Agency Business

Welcome to Agency Business. Mark Penn , chairman and CEO of Stagwell , join Brian Wieser live last week at Cannes to discuss why he sees marketing services as more resilient than many technology businesses, how Stagwell is investing in AI, software and digital transformation, and why he believes agencies are undergoing transformation rather than decline. Mark also talked about Stagwell’s global ex...

Welcome to Agency Business. PJ Pereira and Rob Wrubel , co-founders of SILVERSIDE , join Olivia Morley this week to discuss what it means to build an AI-native marketing innovation lab outside the traditional agency model. PJ and Rob discuss how SILVERSIDE grew out of an experimental AI group inside Pereira O’Dell, and why they believed the technology required a separate structure built for speed,...

Welcome to Agency Business. Kwame Taylor-Hayford , co-founder of Kin, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss what it means to build an independent agency around specificity rather than scale. Kwame discusses how his global upbringing shaped his approach to advertising and design, and how Kin’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, culture and community. He explains why th...

Welcome to Agency Business. Joe Gagliese , co-founder and co-CEO of Viral Nation , joins Brian Wieser this week to discuss how the company grew from representing creators into a social-first business working with enterprise brands. Joe discussed Viral Nation’s early days in influencer marketing, why the company raised capital to build AI, data infrastructure and measurement tools, and how it is tr...

Welcome to Agency Business. Dimi Albers , CEO of DEPT , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the marketing and technology company has scaled globally while operating as one agency. Dimi discussed DEPT’s expansion across Europe, the Americas and APAC, why the company sees cultural alignment as central to successful acquisitions, and how its independent structure shapes its...

Welcome to Agency Business. Blake Heal , founder and CEO of Conscious Minds , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the agency built production into its model from the beginning. Blake shares how Conscious Minds evolved from the viral video era into a social and culture-focused agency working with large brands including Nike, Starbucks, Yahoo and Google. He also describes:...

Welcome to Agency Business. Alison Weissbrot , executive editor at Adweek , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the agency business from her vantage point covering the industry. Alison talks about the pressure holding company CEOs face around growth and AI transformation, why independent agencies continue to generate industry attention, and how private equity is shaping parts of the in...

Welcome to Agency Business. Maggie Malek , CEO of Crispin , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the Stagwell agency’s next chapter. She discusses the agency's history, and the 2023 combination of MMI, Crispin (then CPB), and Observatory . Maggie also discusses how Crispin is building around creative, media and social under one P&L, and how Crispin is balancing its creative roots wi...

Welcome to Agency Business. Tamara Alesi , CEO of Mediaplus North America , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss how the Serviceplan -owned media agency is building its presence in the U.S. and Canada. Tamara explains how Mediaplus is approaching growth in North America, including its reliance on global client relationships, local market development, and a measured, profitability-focuse...

Welcome to Agency Business. Remy Stiles , global CEO of Kepler , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the agency’s evolution from its programmatic roots into a full-service, data-driven business. Founded out of MediaMath , Kepler was built around audience-first, technology-led thinking at a time when those approaches were still emerging, and has since expanded into creative, global oper...

Welcome to Agency Business. Michael Magnusson , founder and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising , joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss what it means to run an agency built on retail performance and measurable outcomes. Michael explains how that focus shapes team structure, client relationships, and day-to-day decision-making, as well as how the agency operates in a market defined by consolidati...

Welcome to Agency Business. Scott Shamberg , president and CEO of independent media agency  Mile Marker , joins Brian to discuss the growing opportunity for independent agencies serving mid-market and private equity-backed brands.  Shamberg expl...

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Olivia and Brian interview Boston Consulting Group's  Janet Balis . We discuss how AI is reshaping the agency business beyond efficiency gains. Janet argues that many agencies and clients are&nbsp...

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Madison and Wall’s Tucker Lake joins Olivia and Brian to discuss new research examining how the largest agency groups are approaching AI. Based on M&W's interviews with senior leaders across holding companies , one theme stood out: while AI has become a central focus, agency offerings today are far more similar than they are different. The Agency Business...

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Brian and Olivia interview Andrea Bendzick , CEO of independent digital agency, Wpromote . The group discusses Wpromote's recent acquisition of Giant Spoon and what it signals for the future of advertising agencies, including the convergence of creative and performance marketing. Drawing on her background in finance and technology, Bendzick explains why the t...

Welcome to Agency Business. Rick Milenthal , chairman and CEO of independent agency, The Shipyard , joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building and sustaining a full-service independent agency — with major operations in Columbus, Ohio and San Diego — around the philosophy of "engineering brand love" through the integration of paid, earned, and owned media. Rick shares how The Shipyar...

Welcome to Agency Business. This week Dan Khabie , cofounder of CourtAvenue , joined Olivia for a conversation about building an independent digital and AI transformation agency — from a garage startup in San Diego to a 250-person company growing at 64% year-over-year. Daniel discusses CourtAvenue's five pillar go-to-market strategy — spanning digital ecosystems, retail media, physical-digital exp...

Welcome to Agency Business. Brian and Olivia interviewed Beth Ann Kaminkow , CEO of the Americas and global chief client officer at Dentsu, following a significant leadership transition and renewed scrutiny of the company’s international business. The conversation comes as Dentsu posted weak financial results , announced Takeshi Sano as its new global CEO and president, and signaled that a previou...

Welcome to Agency Business. John Elder , CEO and co-founder of independent creative agency Supergood , joined Brian and Olivia to discuss how data — not AI alone — may become the real differentiator for agencies navigating margin pressure and rising client expectations. Reach Out Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch....

Welcome to Agency Business. Patti McConnell , co-founder and managing partner, and Tommy Henvey , co-founder and chief creative officer of independent creative agency Something Different , joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building an agency designed for closeness, flexibility, and creative fulfillment rather than scale. Patti and Tommy discuss the studio model that allows Something...

Welcome to Agency Business. Judith Carr-Rodriguez , CEO and partner at independent full-service creative agency, FIG , joined Brian and Olivia this week on the podcast. Judith shared how clients increasingly value small, senior teams over large pyramidal organizations, how FIG has grown by focusing on long-term AOR relationships rather than project-based work, and why the agency has become more se...

Welcome to Agency Business. Andrew Cohen , CEO of independent St. Louis creative agency Moosylvania , joined Brian and Olivia for a candid conversation about building an agency around senior talent, continuity, and long-term thinking. Andrew shares the origin story of Moosylvania, founded by his father after leaving an IPG-owned agency, and reflects on taking over leadership during the pandemic as...

Welcome to Agency Business. Brian and Olivia interview Dean Broadhead , founder of independent agency, Broadhead about how agencies should rethink production, talent, and investment as AI reshapes how work gets done. Drawing on his “stop making shoes” framework, Dean explains why agencies should focus less on long-tail production and more on strategy, creativity, and risk mitigation, using AI to c...

Welcome to Agency Business. Brian interviews Ammunition CEO Jeremy Heilpern to examine how agencies can defend pricing and articulate value as AI reshapes workflows, timelines and client expectations. Drawing on Ammunition’s growth from a category-focused shop into an independent agency with a broad client roster, Jeremy explains why specialization, internal production and deliberate investment de...

Welcome to Agency Business. Brian and Olivia discuss 2026 agency trends with media and tech analyst Ian Whittaker . Drawing on his background in financial markets and consulting, Ian frames 2026 as a crossroads year for agencies, one defined less by immediate disruption than by a series of strategic choices that will determine longer-term positioning. The conversation explores whether agencies can...