Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast

Jamie Umpherson didn't go to portfolio school. Before breaking into advertising, he managed a bar, designed coupons for eight hours a day, and spent nights teaching himself the fundamentals of creativity while building a portfolio from scratch. Today, he's the Chief Creative Officer at Runway and Runway Studios, helping shape the future of AI-powered creativity. In this episode, we discuss...

Lisa Topol spent decades building her career at some of advertising's biggest agencies, eventually becoming Co-Chief Creative Officer at DDB. Then she left. In this episode, Lisa shares why she walked away from the holding company world, what she found at independent agency Oberland, and why having a stake in the decisions you make can completely change your relationship with work. We also dis...

Antonio McDonald has spent more than two decades building content for brands, audiences, and culture. After starting his career at MTV during its peak, Antonio went on to found KUAMP, an independent creative production agency helping brands connect with audiences through content that people actually want to watch. In this episode, we discuss why most branded content misses the mark, what MTV under...

Every quarter, Breaking and Entering Media hosts the Crowbar Awards, a $1 global student advertising competition designed to help aspiring creatives build their portfolios, solve real-world briefs, and get their work reviewed by some of the industry's top creative leaders. The highest honor awarded each quarter is the Blue Crowbar, given to the single best submission across all entries. This q...

Anthony Reeves grew up in the Australian Outback, built a career across agencies, Amazon, WPP, and now serves as VP of Global Brand & Creative at Kohler. In this episode, Anthony shares the moment he walked into Amazon believing he had all the answers and left with one of the most important lessons of his career. We discuss discomfort, career growth, mentorship, specialization, breaking into a...

Sam Slaughter is the Founder of Lighthouse Creative Group. After getting fired from his previous job, Sam and his co-founder decided to build the kind of company they actually wanted to work for. Today, Lighthouse is a 40-person employee-owned agency working with brands like Amazon, Fanatics, and more. In this episode, Sam shares the lessons he's learned building an independent business, why r...

For nearly 30 years, Chuck McBride has heard the same prediction: advertising is dying. He's heard it through the rise of the internet, social media, YouTube, streaming, creators, and now AI. Yet after helping launch the iconic Got Milk? campaign, leading work for Nike, working alongside Lee Clow at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and building Cutwater into one of advertising's most respected independent...

Patrick Coffee of The Wall Street Journal joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to break down the current state of the advertising industry. We talk about why creative departments feel increasing pressure inside holding companies, how AI is changing expectations for marketers, why creator marketing still struggles with measurement, and how brands are trying to evolve into entertainme...

In this solo episode of the Breaking and Entering Podcast, Geno Schellenberger opens up about how AI, holding company consolidation, and changing agency structures are reshaping the path into advertising. From portfolio schools to creative partnerships to tools like Runway and ChatGPT, Geno breaks down what young creatives should actually focus on in 2026. Geno also shares advice on building a por...

What separates memorable brands from forgettable ones? According to brand writer and manifesto expert Lonnie Elliot, it starts with belief. In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, Geno Schellenberger sits down with the former Apple and Meta writer to break down the true anatomy of great manifestos, from Think Different to Nike’s Dream Crazier. Lonnie explains the structures behind po...

Todd Condie could’ve stayed on the traditional path: Georgetown Law, Wall Street, big paycheck, partner track. Instead, he walked away from it all to chase creativity. In this episode, the Terri & Sandy Group Creative Director shares his unconventional rise from magazine hopeful to corporate lawyer to award-winning creative leader. Todd unpacks the mindset, risks, and relentless hustle it took...

Sarah Collinson, CEO of Havas New York, joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to talk about what it takes to break into advertising at a time when there are fewer roles and higher expectations than ever. She shares how she built a high-performing agency culture, why leadership and communication matter more than process, and how her team continues to win major clients while prioritizi...

Brian Collins, co-founder of COLLINS, joins the show to break down how design actually drives business transformation. COLLINS has won the  Ad Age  Design and Brand Agency of the Year or Business Transformation Agency of the Year seven times, and has helped shape brands like Spotify, Airbnb, Robinhood, and The Coca-Cola Company. In this conversation, Brian explains why advertising makes things fam...

Rick Brim has won over 100 Cannes Lions and helped shape one of the most iconic creative agencies in the world. He played a key role in building Adam&EveDDB and bringing campaigns like John Lewis’ holiday ads to global attention, turning them into cultural moments that drove real business impact. In this conversation, he breaks down what actually makes great advertising and why so much of the...

Geno sits down with Ted Markovic, Global Head of Advertising & Creative Ops at Canva, to break down how one of the world’s fastest-growing brands actually runs creative. From building a 150-person in-house team to working seamlessly with agencies, Ted shares the systems, expectations, and communication required to get great work. If you want to understand how modern brands scale creativity and...

Join the show today for an exclusive episode with the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at JOAN. She goes in-depth about the Dr. Bronner's campaign for this quarter's Crowbar brief. You'll hear from the winners, Carolina Versolato and Jane Wineman, both soon-to-be advertising graduates from the University of Miami. More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https:...

Daniel Portrait, founder of Kamp Grizzly, breaks down how the agency evolved from a small Portland studio into a global creative partner for brands like Apple, Adidas, Uber Eats, HBO, and Amazon. In this conversation, he explains how Kamp Grizzly grew over 20+ years into an 80+ person agency and how their approach to experiential marketing and IRL activations has become central to modern advertisi...

Rony Castor, Group Creative Director at BarkleyOKRP, joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to break down his journey from getting laid off in 2008 to leading award-winning campaigns. Rony shares how Mad Men pushed him toward advertising, why portfolio school still matters, and what it actually takes to “figure it out” as a creative. He walks through his time at agencies like FCB, DDB...

What does it actually take to break into advertising in 2026? Andre Gray, Chief Activation Officer and Head of Culture & Entertainment at Havas Lynx New York, joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising podcast to unpack why the old playbook is dead, why most agencies are behind, and why not knowing everything might be your biggest edge. From growing up in San Francisco to sleeping on a couch...

Steve Scutellaro, CEO of StrawberryFrog, joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to talk about the agency’s next chapter and the future of independent shops. In this episode, Steve shares how the 26-year-old agency operates as a boutique, senior-led team working closely with brands. He discusses how agencies can stay relevant as AI and self-service media platforms reshape the industry,...

On this episode of The Breaking and Entering Podcast, Geno sits down with PJ Pereira. He's the founder of Silverside AI, the agency behind some of the most controversial ads to come out this past year - the Coca-Cola holiday spot, and the Svedka Super Bowl spot. The two spots have one thing in common - they're both fully generated by AI. Pj has heard all the comments, and he joins us to gi...

AGENCY BREAK IN: THE LARGEST AGENCY IN SAN DIEGO - THE SHIPYARDMore from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/...

In this episode, we sit down with Joaquín Mollá, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Community. From Buenos Aires to building one of the most culturally influential agencies in the world, Joaquín shares how identity, instinct, and artistic obsession shaped his path. Recognized as a Hispanic Heritage Month Icon by The Advertising Club of New York, Joaquín reflects on what it really means t...

This week, we are breaking into FIVE difference advertising agencies across the city of San Francisco. Today, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, one of the most iconic ad agencies of the century. We sit down with Chief Creative Officer, Margaret Johnson to talk the impact GSP has had on the industry. Every agency we visited this week was born out of GSP. At least one founder from Erich & Kallm...

This week, we are breaking into FIVE difference advertising agencies across the city of San Francisco. Today, Venables Bell and Partners, whose guiding principle is "Do right by people." We sit down with Founder and Chairman, Paul Venables, and Partner and Chief Creative Officer to talk forging successful young creatives, advancing advertising from San Fran, and more. More from Breaking...