Second Wind by AKA

Susan Credle has helped build some of the most famous advertising characters of the last 30 years, from the M&M’s ensemble to Allstate’s Mayhem. In this episode of Second Wind, she joins Kerrie Finch and Gully Flowers for a sharp, funny and unusually honest conversation about what makes creative work last. Susan talks about seeing brands as characters, how M&M’s grew from candy mascots int...

We keep designing for a “normal” user. The problem is, that person does not exist. For neurodiverse people, that myth shows up early. In classrooms. In checklists. In systems that reward one way of thinking, one way of sitting still, one way of paying attention, one way of moving through the world. On this episode of Second Wind , Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch talk with David Vogel, Executive Exp...

Marques Gartrell is Co-CCO of Wieden+Kennedy New York, the agency behind work for Nike, McDonald’s, Delta, and Michelob Ultra. In this episode of Second Wind: how the Travis Scott meal started from a tweet why the Grimace Shake became internet folklore how W+K made “Horizontal Breakfast” in 7 days why brands are competing with childhood memories what young creatives get wrong why Marques still kee...

Andrew McKechnie is Head of Business Creative Studio at OpenAI. Before that he was SVP and Chief Creative Officer at Verizon, where he ran a $3 billion marketing budget and built a 300-person in-house agency. Before that he was Global Head of Design Group at Apple. Across his career he has won a Gold Cannes Lion, multiple D&AD pencils, six straight Webbys, and an Emmy nomination. He sits down...

Craig Allen wrote the Skittles spot where a man accidentally murders his family with rainbow candy. He helped make the Old Spice response campaign ; 286 videos in 36 hours, one every 7 minutes, until they broke YouTube. Then he left Wieden+Kennedy, asked Dan Wieden what to call his new agency, and got told every name was stupid. This week on Second Wind, the founder and CCO of CALLEN sits down wit...

Eric Kallman is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Erich & Kallman, the independent agency behind standout work for brands like Reese’s, King’s Hawaiian, Franzia, Toyota and more. Before that, he helped create some of the most iconic advertising of the last two decades, including Old Spice, Skittles, Little Caesars, Kayak and Ragu. Erich & Kallman was named Ad Age’s 2024 Small Ag...

Micah Walker, co-founder of Bear Meets Eagle on Fire, joins Second Wind for a sharp conversation on what it really takes to make better work. He talks about building an agency that refuses to become a smaller version of the big networks, why caring too hard is a feature not a flaw, why the best ideas should never arrive with a safety option, and how great production turns good thinking into someth...

Matt Cooper, founder of Little Black Book, joins Second Wind to talk about how LBB became the most visited creative platform in the world, why awards are becoming toxic, why the work no longer speaks for itself, and what the industry still gets wrong about reputation, craft, and growth. We get into the rise of indie agencies like Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, why clients and agencies need more belief,...

Una Walsh has spent 25 years working at the seam between what a brand promises and what a customer actually feels — from Virgin Atlantic and Nike's House of Innovation to Apple, and now as Executive Experience Design Director at Google. In this conversation, Una and co-hosts Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch dig into why retail has gotten boring, what brands like Nike and LOEWE are doing differently,...

Jason Sperling is the Chief Creative Officer at INNOCEAN ; and one of the creative leaders behind Apple’s legendary “Mac vs PC” campaign. In this episode of Second Wind , Jason shares what it was really like presenting to Steve Jobs every Wednesday, surviving brutal creative cycles at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and helping turn “I’m a Mac” into one of the most influential campaigns of the century. We also ge...

David Kolbusz is Chief Creative Officer at Orchard, with a career across Droga5 London, Wieden Kennedy New York, BBH London, Goodby Silverstein, Mother, and TBWA Toronto. In this episode, we talk about what actually makes advertising work stick. Mental hooks that live in your head. The difference between chasing culture and understanding it. And why David thinks the industry needs to be more hones...

Kevin Frank has lived the full arc. Apple Creative Director for nearly a decade, then Executive Creative Director at LinkedIn, where he helped turn the team into Ad Age In House Agency of the Year and a two time Best Places to Work honoree. After LinkedIn, he hit pause on the corporate grind and moved to Paris. He taught at The American University of Paris, mentored creative leaders, wrote a book...

Creativity isn’t a “nice to have” - it’s infrastructure for growth. Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions, shares what the world’s top leaders are learning about turning creativity into a repeatable system that drives brand building, innovation, and business growth - even when budgets tighten and AI reshapes the rules. In this episode, we cover: • From polishing trophies to leading Cannes Lions: Simon’s...

Kelly Knapp has helped shape some of the most ambitious experiential work in the world; from the $2 billion Sphere in Las Vegas to Netflix’s first permanent venues and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In this episode of Second Wind , Kelly shares how a background in ballet, music, landscape architecture, and extreme outdoor exploration informs her belief that creative work is choreography; the...

Diane McArter is the founder of Furlined, one of the most respected production companies in the industry. In this episode, Diane reflects on leadership, power, and what it really means to build a culture where people can do their best work. She shares her journey from early leadership at Ridley Scott Associates to founding Furlined, navigating fear, responsibility, and reinvention along the way. W...

Carmen Rodriguez didn’t get her first job in advertising by talking about advertising. She got it by talking about soccer. In this episode of Second Wind , Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch sit down with Carmen Rodriguez, Global Chief Growth Officer at GUT , to unpack a career built on passion, trust, and a deep belief in the power of creativity. Born in São Paulo and now based in Amsterdam, Carmen s...

This episode of Second Wind breaks from our usual interviews to reflect on 2025 and the people who actually built reputation in the advertising industry. We introduce a set of intentionally made-up awards to recognize the agencies and marketers who stood out this year. The slow burns. The breakout hits. The teams that thrived in chaos. The ones who made invisible work visible. Along the way, we ta...

Xanthe Wells is VP of Global Creative at Pinterest, where she leads the House of Creative, recently named In-House Agency of the Year at the Gerety Awards. Before Pinterest, she led global creative for Google’s Pixel and Nest brands, earning a Cannes Grand Prix, a D&AD Black Pencil, and multiple Agency of the Year honors. Earlier in her career, she worked on Finding Nemo , The Incredibles , an...

Cindy Gallop built BBH US from a room with a phone. She became one of the most influential voices in advertising and then walked away with no job to go to. It was the best decision she ever made.   In this episode, Cindy talks about why a job is not the safe option and why placing your future in the hands of a corporation is more dangerous than betting on yourself. She explains the daily drip of m...

Billy Bohan Chinique, VP of Marketing and Digital Innovation at Virgin Voyages, joins us to talk about the future of travel, fashion, AI, and brand storytelling. He shares how he went from call-center sales to designing digital experiences, how he ended up styling Sir Richard Branson , and why showing up as your real self became an accelerant for his career. We get into Jen. AI , the Jennifer Lope...

John Schoolcraft helped turn Oatly from a quiet Swedish oat drink into one of the most talked-about brands on the planet. No marketing department. No traditional briefs. No safety nets. Just creativity, rebellion, and a CEO who let the work lead. In this conversation, John breaks down how he: • Killed the CMO role and replaced it with makers • Turned lawsuits into creative fuel • Used packaging as...

Nick Law explains the split that defines modern creativity. Inventive thinking and expressive thinking. How they collide, how they fail, and how the best teams make them work together. We cover his path from Australia to Pentagram to RGA to Accenture Song, the collapse of the old agency model, how platform culture reshapes craft, and what AI means for the next generation. A grounded conversation a...

Emmy-winning creative leader Danielle Hawley , Global Head of Creative and Brand at Uber , joins hosts Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch to talk about leadership, trust, and creative evolution. From redefining Uber’s global voice to mentoring women in a male-dominated industry, Danielle shares how earning respect starts with generosity, not ego. She reflects on lessons from Microsoft’s Iron Man prost...

What if every great idea started with a song? Before writing a word or pitching a concept, Emmy-winning creative Jaime Robinson (Co-Founder and CCO of JOAN) finds a song that makes her feel exactly what she wants others to feel. In this episode, Jaime joins Gully Flowers and Kerrie Finch to talk about: Building JOAN into one of the most admired independent agencies in the world How emotion (not st...

He’s the mind behind Taste the Rainbow. The man who convinced Mars, Unilever, and half of Madison Avenue to take creative risks — and made the weirdest, funniest, most unforgettable ads in history. In this episode of Second Wind, Gully Flowers and Jake Neske sit down with Gerry Graf - founder of Barton F. Graf and SLAP Global, and the creative force behind Skittles Pinata , Starburst Little Lad ,...