What Bubbles Up

In this episode, we are joined by CMO, Marketing Strategist, Consultant, and Author Darren "Daz" McColl to discuss the role of the CMO in the age of digital transformation. Daz regales us with the incredibly journey he took to become the CMO of Neiman Marcus, after years in the trenches at various agencies, just as the global pandemic inflicted great financial burdens on retail brands that thrived...

With the seemingly endless creative possibilities made possible by the rise of GenAI, why does it seem more challenging than ever to be a Design Leader? In this episode, Adaptive Path co-founder, author, and Design Leadership coach Peter Merholz joins us for a beer and a chat to discuss this and many other topics. We discuss his journey from Studio Archetype in the mid-90's to the present day,...

In this episode, Phil and Barry share a drink and a chat with film director, writer, and author James Cox, who joins on the eve of the launch of his new book, "Grand Theft AI". James shares with us his journey starting out as a celebrated young filmmaker out of NYU, getting opportunities right out of the gate with films like "Highway" starring Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhall, to...

In this episode, Phil comes to us live from the Moscone Center in San Francisco to share his thoughts and experiences attending Config 2024, the annual conference held by the great folks at Figma. We talk about all the latest and greatest features coming to Figma and FigJam, as well as a new product, Figma Slides! We also talk about the expansion of Generative AI features in their products, the va...

Barry and Phil are thrilled to be joined by Donald Chesnut, a CX, Product Design and Customer Success Leader and the former CXO of General Motors, Mastercard, and Sapient. In this episode, Donald regales us with a brief history lesson of how the field of UX evolved from the early days of AOL to the present day of Product and CX, and what we can expect for the future of the field. We discuss the et...

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined by Podcaster, Entrepreneur, Author, and the Founder and CEO of Ginni Media, Ginny Saraswati. With roots in Sri Lanka, Ginny shares her story of spending a decade in terrestrial radio in her adopted hometown of Melbourne, Australia, seeing the trend toward "autonomous listening", eventually starting her own podcast, and taking her listeners with...

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined by none other than the Chairman and Co-Founder of WongDoody, Tracy Wong. Tracy discusses his notion of 'Creative Democracy', a team-oriented approach to the art and science of ideation, about which he is writing in an upcoming book. Borne of insight, guided by inspiration, and supported by servant leadership, "Creative Democracy" is, at...

In this episode, Barry returns from a week in Las Vegas for this year's installment of Adobe Summit. The theme of this year's Summit is 'Real World Application', wherein we discuss all the latest and greatest developments in the role of Generative AI in the Enterprise Content Supply Chain. We also discuss what might have been had the Figma acquisition gone through, and the power of...

In this episode, Ralf Gehrig, the Global Chief Experience Officer for WongDoody | Infosys, joins us for a drink and a chat about all things Experience Design in the year 2024! We begin with Ralf's origin story as the son of a butcher and restaurateur, followed by his entrepreneurial stints running a small design firm, its eventual acquisition by Infosys, and finally his current role. We then delve...

In this episode, Barry and Phil welcome new guest Maury Postal, a strategist, Creative leader, digital nerd, and Principal of The Office of Maury Postal. Maury joins us for a drink and a chat about what predictions he has for 2024, and what he resolves to do about it. We discuss everything from craving technology that just works , to craving a return to the natural world and how the two are inextr...

You’ve heard of beer flights. Well, get ready for a podcast flight! Join Phil and Barry as they host their annual Year in Flights episode and sample a collection of great moments from their fourth season of podcast interviews, each clip paired with a different craft beer. It’s been a fantastic year, and we share the stats to prove it! Thanks for listening, commenting, sharing, and joining us for e...

Barry and Phil are joined by Holden Bale, the Global Head of Experience and Commerce at Merkle, for a drink and a chat about where digital experiences are heading in the (not too distant) future. In this far-reaching and engaging conversation, we discuss the Four Forces that are impacting Experience today, and the ways they are making companies fundamentally shift their channel strategies. We also...

In this episode, we are joined by Rocco Albano, a professional artist and classical art aficionado (plus VP of Customer Experience at Merkle). But in Rocco’s youth – he was PEZ, the infamous Philadelphia Graffiti artist. Today’s episode is the very personal story of Rocco’s evolution - from graffiti artist and high-school drop-out, to contemporary artist and digital experience strategist & con...

In this episode, long-time and multiple repeat guest Val Vacante, VP of Innovation at Dentsu Solutions, joins us for a drink and a chat about AI in gaming. Going all the way back to its 40-plus year origins in Pac-Man, Val discusses all the ways that gaming has sparked innovations in AI, and vice versa, including present-day experiments with companies like Niantic and Lego. We also delve into both...

In this episode, returning guest Suff Syed joins us for a chat about his provocative report entitled 'The End of Design'. Already at almost 20,000 downloads since its release on his personal website, Suff's report lays out a strong argument for why Design leaders, by and large, have done themselves a disservice by not preparing for a world with Generative AI. Fortunately, as he has personally obse...

In this episode, longtime friend and colleague Marco Ambrosio joins us for a beer and a chat about his new Generative AI storytelling platform, Magicbook. We discuss how becoming a parent inspired him to create his startup after a career in CX consulting and product innovation, and how technology and Generative AI can be a positive force in the parent-child relationship. We also touch on how fear...

In this episode, our friend and colleague Tod Rathbone, Global Chief Strategy Officer at WongDoody, joins us for a drink and a chat about the world of Experience Strategy and its role in Digital Transformation. We frame up the two leadership mindsets of 'ambition v. fear', and explore which one led him to pivot away from advertising in order to focus solely on digital. We also discuss what...

In this special "Quick One", Barry calls in from Las Vegas, where he is attending this year's edition of Adobe's annual Digital Experience Conference known as Adobe Summit. He tells us about all the amazing technology products Adobe is introducing this year, many of which focus on AI and Generative Art. We discuss how these technologies can impact corporate marketing efforts, and...

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined by entrepreneur, author, and strategic innovation facilitator Aaron Bare. In this far-reaching conversation, Aaron shares the theories and concepts that form the theses of his bestselling book, "Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking BIG". We discuss Aaron's "7 Universal Truths" that can enable organizations and leaders to think big about their busines...

In this episode, DesignOps leader and Visual Artist Marya Triandafellos joins us for a chat and a drink about the world of AI-driven generative art. We explore the fascinating nuances of art ownership in the age of NFT's, and what makes generative art pieces ownable or simply thievery. We discuss the mechanics of creating an NFT, the open marketplaces that allow artists to sell them, and how to sp...

In this Quick One, Val Vacante, VP of Solutions Innovation at Dentsu, returns once again for a recap of everything she saw at this year's CES. We discuss all the cool innovations in wearables, AI-driven technology, and of course, massive televisions. We also talk about Dentsu NXT Space, an innovative platform created by Dentsu in collaboration with Microsoft, LinkedIn, and HeadOffice. Space for We...

Join Phil and Barry as they crack open a cold one and discuss what's in store for WBU listeners in this fourth season of What Bubbles Up! Drinks: Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Crimson Cru Red Ale

You’ve heard of beer flights. Well, get ready for a podcast flight! Join Phil and Barry as they host their annual Year in Flights episode and sample a collection of great moments from their third season of podcast interviews, each clip paired with a different craft beer. It’s been a fantastic year, and we share the stats to prove it! Thanks for listening, commenting, sharing, and joining us for ev...

In this episode, WBU goes Hollywood as Adam Novak, Author and Head of the Story Department at William Morris Endeavor Agency, joins us for a drink and a chat about the art of writing great stories. After 33 years of doing script coverage for some of the greatest movies of the last 25 years, and writing 4 of his own novels as well, Adam distills his vast knowledge down to the 5 Rules of Great Writi...

When you've had a decades-long career, and eventually reach the point when you want to figure out what's next, what do you do? You write a book! And that is exactly what our guest, Dan Roche, decided to do. With a 20+-year career consulting for the Federal Government, Non-Profits, NGO's, and Public Services, Dan devoted his attention and energy into taking all of that knowledge and packaging it up...