Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast

Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer at Grey, joins us to share his journey from getting fired at 19 to leading a global agency network. He reveals how a Sharpie campaign won his first Cannes Gold Lion and changed his career forever. Gabriel breaks down how he leads creative teams, his 20% rule for staying irreplaceable, and why he believes clarity is a creative’s superpower. This is a m...

Brooke Brown didn’t follow a straight path to the top. From public transit marketing to agency life, to becoming SVP and Head of Brand and Creative at US Bank, her career is built on unexpected moves and smart risks. In this episode, Brooke shares how secret shopping led her to a job, why she left jobs everyone wanted, and how she built one of the highest-performing brand campaigns in the company’...

Davis Priestley knew early on he wanted to tell stories. In this episode, he unpacks his unconventional path into the industry, from early film sets to founding Revery, the global storytelling studio behind campaigns for Google Play, Delta, and Disney. He and Geno talk craft, leadership, values-driven work, and why the future belongs to creators who think beyond the brief. More from Breaking and E...

Lorenzo Costa didn’t wait for permission to build a new kind of agency. He just started. At 25, he’s already the CEO of Link Creative, a Chicago-based shop that's turning legacy brands into digital natives. In this episode, we talk about building in-house intentionally, why your own brand should be your best client, and how DJing laid the groundwork for agency leadership. It’s a crash course i...

Chad Waetzig, CMO of Crunch Fitness, joins us to talk scaling a fitness empire, redefining gym culture, and making serious fitness fun. From P&G finance to brand building across 500 locations, Chad shares how he broke in, leveled up, and why your abs don’t need abs to feel good here. Also covered: crashing cars, MBA myths, and why marketing isn’t just ads. More from Breaking and Entering Media...

Frances Webster co-founded Walrus, won Breeze without pitching, and invented a mint strong enough for your boss’s boss. She calls it calculated misbehavior. We call it a heist. In this episode, she talks business mints, chicken festivals, heli-skiing, and the art of getting brands to notice you. Plus, how to break into advertising with grit and a whole bunch of big ideas. More from Breaking and En...

Ad Age reporters Ewan “eScoops” Larkin and Brian Bonilla join the pod to break down the biggest stories shaking the ad world. We Cover AOR obits to AI panic to the rise of indie agencies. They share how they tag-team breaking news, pitch their dream merch line (Br-Ewan hats, anyone?), and go head-to-head in an "overrated vs underrated" showdown. And... happy belated birthday to Ewan. He...

From denim icons to malfunctioning ovens, Kathy Collins has seen it all. The CRO of Frontdoor Inc. sits down with us to talk about building brands that stick, why creativity still drives revenue, and how to break out of the home warranty echo chamber. She walks us through the Warentina campaign with Rachel Dratch, lessons from her days at H&R Block and Lee Jeans, and that one time she flew on...

Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, joins Breaking & Entering News as the brand launches its first national advertising campaign. After 15 years of grassroots growth and a dedicated fan base, Mike’s Hot Honey is expanding with “Drizzle the Mike’s,” a cross-platform campaign from agencies, Another Thing and Noble People. Mike talks about the brand’s origins, building a cult following, and...

Micky Ogando, Founder and CCO of Bakery, joins Breaking and Entering to talk about launching an independent agency at 27 with no plan, no clients, and no idea what he was doing. We unpack the chaotic startup years, how a cupcake shop inspired the name Bakery, and what it really takes to stay independent in a world full of holding companies. From his Mount Rushmore of modern ad minds to what motiva...

In this episode, Geno sits down with Crowbar Best in Show winners Ella Bartosik, Maya True Wasik, and Shamil Luqman, three student creatives who took the challenge of making Ohio cool… and somehow succeeded. Joined by global CCO of FCB, Andrés Ordóñez, they unpack the brief, the brainstorms, and the butter cow that made their campaign unforgettable. From remote Zoom calls to unapologetically weird...

From crafting full-funnel media strategies to cheffing up in the (Goop) Kitchen, Katharine Painter is doing it all and making it look easy. In this episode, the Apollo Partners Media Director dishes on what it takes to grow an independent media agency from three people to a real force, how Purely Elizabeth granola ended up in LA menus, and why creative and media teams should actually talk to each...

Apollo Partners founder and CEO Eric Perko stops by to explain how he built a media agency that knows what it’s doing. He shares how his team helps brands like Coupa, Yahoo!, and Mars do more with less, why being small is a superpower, and what marketers should really be paying attention to. We also get into his accidental path into advertising, his early days on the Taco Bell account, and why run...

We challenged Brian Bonilla to build his ultimate agency roster using only fictional characters. The brief? Assemble your dream C-suit and creative leads with zero real-world limitations and zero legal oversight. There were HR violations. There were culture wars. There were questionable hires that would make any holding company sweat. Tune in for the most unhinged strategy session you’ll hear this...

Kirsten Atkinson didn’t just break into advertising. She reverse-engineered it, and made it culture-forward. As SVP of Brand Partnerships at Complex Networks, she turns brands into youth culture co-conspirators. She walks us through her bi-coastal career path, how she survived 18 years in agency life, and why branded content shouldn't just feel like 30-second pre-roll.  If you've ever said...

Jason Apaliski has spent 17 years at the same agency, which in advertising years is practically a lifetime. In this episode, he shares how he went from aspiring art teacher to Chief Creative Officer at Pereira O’Dell, what’s kept him at the agency all this time, and how he’s helping shape the next generation of creatives. From surf shops in Virginia Beach to Super Teams at Creative Circus, Jason r...

Fresh off the Croisette, Brian and Geno recap their week at Cannes. From lost luggage and late-night drone shows to AI anxiety and quiet dinners with execs, they break down the real takeaways from the biggest festival in advertising. What’s hype, what’s overhyped, and what actually matters if you’re trying to break into the industry. They cover the best activations, the shifting power of creators,...

Anthony Sperduti is the co-founder of Mythology, the agency behind Warby Parker, Harry’s, Peloton and more. In this episode, he shares how he broke into advertising without a plan, faked his way into his first job, and ended up launching some of the most iconic DTC brands of the last two decades. He tells the story of sneaking a fashion show into the New York Public Library, what it’s like to work...

In this episode, Jack shares how he went from working retail in Chicago to becoming an associate creative director at GSD&M. He talks about getting rejected, sending his resume in a literal bottle, and the early morning phone call he got from Gary Vaynerchuk after turning down a job. This is one of our favorite break-in stories. It’s scrappy, honest, and proof that there’s no one way into the...

Taylor Grimes, VP of Global Marketing at Goodyear, joins Breaking and Entering to talk brand reinvention at one of America’s most iconic companies. In this episode, he unpacks what it means to modernize a 125-year-old brand, lead with strategy, and create campaigns that resonate with both tire buyers and culture at large. From agency life to his role shaping Goodyear’s global narrative, Grimes sha...

Welcome to VML on Creativity, a special series from Breaking and Entering Advertising. Each episode pulls back the curtain on VML and explores how creativity takes shape across categories and global offices. From health to commerce to entertainment, this is how creativity pushes brands forward today. In this episode, we sit down with Allison Pierce, Chief Creative Officer of VML Kansas City, to un...

Damuane “D” Journey didn’t come up in advertising, but he’s now the Global Chief Growth Officer at 72andSunny. In this episode, he shares how great branding, bold creativity, and high performance come together to win business and build culture. We explore what it’s really like inside 72, the role of strategy in creativity, and how non-endemic brands can authentically show up in sports. If you're l...

Rob Mayhew is one of the funniest voices in advertising, and now he’s doing it full time. In this episode, he shares his wild journey from failing business school to account management, to creative director, to content creator. We talk about agency culture, burnout, comedy, viral sketches, and his love for the industry, even when he’s poking fun at it. Rob also shares advice for aspiring creatives...

In this Brandside episode, Matt Repicky, Chief Brand Officer at Tailored Brands, shares how he’s reshaping legacy names like Men’s Wearhouse, Joseph A. Bank, and more for today’s customer. From launching humor based campaigns with Party Land to dialing up fashion credibility with “Chill Flex” suits, Matt explains how his team is updating brand perception across demographics. He also walks us throu...

Scott Bell is making moves. After 16 years at Droga5, the award-winning creative leader is stepping into his next chapter as Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York, starting September 2025. In this Breaking and Entering News episode, Scott joins us just 24 hours after the announcement to reflect on his legacy at Droga5, share stories from his rise, and break down his vision for BBDO. This one’s p...