Special Sauce

Jack Myers is an author, consultant and content creator, who has been a steady presence in the media industry for 50 years. Having started out working at big media companies in outdoor, radio and cable in the 1970s, he ultimately struck out on his own in the mid-80s when he launched MediaVillage and The Myers Report. He joins the podcast to talk about why he made that move, and both the positives...

Suzie Reider might be the OGest of the Digital OGs. Her career took off in the pre-Internet era of the tech publishing world, bridged to early new media when she joined a then 30-person YouTube operation, and continues today as she builds out the media business at Lyft. Suzie joins the podcast to talk about the moment YouTube took off and those early days of digital video. She and Jordan discuss t...

Rich Lehrfeld is the General Manager at Walmart Connect, the company's advertising platform that helps brands reach shoppers online and in stores. Prior to Walmart, he spent 23 years at American Express in roles with increasing levels of influence and responsibility. Rich joins the podcast to talk about his time at both companies, how he looks at driving innovation inside (really) big organiza...

Lisa Sherman is the CEO at The Ad Council, the organization that brings together the best minds in advertising and media to create public service campaigns addressing the biggest challenges facing our society. She joins the podcast to talk about how she came to be in her role and how the work of the Ad Council has changed in the decade since. Lisa shares her coming out story in corporate America a...

Jeremi Gorman loves to be "at the beginning" of things. She helped plant the seeds and grow the ad businesses of both Amazon and Netflix. The former was in its very early days when she arrived and is now the 3rd largest media company in the world. The latter is still in its relative infancy, but won't be for long. She joins Special Sauce to share the reason she moved from marketing to...

Ryan Barwick is a journalist covering media and advertising. He is a rising star on the beat. In just the last year, he has reported on Lina Khan and the FTC, the Google antitrust proceedings and how the ad business is using AI. Ryan joins Special Sauce to talk about how he got up-to-speed on the industry, how reporters view other reporters, and to share some advice for Comms people. He and Jordan...

With the Los Angeles wildfires still raging, we're using this episode to share a brief story about our next guest and suggest a worthy cause in need of donations. That cause is the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which is raising money to buy emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks and wildland brush tools to support firefighters on the ground. As these current fires get contained...

Eric Berry has been a founder of companies in two disruptive categories: advertising technology and healthcare technology. He started TripleLift, the ad tech company he eventually sold for $1.4B, when he had just two years of industry experience. Eric joins Jordan to talk about why he moved from law to advertising, how the intuition of a founder is critical early on in the life of a company, and t...

Peter Naylor has been one of the most respected names in digital media since...the beginning of digital media. With stints at Lycos, iVillage, NBC, Hulu, Snap and Netflix, he has helped create and shape some of the most important platforms in each era of internet advertising - from web to online video to mobile to streaming. Peter joins the podcast to discuss his style of servant leadership, his b...

Heather Freeland has held senior level marketing jobs in Silicon Valley for over a decade, with roles at Facebook, Lyft and Adobe. Prior to moving out west, she was a New Yorker having worked at MTV, Gilt Groupe and the marketing services company, Digitas. Heather joins to talk about the challenge of marketing to marketers, how working for Sheryl Sandberg taught her to be a better listener, and wh...

Carl Fremont is a long time veteran of advertising agencies. He's also my mentor. Ask anyone who has known him closely over the years and they will tell you that he's been a mentor or advisor to them as well. He joins the podcast to talk about what he's gained by staying at companies for long stretches, and then what he looks for - and advises others to look for - when seeking a new jo...

Lisa Caputo has worked in the c-suite of some of America's largest companies for over two decades. Prior to her career in the business world, she served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and later in The White House. Lisa shares how she came to know and work with Hillary Clinton, what her relationship with Hillary has meant to each of them over time, and what it's like to work in one of...

Wenda Harris Millard is a true digital pioneer. Over her career, she has held game changing roles at companies including DoubleClick, Yahoo! and MediaLink. Wenda joins Special Sauce to discuss her early career and the formative experiences she had building organizations. She shares that she started her first business when she was just 9 years old, and got paid to write articles as a young woman fo...

John McCarus is the founder and co-creator of The NewFronts, the multi-week event each Spring featuring dozens of digital content companies and serving as a counterbalance to the television upfronts. He is also the operator of Content Ink, an executive recruiting, coaching and advisory practice that has worked with companies from MrBeast to TikTok. John and Jordan tap into their partnership in bui...

David Kenny's career has spanned media & marketing (as CEO of Digitas, The Weather Company and Nielsen), technology (Akamai and IBM) and the boardroom (Best Buy, Yahoo!, and Teach For America). He joins Special Sauce to talk about what he learned at "The West Point of the Automobile Industry," the pride he takes in the list of his employees who have gone on to become CEOs, and how...

Sarah Hofstetter is a long time ad agency executive, public company board member and podcaster (check out "Brave Commerce"). She talks about the career journey that landed her at ad agencies, her early ground-breaking efforts in social media on clients like HGTV and Oreo, and how she prioritizes being a mentor. Sarah and Jordan discuss what past innovations in search, social and mobile can...

Michael Kassan is the Founder of 3C Ventures, his follow-up to MediaLink, the legendary company he founded 20 years ago and left this past Spring. He shares how he operates "in the middle" of our industry and how a tagline from an old west coast telephone company inspired his professional credo. Michael and Jordan discuss the power of having strong relationships in business, the people Mic...

Marla Kaplowitz is the CEO of The 4A's. She joins Special Sauce to talk about the difference between running an ad agency and being charged with helping raise the fortunes of ALL of them. Marla and Jordan talk about how agencies are tackling AI, what burning issues she needed to address as she came into The 4A's, and why she's about to walk away from that job 8 years later. She also sh...

Jennifer Lotito is the President and Chief Operating Officer of (RED), the organization that has worked with the worlds largest brands to generate over $750 million to fight HIV/AIDS. If you've seen a red iPhone, you've seen the work of Jennifer and her team. She joins Special Sauce to talk about the mission of (RED), what she has learned from her co-founders Bono and Bobby Shriver, and ho...

Christine Cook is the Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg Media. Christine joins Special Sauce to reminisce about her post-college job as a high school teacher in Louisiana and how she lived on $1 pizza slices when she first moved to New York. She shares her thoughts on how having a well rounded career is critical for success, how the role of a CRO needs to change based on what's happening in t...

Special Sauce is here. Our first episode will be our shortest. In less than 4 minutes, we'll tell you everything you'll need to know. Like: why this podcast exists and why you should listen.