Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly

Another one of our favourite episodes from our sister podcast We Regret To Inform You: The Rejection Podcast and just in time for the holiday, is the rejection story of the movie Elf. This beloved and timeless Christmas classic, starring Will Ferrell brought in over $200M at the box office. But, back in 2000 the script was rejected by production companies, studios, directors and actors. We know yo...

Terry was recently interviewed on Dr. Andrea Wojnicki's podcast, Talk About Talk. Andrea is an executive communications coach. She helps executives improve their communication skills and elevate their confidence and credibility. It is an interesting chat about communication. Hope you enjoy it. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscri...

Believe it or not, this January will mark our 20th year on CBC. To celebrate the milestone, join us Feb 6th for a live podcast recording, a Q&A, live band, giveaways and yummy gin cocktails at Reid’s Distillery in Toronto.  Time flies when you’re Under the Influence. Hope to see you there. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  su...

I talk to director David Tedeschi about his new Beatles film. Produced by Martin Scorsese, it captures the mania of Beatlemania when the Fab Four land in New York for the first time in 1964, including their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. David tells us how it all came together, and what surprising things he learned about this first Fab Four trip. The film contains 17 minutes of brand...

Mark has produced nine albums for Ringo. Before that, he was part of the Hudson Brothers. They had hit songs and the Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle TV show made them teen idols in the 70s. Mark is a huge Beatles fan and collector - and has spent time with all four Beatles. He’s a great storyteller. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  sub...

Companies are spending big bucks advertising weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Rybelsus.  This week, we’re dropping an episode of Brian Goldman’s White Coat, Black Art podcast into our feed. We thought you might find the topic interesting. In Canada, "reminder ads" can only give the medication's name, but they can’t tell you what the drug is for. They just tell people to ask their doctor for...

Mark Hamill not only owns collectibles, he  is  a collectible. Mark talks to us about his first blush with the Beatles, how he began collecting Beatles memorabilia, that time he met George Harrison on a plane, and whether or not he let his kids play with Star Wars toys. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free her...

In this interview, Max talks about his favourite Beatle albums, Ringo’s profound influence on rock drummers, and what happened onstage at a Springsteen concert the night Lennon was murdered. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Halley was one of the brilliant animators on Yellow Submarine. The film is considered one of the most inventive animated films of all time. In this interview with the late animator, he tells us how he came to be involved, how they all managed to create this classic film in just 11 months. And much to our surprise, Tom tells us he was also an animator on the Beatles cartoon series. We know you...

With the Paris Olympics in motion, it is a good time to revisit this episode from our archives. From the first ad at the first Olympics in 1896, to the hundreds of millions spent on today's advertising contracts, sponsorship money has always been a contentious issue. The Olympics cost a fortune to stage, and sponsorship money makes it possible. But there's a price to pay when there's a price to pa...

David Sheff conducted the last major interview with John Lennon. Just as Double Fantasy was being released, Sheff interviewed John & Yoko for Playboy magazine. It was the famous interview where Lennon went through the Beatles catalogue song-by-song - just before he died. The backstory of that interview is fascinating. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance yo...

I did a lot of commercials with Bob Newhart in the late 90s. He was one-in-a-million, a joy to work with, and he will be missed. And I want to tell you a very funny story that happened as a result of those commercials. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

Astrid Kirchherr holds a special place in the history of the Beatles. She took the famous Hamburg-era photos of the Beatles in their formative years, she inspired their “moptop” hairstyle, and she happened to fall in love with Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth member of the Beatles. Her story is compelling, and her love of the Beatles, as friends, comes through in every word. We know you want to listen...

Want to listen to this episode ad-free (!) with bonus stories?  Subscribe here. Join Terry O’Reilly for a brand new Beatles series, where he interviews celebrities and collectors on their love of the Fab Four. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you  don’t ,  subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we answer listener questions. We’ll talk about how bands create theme songs for TV shows and how much they get paid.  We’ll go back in time and talk about that flirtatious couple from that famous Nescafe TV campaign.  And we’ll explore why condom makers now market different sizes, when it used to be one-size-fits-all. What’s goin’ on there? We know you want to listen to all th...

This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode. Every year, I list four brands I’ve admired from a distance. We’ll talk about a classic board game created by a Canadian couple. An ice cream chain founded by another Canadian. An iconic lighter that was named after a zipper. And a woman who is dominating television these days. We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance...

Every company dreams of doubling its profit. It’s almost impossible to do. Yet, some companies do it by tweaking one tiny thing. We’ll talk about an industry that put three words on their packaging that doubled their profit. A company that created a catchy jingle that doubled their revenue overnight. And a business that changed one single word in a headline and their profit went up 100%. We know y...

This week, we shoot for the moon. Now that commercialized space travel has arrived, the world of marketing is setting its sights on the stars. We’ll talk about ads on rocket ships, ads on spacesuits, and television commercials filmed on the International Space Station. There are companies who want to employ hundreds of tiny satellites to create logos in the night sky. Some companies even want to p...

Occasionally, an old advertising campaign is brought back from the dead. Even if it has been off the air for decades. This week, we’ll discuss a recurring Coke commercial that has been called the most popular ad of all time. A much-loved beer campaign that has been revived after 34 years. And a controversial commercial that was yanked off the air in 1989, but was re-run again recently. We know you...

This week it’s our annual Bookmarks episode. We read a lot of books to research Under The Influence.  But there’s never enough room to include all the great stories we find. So this episode is dedicated to those great stories that didn’t fit into our  regular  episodes.  This year, our theme is bravery. We’ll tell an amusing story about how Danny DeVito made a bold decision whe...

This week, we go back in advertising history and take a look at the ads and commercials that could never, ever, EVER run today. They are either so politically incorrect, so sexist, or so inappropriate, you won’t believe your ears. From doctors recommending cigarettes, to 7-Up advertising to babies, to everyone singing about the joys of DDT, it’s amazing to think they all ran back in the day. &nbsp...

Almost every movie and television show needs cars, and auto companies are happy to supply them – because it helps sell a lot of cars. We’ll look back at  James Bond  and  Starsky & Hutch , and explore auto partnerships with movie franchises like  Transformers  and  Marvel . We’ll also tell a crazy story of how the most sought-after car from a Steve McQueen movie w...

Take a walk down any busy main street, and you’ll probably see one of the oldest forms of advertising: The sandwich board.   They have been around for over 200 years. Cities try and ban them. Storekeepers love them.   They can make you smile. They can make you angry. They can attract a lot of attention.   They are the pop-up ads of the physical world.   We know you want to list...

Customers often lie to companies in surveys, polls and focus groups. Yet advertisers rely on that flawed and false feedback to market brands and create advertising campaigns. So what are advertisers to do?   One solution is Google. What we type into the Google search window is like a truth serum. We all pour our most intimate, honest questions into that search box. We know you want to listen...

80% of all advertising is ignored. That’s why some advertisers employ cheeky advertising. It’s usually bold – outrageous – and sometimes even rude – but always with a playful undertone. We’ll talk about a fruit company that printed an open letter to the Pope. An airline campaign that told you to “keep it in your pants.” And a product that claims your grandparents had more sex than you.   We k...