Good Company with Michael Kassan

Finding each other through similar experiences with grief from the deaths of their brothers to overdose, Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs shared an immediate bond, a sense of hope, and a deep motivation to help “make life suck less” for others. From there, the idea of Lemonada Media was born. We sat down with the podcasting network’s CEO and Chief Creative Officer on their personal journeys and what goes into deve...

According to Suzy Deering, we’re in a transformational leadership crisis. In this episode, we chat with the prolific CMO on what she’s learned about fostering trust at the helm of major brands like Ford, eBay and Verizon and why fear can paralyze change in organizations. We also break down the art and science of building and maintaining customer relationships in a recessionary environment and why marketers need to create a love lan...

Back in the days of Web2’s infancy, budding The Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Lessin had a hunch about how a few Silicon Valley newcomers could turn the business landscape on its head – when others didn’t want to believe it. That instinct proved to be right and eventually inspired her to build the technology publication The Information, which nine and a half years in boasts a fiercely dedicated subscriber base. We sit down w...

Today in the UK, it’s Red Nose Day – the beloved annual fundraising campaign to end child poverty – and we’re all smiles to be joined by its legendary organizer, Richard Curtis, the co-founder and vice chair of Comic Relief. Many will know him for his screenwriting and directing credits on some of the most memorable comedies of our time, like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary and Love Actually. But Cur...

As the automobile industry increasingly works towards greater adoption of electric vehicles, Steven Majoros has an important piece of advice: consumers don’t want EVs to be science projects. We talk to the CMO of Chevrolet about how the storied brand is getting closer to a zero-emissions future and how it’s building on decades of consumer trust and brand love to offer a broad line-up of vehicles that resonate with Americans’ daily ...

If there’s anyone who deeply understood the power of bringing together brand and performance marketing well before its time, it’s Howard Draft. We talk to the visionary entrepreneur about building DraftFCB (today known as the powerhouse global advertising agency FCB), lessons he’s learned from the highs and lows of running a company, and how he’s betting on democratizing access to experiences using the metaverse through his newest ...

Linda Ong and Sarah Unger are on a mission to help brands become “insiders” to subcultures and audiences—and according to them, it all starts with empathy and meeting people halfway. We chat with the co-founders of cultural insights and strategy venture CULTIQUE on everything from the elusive goal of understanding Gen Z to purpose “BS detectors” to where the metaverse can really shine when it comes to fandom.

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As the co-founder of Hotwire and Zillow and a prolific entrepreneur for companies like Pacaso, Recon Food, dot.LA, Supernova and 75 and Sunny, Spencer Rascoff clearly has a knack for following his instincts when it comes to making bets on big ideas. We talk to him about what it takes to find the white space that could kick-start a successful company. Plus, he fills us in on Queue—his latest project to tackle the problem of keeping ...

Ahead of the Upwardly Global Gala Equity in Action: Beyond Welcome on October 12th, we sit down with the organization’s CEO & President Jina Krause-Vilmar and Board Member Tony Goncalves to talk about their mission of eliminating employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals and advancing the inclusion of their skills in the U.S. economy. The two also share personal stories of their families’ journeys and talk abo...

According to Mark Zagorski, the death of the cookie is so 2021. Instead, marketers have a new digital advertising challenge to obsess over – the value of attention as the metric du jour. We chat with the DoubleVerify CEO about the importance of captivating consumers at a moment when time is at a premium and data is ubiquitous, the rise of the “math people,” and fostering trust and transparency in Adland. He also f...

The digital media landscape is ripe for disruption by diversification – and Kristi Argyilan is betting big on retail media networks to fill the void. We sit down with the Albertsons vice president of retail media to discuss why retailers sit in a unique position to understand their customers and provide high quality data; how the medium has evolved since the early days of in-store marketing; and how marketers and agencies are...

KLUTCH Sports Group Founder & CEO Rich Paul is on a rocket ship, growing a powerhouse sports agency with over $1 billion in negotiated contracts and star clients including the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and John Wall. We chat with the entrepreneur about the upbringing that’s shaping his current success and his partnership with UTA. Plus, he talks about driving the reversal of the NCAA’s so-called “R...

If you think you know Edward Norton, think again. The Academy Award-nominated actor and filmmaker has a second act that’s captivating the business community – ad tech disrupter. In this episode, we sit down with the founder of EDO, as well as President & CEO Kevin Krim, to talk about how their company (which recently raised $80 million from Shamrock Capital) is changing the TV measurement game for brands with its po...

A few months ago, Meta – née Facebook – surprised the world with a rebrand and a stated intention to play a major role in building the next version of the internet. In this episode, we sit down with VP Global Business Group Nicola Mendelsohn, who sheds light on the name change and shift in business strategy as she takes on a new global role within the company. Mendelsohn also gives her take on defining the elusiv...

Precarious conditions and a little bit of discomfort are par for the course for Wendy Clark – and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Her latest thrill: making the leap from senior marketer to CEO. In this episode, we talk to the global CEO of dentsu international and former Coca-Cola executive about the transition, including the massive challenge of leading an organization of 45,000 people and why “micro-knowing” is more effective...

Travis Montaque is optimistic that one day, a dream scenario will unfold across the media, marketing and general business community: he calls it the “inclusion age,” a utopian time when DEI initiatives are so firmly and seamlessly integrated into daily life that they no longer become necessary. That’s the vision and ambition of Group Black, the media collective and accelerator focused on the advancement of Black-owned media propert...

Cristina Ferrare knows the secret to creating a booming career out of wearing many hats – from supermodel to The New York Timesbestselling author to TV host to entrepreneur. Her advice: if you have belief in something, you’ll flourish. She’s even named her new business venture accordingly. We chat with Cristina about FLOURISH Body, Mind, Soul, a company focused on the impact food has on the body and diseases that stem from unhealth...

When it comes to the future of education, Steven Wolfe Pereira fancies himself a prognosticator. It’s a title he’s earned rightfully, having set his sights on reforming ed-tech all the way back in 2016 when he formed Encantos, a direct-to-consumer creator platform that helps kids learn. In this episode, we sit down with the co-founder and CEO to discuss how he disrupted the fragmented world of kids’ apps by bringing video, audio, b...