Agency Bytes

Featuring: Jessica Rhodes, Interview Connections In episode 155, I sit down with Jessica Rhodes, founder of Interview Connections and the entrepreneur who launched the world's first podcast booking agency back in 2013—long before podcast guesting was on anyone's radar. Jessica shares how a door-to-door canvassing job and a virtual assistant gig for her dad turned into a company that's booked more...

Featuring: Mike Bodkin, Talent Scout In episode 154, I sit down with Mike Bodkin, former co-founder of the full-service digital agency Giant Propeller and now co-founder of Talent Scout, a niche recruiting firm placing full-time remote senior marketing, creative, and operations talent across Latin America. Mike walks me through nearly a decade running Giant Propeller — the doubling years, the part...

Featuring: Juliana Marulanda, Scaletime In episode 153, I sit down with Juliana Marulanda, founder of ScaleTime, who's helped over 1,000 agencies turn themselves into lean, profitable businesses that don't depend on the owner being in every room. We get into what "scale" actually means once you strip away the buzzword — her SCALE framework for seeing what's happening, building a baseline, amplifyi...

Featuring: Michael Perry, Tavern In episode 152, I sit down with Mike Perry, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Tavern, a Brooklyn-based creative shop building brands in food, beverage, hospitality, and sports. We get into the philosophy that drives everything Tavern does — what Mike calls "modern heritage," the practice of mining a brand's past for its real equity and modernizing it for today'...

Featuring: Mark Homer, Grandin Holdings In episode 151, I sit down with Mark Homer, founder of Grandin Holdings and a serial technology and marketing entrepreneur who's scaled and exited multiple agencies over more than 30 years at the intersection of marketing and tech. Mark and I demystify the world of M&A for agency owners — the headspace blockages, the myths about needing piles of cash, an...

Featuring Guest Host: Todd Giannattasio, Tresnic Media In episode 150, I flipped the mic. To kick off Season 4, I handed the host chair to my friend Todd Giannattasio of Tresnic Media — a returning guest from episode 10, and the guy who helped me name Agency Outsight in the first place. This one's more personal than most. Todd walks me through my journey from screw-off art kid to graphic designer...

Featuring: David Wain-Heapy, Prodigi In episode 149, I sit down with David Wain-Heapy, founder of Prodigy, a company that helps agencies and digital businesses build flexible, scalable remote teams through global talent sourcing. David spent 14 years building and running a Magento-focused e-commerce agency out of central London before selling it to Brave Bison PLC. We talk through what that exit p...

Featuring: Cameron Herold, COO Alliance In episode 148, I sit down with Cameron Herold, founder of COO Alliance and one of the most recognized voices in operational leadership, to talk about the mindset shift agency owners desperately need right now: stepping into the role of CEO and building a true COO mindset inside their business. Cameron has helped scale companies like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and advis...

Featuring: Amy Hood, Hoodzpah Design In episode 147, I sit down with Amy Hood, designer and co-founder of Hoodzpah Design, the Southern California brand identity studio behind work for Disney, Nike, Netflix, Target, and the Lakers. Amy and her twin sister Jen built Hoodzpah out of necessity after realizing they were “unhireable on paper,” and turned it into a nimble, right-sized studio that’s inte...

Featuring: Dorien Morin-van Dam, More In Media In episode 146, I’m joined by Doreen Morin-van Dam, a content strategist with more than 15 years of experience helping brands grow through smart, sustainable marketing. Doreen works with teams on how to use AI responsibly and effectively, hosts the Strategy Talks video podcast, and is known for blending emerging tech with deeply human content strategi...

Featuring: Jessica Hische, Studioworks In episode 145, I sit down with Jessica Hische—a world-renowned lettering artist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most thoughtful creative voices of our generation. And full transparency: I’ve been a huge fan of Jessica’s work for a long time. Her ability to pair obsessive craft with clarity, intention, and humanity has influenced how I thin...

Featuring: Ali Mirza, Rose Garden Consulting In episode 144, I’m joined by Ali Mirza, a sales expert who’s personally closed over $450 million in revenue and advised hundreds of high-growth companies, including multiple Inc. 500 winners and successful exits. Ali and I dig into what’s really broken in agency sales today — from why “more leads” isn’t the answer, to how founders unintentionally sabot...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Sharon Toerek, Legal and Creative In episode 143, I dig into one of the most underestimated risks in agency ownership: the legal blind spots that quietly cost agencies millions over time. From contracts and scope creep to client disputes, IP ownersh...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!   Featuring: Amy Maxwell, Maxwell Design In episode 142, I sit down with Amy Maxwell, founder and creative director of Maxwell Design, to talk about the real tension small creative shops face: how do you grow without sacrificing the craft that made you success...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Meredith Fennessy Witts + Melissa Lohrer, Agency Darlings In episode 141, I sit down with Melissa and Meredith, the hosts of the Agency Darlings podcast and longtime agency operators, to unpack why so many agency owners feel burned out, stuck, or di...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!   Featuring: Michael Janda, More Creative Academy In episode 140, I sit down with Michael Janda—agency founder, bestselling author, and one of the most respected voices helping creatives master the business side of creativity. Michael built and sold Riser, wor...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Melanie Chandruang, We Consult In episode 139, I sit down with Melanie Chandruang, founder of WeConsult and a strategic operations partner for creative agencies. Melanie has spent the last seven years helping agencies tighten up their financials, st...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Jordan Snider, Token Creative In episode 138, I sit down with Jordan Snider, co-founder and CTO of Token Creative Services, to break down the real impact of integrating Ignition App into their agency operations. Jordan shares how Token went from sca...

Featuring: Jennifer Spire, Preston Spire In episode 137, I sit down with Jennifer Spire, Partner and CEO of Preston Spire — a 75-year-old agency that’s somehow still pushing boundaries while many newer shops flame out. Jennifer shares how she modernized a legacy company without losing the cultural DNA that kept it alive for three-quarters of a century. We get into leadership transitions, building...

Featuring: JP Holecka, Power Shifter Digital In episode 136, I sit down with JP Holecka, founder and CEO of Power Shifter Digital, a Vancouver-based agency leading the shift toward AI-driven digital products and content creation. With over 30 years of experience in design, film, and technology, JP has guided multiple teams through successful AI rollouts—transforming workflows, scaling creativity,...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Drew McLellan, AMI In episode 135, I sit down with Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute and host of the Build a Better Agency podcast. Drew’s been in the business for over 30 years and has coached thousands of agencies on how to grow pr...

Featuring: Jen Moss, JAR In episode 134, I sit down with Jen Moss, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of JAR, where she helps brands and agencies craft podcasts that move people—not just metrics. Jen calls herself a podcasting doula, guiding clients through the messy middle of creative storytelling. In this conversation, we dive into how to create audio that actually connects, what makes a podc...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGH25 to save 50% off! Featuring: Kirstin Russ, Practical Edge AI In episode 133, I dive into the real-world path of AI adoption for agencies with guest Kirstin Russ, founder of Principal Edge AI and Mountains to Sea Media. We unpack the four “zones” of adoption (from denial to produc...

Featuring: Leah Leaves, Alderaan Operations Solutions In episode 132, I talk with Leah Leaves, founder of Alderaan Operations Solutions, where she helps remote digital agencies grow without the grind. Known for her no-fluff, systems-first approach, Leah and her team embed expert operations managers directly into agencies to break bottlenecks, reduce burnout, and build businesses that can scale wit...

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGHT25 to save 50% off!   Featuring: Maiya Holliday, Mangrove In episode 131, I sit down with Maiya Holliday, founder and CEO of Mangrove Web Development, a Certified B Corp agency that’s been building websites for change-makers since 2009. Maiya shares her evolution from self-taught...