much we hate spoilers. 

Links: 

100 Roses from Concrete Site:
https://www.100rosesfromconcrete.com/

The A-List Interview with Keni Thacker on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-list-4007-keni-thacker/id1219570642?i=1000486737770

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My-Linh Tran's career seems to be fueled by ambition and guided by a heart of gold. Their unique perspective has paved a way from the account side at Droga5 to their current role as an Inclusive Strategist. 

We talk with My-Linh about intersectionality, when the conversation about a campaign's inclusivity should start, and what it's like to evolve in one's career in real-time. 

This one is full of laughs, insights and no small amount of wisdom from our gracious guest. Thank you for joining us for episode 18 of TBP. 

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Episode 19 starts with some ~personal news~ from Amelia & Brian and features digital nomad and creative recruiter at We Are Rosie, Joe Cole. He joins us from some pretty great parking lot wifi in British Columbia. 

He gives us a front row seat to an incredibly eventful career working for Creatives for Georgia and Block Power to turn Georgia blue and swing the tide of our national election, joining We Are Rosie and Clean Creatives almost simultaneously, and doing it all from different vans and timezones around the world. 

His personal mission is to make the world better and you can get some first-hand insight at how he does that right here in this episode. You can follow Joe at @joecacola and learn more about Clean Creatives at cleancreatives.org. 

If you get the chance, it would make our whole poddy lives if you would leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or, heck, just tell a friend about the pod. You can find Amelia & Brian on Twitter at @ameliadirector and @bricoastal, respectively. 

Thanks for joining us! 

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Episode 20 is a special chapter in the story of the Bad Pod. We speak with Sean Conejos, ACD/CW at FCB and Brian's new boss. He tells us how his pre-law undergrad led him to advertising, his parent's roles in inspiring his creativity, what he looks for in a new hire, and who influenced his leadership style. 

This episode is buzzing with the excitement of the geographical consolidation of The Bad Pod to Chicago. Tangents include axe throwing, Alaska daylight hours, and favorite Chicago pastimes. 

You can find Sean's work and contact info at www.seanconejos.com. 

Thank you for being here and enjoy EPISODE 20 of the Bad Podcast!

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After an 18 year tenure as Department Chair at The Creative Circus, Dan Balser sent ripples around Ad Land by stepping down somewhat mysteriously. But as of a recent Ad Age article, the cat is out of the bag. This year, legendary ad house Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners will begin a new portfolio program at the agency dubbed "The Academy" that is completely tuition free.

In the 21st episode of The Bad Podcast we talk with Dan about Academy's origins, its future, and who it hopes to help along the way.

Dan is also a copywriter, father, husband, and host of Don't Get Me Started, a(nother) podcast about advertising with a 14 year backlog. 

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Tescia Deák is a Creative Director at the storied Los Angeles agency, Chiat/Day. Her portfolio is full of brilliant, purpose-driven work that would make the most cynical creative at Weiden & Kennedy envious. Like a widget that makes the whole internet more equitable. A downy commercial that ran so long it essentially sent the main actor into royalty retirement. Passion projects like a mentorship program that connects women to one another and to a support system that’s unprecedented in the boys club of advertising. And much, much more. 

Today you’ll get a front-row seat at her journey—the ups, the downs, and the philosophy that fueled her ascension into ad stardom. 

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Giancarlo Rodas' career is what ad dreams are made of. From Lima to Dubai to New York and now Los Angeles, his experience in advertising has found him making impactful work from some of the world's leading agencies. By anyone's metric he has aced this whole advertising thing, sweeping up loads of the most coveted awards in the industry. But to hear him tell it, he's just getting started. 

In this episode we talk to him about his start in architecture before making the switch to advertising, his singular focus on excellence, and where else that drive may take him. Hint: he's coming for the Emmy's. 

You can find his incredible work at r0das.com. 

Enjoy!

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Tres Colacion stumbled into advertising by way of nightlife promotion. Since then, he has racked up nearly all of the industry's most coveted awards in a career that spans the globe, from Dubai to London, LA to NYC where he now serves as GCD at Droga5. 
Tres joined us via zoom before jetting off for his commercial assignment in the ranks of BBDO before his Droga move. We talk about why he likes a team with a diverse educational background, why he doesn't use much copy (if any) in many of his ads, and why when you go to his portfolio as a recruiter, it tells you to look elsewhere first. 

You can find his portfolio of brilliant work at trescolacion.com. 

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