Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast

Joe Burns, Strategy Lead at Quality Meats, joins Breaking & Entering to unpack how real strategy isn’t about data hoarding or 150 slide decks. It’s about edge. He shares why PowerPoint might be worse than the Black Death, how AI is reshaping the strategist’s role, and why the best ideas come from breaking rules everyone else thinks are real. More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on L...

Tourism Australia CMO Susan Coghill joins Geno to share how “Come and Say G’day” became one of the most recognizable destination campaigns in the world. She reveals how consistency beats constant reinvention, what happened when Robert Irwin suddenly became a global sensation, and how Australia’s marketing team turned a kangaroo into a worldwide icon. More from Breaking and Entering Media: 💼 Follo...

André Toledo, CCO of DAVID New York, joins Breaking & Entering to talk about creating ads that actually entertain. From Lima to Madrid to New York, André’s built his career on passion over pedigree and ideas over ego. He shares how to sell risky work like Burger King’s “Stevenage Challenge,” why obsession with your book matters, and how hiring people better than you keeps an agency’s soul aliv...

Erica Roberts sits down with Brian and Geno to talk about what it really takes to stay on top in advertising today. She shares how fear fuels her creativity, why she fights boredom by choosing the hard problems, and how hands-on leadership keeps BBH USA winning big. From falling asleep at concerts to relaunching iconic brands with swagger, Erica brings honesty, humor, and practical advice for anyo...

Jason Harris Built Mekanism. Then He Rebuilt It Four Times. Jason Harris, co-founder and CEO of Mekanism and host of Soul & Science , joins Breaking & Entering to talk about how he built one of the most respected indie agencies in the country, sold it, and kept its soul intact. He breaks down what Harvard learned from his campaigns, why advertising will always survive, and the one mistake...

500 PODCASTS! For our 500th episode special, ad legend Rob Schwartz interviews Geno. More 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://breakingandenteri...

Susan Credle went from giving receptionists their bathroom breaks to becoming one of the most influential creative leaders in the world. The Global Creative Advisor at IPG and former Global CCO at FCB shares how she built her career from the ground up, created the “Never Finished” philosophy that reshaped FCB’s culture, and helped turn M&M’s into an enduring brand icon. Susan opens up about fi...

Mike Byrne has made 22 Super Bowl commercials, led creative for Nike at Wieden+Kennedy, and now runs Anomaly as Global Chief Creative Officer. In this episode, he breaks down how a single print ad made him fall in love with advertising, what he learned from Dan Wieden, and why he still writes every morning. We talk about leaving the best job in the industry to take a huge risk, the creative habits...

Erin Riley runs one of the biggest ad agencies in the world. As the Global CEO of TBWA, she’s built her career on disruption, bravery, and never settling for “good enough.” In this episode, Erin breaks down the three decisions that made her a leader, the brutal truth about mediocrity, and what it really means to protect the soul of a creative company. From pitching Viagra early in her career to le...

Christi Geary joins us to reveal major breaking news. She is leading the launch of AMP Agency, a bold new model that brings together more than ten specialized agencies into one unified powerhouse. Christi shares how she went from nearly snagging a Tide sample in college to building a career at Procter & Gamble and Bayer before stepping into the agency world. She breaks down what makes AMP diff...

The Crowbar Awards are back and we’re handing the mic to the Blue Crowbar winners. Aidan Haas, Frank Yin, and Charlie Loaiza took a Babbel brief and flipped it into a club campaign that had our judge, Rafa Rizutto, calling it portfolio ready. Geno and Charlie Goldman sit down with the team to hear how the idea came to life, why craft matters, and what it really takes to break in. More from Breakin...

Mark Fitzloff spent two decades at Wieden+Kennedy, helping reshape brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Old Spice. Then he walked away and built his own shop, Opinionated, in Portland. In this episode, Mark shares the pitch that saved Old Spice from disaster, and how he thinks about keeping creativity simple in an industry that loves to overcomplicate. He also shares his advice for breaking in today,...

JPMorgan Chase is taking cues from fashion to redefine what a credit card can be. Chief Brand Officer Leanne Fremar joins Breaking and Entering Media to share how her background at Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and Starbucks shaped a bold new campaign that treats the Sapphire Reserve like a luxury handbag. We dive into building brands in-house, collaborating with icons like Claudia Schiffer and Hailey Bieb...

Michelle McSorley has made agencies and campaigns famous. From her time leading PR at Nike to building EM2 Communications, she has mastered the art of getting creative work in the spotlight. In this episode, she shares the secrets to turning agencies, campaigns, and even young professionals into household names. If you want to learn how to get noticed, win new business, and stand out in the indust...

Tiffany Rolfe has lived a career filled with bold bets and unforgettable moments. She tells us about leaving Oklahoma for LA with nothing but ambition, pitching a wild idea to Steve Jobs, and turning a $30 domain name into $30,000. From binge watching Love Island to leading R/GA through high pressure headlines, Tiffany proves that creativity is about risk, reinvention, and a little chaos along the...

Karl Lieberman, Global Chief Creative Officer of Wieden+Kennedy, joins Breaking and Entering Advertising to share the story behind his rise from struggling art director to leading one of the most iconic independent agencies in the world. He opens up about the pivotal moment that unlocked his creative voice, how the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man” campaign was born, and why independence is everyth...

Jeff Kling is the mind behind some of the most legendary campaigns in advertising history. From Miller High Life to Arby’s “We Have the Meats” to the iconic Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World,” Jeff has shaped culture with his words and ideas. In this episode, he opens up about the struggles of selling bold work, the truth about why most advertising misses the mark, and the lessons he le...

Spangler Candy just shook up the industry with Ghosted Sweethearts, a Halloween launch that flips the script on Valentine’s Day. In this episode of Breaking and Entering News, Evan Brock, VP of Marketing at Spangler Candy, reveals how the brand turned modern dating struggles into a viral product. From situationships to ghosting, discover how Sweethearts is owning the cultural conversation, why bla...

Senior Agencies Reporter Brian Bonilla (Ad Age) joins Geno Schellenberger (Breaking and Entering Media ) for a Labor Day special covering the biggest shifts in the agency world, from AI tools to in-housing trends to indie shops scoring major wins. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why brands want agencies as in-house enablers (creative consulting + AI guidance) The latest on Dentsu’s shake-up and...

Eric Rojas went from working in a pharmacy and cutting boards at Deutsch to leading his own New York City agency. In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, he shares how a high school ad class sparked his passion, why he studied psychology before switching into advertising, and how persistence helped him move from art director to creative director. Eric also reveals what he learned bui...

What does it take to spend your entire career at one agency and rise all the way to CEO? Tom Denari has been at Young and Laramore for 36 years, starting at half salary and working his way up to the top. In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, Tom shares why he chose loyalty over job hopping, the lessons he learned from building a national agency in Indianapolis, and how long-term co...

Haymaker started in LA with nothing but a borrowed laptop and a big idea. Eight years later they are officially opening their doors in New York City. In this episode Jay Kamath and Matt Johnson share how a vision board turned into reality, what it really takes to expand without investors, and why Madison Avenue still matters. From scrappy beginnings to pitching Coca-Cola, this is the story of bett...

Malobi Dasgupta was supposed to be a chemist. Instead she wrote one email, moved to Paris, and now helps run the agency that’s been crowned Cannes Agency of the Year… twice. We get into how Publicis Conseil actually pulls it off, why spec work still matters, and the lessons every young creative can steal to make their own way in. More from Breaking and Entering Media: 💼 Follow on LinkedIn https:/...

The Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast is usually about others. But today, Geno turns the mic on himself. After interviewing hundreds of ad professionals, he’s sharing his own path into the industry. You’ll hear: How Mad Men inspired him to pursue advertising Why his first internships shaped, but didn’t define, his career The pivotal moment when persistence got him an Edelman interview How...

Nancy Reyes didn’t plan on advertising. In fact, she walked into her first agency job thinking she’d be a writer and walked out an account person. Now she’s the global president and CEO of BBDO, steering one of the biggest names in the game toward bigger, bolder, weirder ideas. We talk breaking in through a fifth grade scholarship program, why she loves a fixer upper agency, the problem with “adve...