Great Minds

What does it take to build a media brand that audiences genuinely connect with, and what can marketers learn from a company that has made humor, honesty, and cultural relevance its calling cards? On this episode of Great Minds, we welcome Lexi Novak, Vice President and Creative Director at Betches Media, for a conversation about the changing relationship between brands, entertainment, and audience...

Joining us is Jerome Shimizu, CEO of ABCS Insights, whose company takes its name from the four areas it measures: Audience, Brand, Consideration, and Sales. Jerome explains how ABCS applies the same measurement methodology across 16 marketing channels so advertisers can compare results consistently. We discuss how its tools connect those findings, including a Net Opportunity Score designed to iden...

Joining us is Victoria Hoyle, Global VP of Intelligence at The Social Element . Victoria takes us through the agency’s Brand Currency research, explaining how brands build relationships through fandom, conversation, and moments people want to share. We discuss what Formula One’s storytelling reveals about emotional connection, why listening needs to extend beyond a brand’s own channels, and how ma...

Joining us is Kerel Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer at MarketCast. Kerel shares why he believes marketers can learn from the strongest consumer brands and how human judgment should guide the use of AI in creative work. We also discuss a question he feels deserves more attention: how do organizations prepare people to become strategic thinkers when AI begins taking over the tasks that fill their wo...

Joining us is Ty Stafford, Founder and CEO of Hello Party, whose experience spans making YouTube videos in his dorm room and working at Red Bull Media House. Ty shares how his agency brings creators into the work from the beginning, and how developing Music Therapy with musical comedian Morgan Jay led to a partnership with Live Nation. We also discuss hiring people who can both imagine and make th...

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio.   Joining us are Jake LeDuke and Khushboo Beniwal , Industry Go-to-Market Leaders for Media, Entertainment, and Advertising at Databricks. With backgrounds spanning agencies, advertising technology, and media businesses, Jake and Khushboo share how they work with both the buyers and sellers of...

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Laurel Burton, CEO of Instrument, a design and technology company whose work includes Nike, Oura, Google, and Nordstrom. Laurel shares why she pushes back on the language of AI efficiency, how Instrument builds technology into its work from day one, and what delivering Nordstrom’...

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Emeka Okafor Jr., Senior Product Director at Dropbox, who leads product for its applied AI division. Emeka shares how his work across research, consulting, Instagram, and Instacart shaped his approach to building products, and how Dropbox is expanding beyond storing files to help...

Joining us is Abhay Singhal, co-founder and CEO of InMobi Advertising. Abhay explains what he means by agentic advertising and where early experiments with conversational ads are taking the industry. We discuss the data and infrastructure brands need to prepare, how to set limits on autonomous decisions, and why investment should follow demonstrated results. He also shares why marketers may be exp...

Joining us is Leah Malone, Chief Revenue Officer at Pixability, a YouTube advertising intelligence company. Leah shares how brands can find relevant creators beyond subscriber counts, approach YouTube viewing on television screens, and distinguish content improved by AI tools from low-value videos generated entirely by AI. We also discuss which campaign decisions need human judgment and what her e...

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Madeline Schofield, VP, Experience Strategy and Executive Marketing at Salesforce, fresh from Dreamforce. Madeline shares how her team designs different experiences for developers and senior executives, assesses success through both data and conversations with sales leaders, and...

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Will Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Downtime, whose background in retail media led him to build a business around customer participation. Will shares how the company works with retailer loyalty programs, the challenge of distinguishing meaningful feedback from behavior driven by in...

Today, we're joined by Pauline, CEO of Gradient Experience, an experiential agency working across luxury, spirits, beauty, and technology. We talk about how experiences have moved closer to the center of the marketing mix, what brands should expect from them, and how to measure their value. Pauline also shares examples of how a strong experience can become a larger brand program, with a focus on m...

In this final episode of Great Minds, Otis Williams, the founder and last surviving member of The Temptations, takes us on a journey through the legendary group’s history. From his early days in Texarkana to the vibrant music scene of Detroit, Otis shares how the group evolved from the Distants to Motown superstars. He reflects on pivotal moments, including the addition of David Ruffin and Eddie K...

On this first episode of two, Great Minds is pleased to be joined by Shelly Berger, manager of legendary American vocal group The Temptations. Shelly discusses the early days of the group, their Detroit origins, their place in popular culture, and what made (and continues to make) their music so special. Don’t miss this part one of two! It’s a must-listen!

On this very special episode of Great Minds, we’re pleased to welcome the legendary Smokey Robinson to the show. Smokey walks us through his incredible career in this must-listen episode.

Longtime friend of Advertising Week and Founder of creative agency Gravity Road, Mark Eaves, joins Great Minds for a lively discussion about his career, the industry, and much, much more. This is a don’t miss episode of Great Minds.

Victoria is the founder and CEO of GingerMay, a multi-award winning global B2B PR and digital marketing agency for blue-chip, technology, advertising, media, and fast-growth disruptive businesses. GingerMay works with leading global companies including Comcast, Global and Oath. Our numerous industry accolades are driven by our reputation for rigour, remarkable thinking, and strong relationships wi...

Rachel Shechtman is a fourth-generation retail entrepreneur and founder of STORY, a concept store known for its editorial, ever-changing approach to retail. Prior to opening STORY, Rachel built a career in consulting, founding Cube Ventures in 2002 – an independent firm known for its skill of strategically combining business models. When Rachel launched STORY in 2011 she did so with the belief tha...

Dan Amos is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Aflac Incorporated and the second longest-serving CEO in the FORTUNE 250. Under his leadership as CEO, Aflac Incorporated’s total return to shareholders1 has exceeded 15,446%, compared with 3,075% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 2,812% for the S&P 500 Index and 1,471% for the S&P 500 Life & Health Insurance Index. In...

Sarah Mehler is a creative technology executive with more than 20 years of leadership in the experience design ecosystem. After graduating from the Design and Media Arts program at UCLA, she began cultivating close partnerships with leading brands and accomplished decision makers to grow the bounds of what’s possible through human-centric technology. As the Founder and CEO of Left Field Labs, Sara...

Ahead of Advertising Week New York 2024, taking place at THE PENN DISTRICT, Great Minds welcomes Skylight CEO Stephanie Blake back to the show. Skylight is a placemaking and venue development, management and consulting firm committed to creating bespoke venues in storied places.

Longtime Advertising Week friend Tim Armstrong joins Great Minds to discuss Flowcode, his latest endeavor.  Flowcode is the #1 trusted QR provider for instant conversions and real-time data.

Jon O’Donnell is Founder & CEO of Viral Tribe Entertainment, a next generation podcasting platform powered by talent and technology, triibe.fm Viral Tribe is reshaping the podcast experience both for the those who create the content and those who consume it. Their mission is to bring talent and their fans closer together in what will be the most interactive next generation podcasting experienc...

Jessica Ling is the Executive Vice President of Global Brand Advertising at American Express. She leads the company’s brand engagement and prospect consideration globally through innovative media, analytics and measurement, talent partnerships, and creative content. Her role also includes overseeing American Express’ in-house creative agency, OnBrand, and Shop Small brand platform. Since joining A...