Own It

This week on Own It we’re talking to Anjali Ramachandran from Storythings. She is based in the UK but is really a global citizen, having lived in many different countries and cities. She told me was always drawn to the colors, vibrancy and stories that advertising had to offer, even as a child. She has an impressive career journey that included a stop at Nike, and working with brands like Burberry...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Bethany Wilcox from Unusual. She started her firm to help brands stand out. They strive to help their clients be genuinely differentiated. She says they entertain, instead of advertise.  Entertaining is an apt description of Bethany as you will see. She’s full of energy, creativity and ideas. That makes her the perfect guest for us to dive into her journey, her...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Heather Waisanen from Coastal Maverick. Her firm is a custom out of home consulting company. That segment of the advertising world became her passion and she has built an amazing company around it. Heather was a gymnast in her younger years and wound up as a gymnastic coach living in places like the Grand Caymans and South Africa out of college. She’s based in...

This week on Own It, we’re talking to Elizabeth Rosenberg from The Good Advice Company. Her firm is focused on executive personal branding, thought leadership, and brand positioning and high-level PR strategy. But she also founded a company or project called Chief Spiritual Officer.  We talked about that, her amazing career, being present and so much more. I loved her perspective on closing the ge...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Carrie Stein from Bridge Insights and Media. She obviously came up through the media side of the ad business, working for many years at Neilsen before co-founding Bridge with her partner Jenny Griffith 10 years ago. They started with the idea that advertising could be smarter, more cost-effective and easier for clients. We talked about her firm, her journey to...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Jessica Blumberg from hunterblu media. It was formed in 2018 to make working with a media agency easier for brands and creative agencies, and has blossomed. Jessica certainly came up through her career on the media side of the advertising industry. She spent time at Crispin Porter + Bogusky before turning consultant, then agency owner.  We talked about her jour...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Casey Benedict from Maverick Mindshare. Her firm spawned from the conflict between bloggers and public relations professionals that emerged in early days of brands being involved in social media. She began bridging the gap between the two sides and brokering brand deals with what we now know as influencers.  We talked about her journey to starting and building...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Courtney Lewis from The Variable. She just stepped into the role of partner and CEO there two months ago after being on the strategy and leadership team for several years.  Courtney didn’t land at The Variable from the agency world. She was in business and management consulting before and brought that experience and knowledge to the firm. We talked about everyt...

This week on Own It, we’re talking to Holly Conti of Full Swing PR. If you remember the firm’s name, Holly is the co-owner with Caitlin Copple, who was our guest back in November of 2022. She wasn’t originally an owner, so we get to hear how an employe moves into an ownership role.  Holly and Christy had a great conversation about her journey from wanting to be creative and the boss when she was y...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Erin Emmerson and Kelsey Cross from Tower 28. It is a global agency built on a network of in-market experts that helps brands globalize content for any audience. Their unique approach to the business is fascinating. We also enjoy hearing how co-founders and co-owners carve out that journey together. We certainly talked about that, but also parenthood, their pat...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Hope Harris Refuerzo from TillSow. It is a fully integrated global storytelling studio. Hope told me they serve the needs of an evolving culture by providing a modern, bespoke experience for companies, brands and artists.  Hope is based in Los Angeles and has a production background and was once a casting director in Hollywood.  We had such a fun conversation a...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Amy Edwards from Quality Meats. Her firm does amazing work, but don’t take my word for it. They have earned Small Agency of the Year awards from both AdAge and AdWeek. The firm launched during the pandemic with no clients and no investors.  What they did have was two partners and a producer who wanted to do great work and remove what they call the “B.S.” of the...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Amanda Lucey from The Partnership. She’s been in that role for almost 13 years and has navigated through both growth and expansion. She came into the agency world from a career in associations, diplomacy and  politics. So her knowledge of that world certainly informs some interesting perspectives on the gender gap in agency ownership, and how we can attack that...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Genna Franconi from 22squared and Trade School. She and they are based in Atlanta, Georgia. As you probably noticed, she runs two agencies. One is over a century old. The other was born out of a client need for scaling audience-based content.  Genna came up through the account side of the business and worked her way to the C-Suite at 22squared before founding T...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Jen Harrington from Hatch. She jumped into the world of ownership when she founded Hatch over 16 years ago. So she has been at this a long time. Her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownership is full of experience and insight. Jen is also investing her time and energies in fostering the creative world. She creates on-ramps into the creative world for div...

This week on Own It, we’re talking to Lisa Kribs from TGW Studio. She is based in Rochester, New York, and came up through the creative side of the business. Her firm is a social impact marketing and creative studio that helps clients tell their stories. She is also a musician and recently finished an E-P! As you can imagine, we had a lot to discuss. I’m always excited to learn from creative brain...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Erin Gwiazdon from Level Mpls. She spent several years at Level before joining the executive team, then moving into an ownership role. Most of her career has been on the agency side, but did jump out and work for brands in healthcare and arts.  We had a great conversation about spending time outdoors on the lake, her journey to ownership and her thoughts on clo...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Kristen O’Neall of Mirage Media. She came up through the account services side of the business and founded Mirage Media last year.  Kristen is an admitted workaholic and is passionate about being a strategic visionary for her clients.  We had such a fun conversation about her journey, her influences and her thoughts on the state of gender balance in advertising...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Liz Seelye from StarryEyed Strategy. Her firm believes to be starryeyed means to be creative, collaborative and visionary so you can dream new ideas and make them a reality.  But she also has a renewable energy company with her husband, trail runs and has been to over 40 countries, a dozen or so with one or more of her five children.  As you can tell, Liz is mu...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Kerry McKibbin from Mischief. What can you say about the success of her firm? They’ve been in the top three agencies on Ad Age’s A-List each of the last four years, including topping that list twice in that time.  Their work is amazing. Their success is something we’re all both impressed by and maybe a little envious of.  As you might imagine, I tried to mine h...

This week on Own It, we’re talking to Emily Stutzman from Happylucky. She calls her firm a creative community built on the ethos of Fear Less, Love More. They do work that shifts hearts, minds, and culture.  Being in Oregon – one of my favorite places – Emily loves to grow things. Everything from plants to clients to her agency.  We talked about so much … her journey, her approach to clients, and...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Kelly Long from Manifold. It is a creative experiential marketing firm that aims to create experiences that engage, delight, captivate and inspire people. And inspiring, Kelly certainly is. Host Christy Hiler and Long talked about her journey, her role models and dug into the topic of the gender gap in agency ownership. Kelly is also a fellow University of Oreg...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Mary Cornette from Fuel. While we have the same last name, we don’t think we’re related. It’s spelled different. But, her family does have roots in Kentucky, so who knows? Mary is based in Greenville, South Carolina and her firm Fuel is a brand-building agency. She landed there from New York where she spent time at R/GA and Digitas, among others. Her brand expe...

This week on Own it we’re talking to Benita Conde from Create Radical Love. After many years in the advertising industry at stops like Fallon, BBH and Anomaly, Benita started Create Radical Love which is a life coaching and consulting firm for people who want to radically love their whole life experience. So this episode will be informed by her agency experience, but include much, much more.  We t...

This week on Own It we’re talking to Shannon Langrand from her self-titled agency, Langrand. She founded the agency 22 years ago and has built an amazing firm focused on solving tough problems, telling great stories and doing meaningful work. Shannon’s father was a Nicaraguan revolutionary. She is bi-cultural with her roots there, but her upbringing in Illinois. She now calls Houston, Texas, home...