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It’s highly unlikely that you’ll start a podcast and quickly gain the kinds of fans depicted in this scene from Only Murders in the Building. Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin’s characters not only share an interest in true crime podcasts, but they also start their own podcast while investigating a murder in their apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start a podcast. Pod...

It’s only fitting that this 1977 #1 Country Hit is sung by Johnny Paycheck. The David Allen Coe written song inspired a 1981 film of the same name. The narrator of the song has realized that he should leave his job, but he hasn’t quite worked up the nerve to quit. Many people have found themselves in similar situations, clinging onto their job security despite knowing they’re in the wrong role or company.

Job Security is a thing of...

Love him or hate him, Drake’s 2013 hit, Started from the Bottom, is unforgettable. It resonates, not only because of its musical simplicity, but also because it celebrates the rise from scrappy beginnings to success. It’s the epitome of “The American Dream.”

Most of us will not realize the kind of success that Drake has, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start from the bottom and reach heights we didn’t expect. A consistent theme I he...

Ridley Scott’s 2007 film, American Gangster, told the story of Harlem drug lord, Frank Lucas. Frank, played by Denzel Washington, confronts Nicky Barnes about the quality of the product he’s distributing in this scene. Nicky isn’t exactly receptive to this feedback. His focus is on short-term profits while Frank takes a longer-term view of the business and customer perception of the brand. Quality, be it the quality of a product,...

During the first season of The Bear, Sydney talks to Marcus about his vision for making donuts for the restaurant, The Original Beef. Sydney, too, has visions for how to improve the restaurant, among them having online takeout orders to increase revenue. Both find themselves distracted from the nuts and bolts of running a restaurant by their desires to make dramatic improvements.

Beth Karawan knows a little something both about t...

There are cult classics and then there are cult classics that simply become classics. First airing In 1993, Chris Carter’s The X-Files falls into the latter category. With a mix of sci-fi and paranormal phenomena, The X-Files pioneered the true-believer vs. skeptic formula while exploring the unknown.

Although evidence of aliens may still be elusive, there are many other unknowns we’re all exploring as AI creeps into our everyday ...

Not every song is a hit. This Elvis cut titled, “There’s a Story in Your Voice,” was not. No, not that Elvis. Elvis Costello is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite modest commercial success. His range, both in performing and writing, spans rock, jazz, R&B, country, Tin Pan Alley, and even classical music. This duet with Lucinda Williams, off the 2004 album, The Delivery Man, explores truths only revealed when ...

Despite barely touching the top 40 charts in the US, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard this debut single of the British duo, the Ting Tings. Over the past decade and a half, it’s been used in TV episodes, fashion shows, movies, viral TikTok videos, and commercials. It evokes the feeling of invisibility when your name is forgotten or mispronounced.

While Afshan Kinder and I set out to have a conversation about the next generation of s...

Being memorable as a business doesn’t mean you need an Oscar-winning song associated with you. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s hard not to think of Dick Van Dyke as a chimney sweep when you hear him singing along with Julie Andrews in the 1964 musical, Mary Poppins.

Van Dyke sets an awfully high bar for a memorable home services experience but my guest today, Vance Morris, says that not only can home services businesses create ...

The 1942 film, Casablanca, is one of the most loved films in history. Humphrey Bogart’s character, Rick is a cynical American expat and club owner, while Claude Rains is the corrupt Captain Louis Renault. Cooperation is not what either had in mind in this scene, but when the police arrive after Rick shoots Major Strasser dead, Louis decides to be of service to Rick by telling the arriving policemen to “round up the usual suspects.”...

While Detroit claimed “Hitsville, USA” at Motown Records, Memphis claimed “Soulsville, USA” at Stax Records. Stax was a scrappy startup that set up shop in an old movie theater and blended emerging R&B styles into the “Memphis Sound” of soul music. And the story of Stax Records can’t be told without Otis Redding. “Security” was the last of four successful singles off his first album, Pain in My Heart. It’s a tight, upbeat dep...

Have you ever misheard something in a song or maybe a movie only to later learn what was actually being said? While Pooh and Eeyore aren’t typically hard of hearing, they certainly mistook Owl’s intent in this scene from the 2011 animated film, Winnie the Pooh. Today, you can watch this film with captions and in doing so, it’s very obvious that Owl says “issue” rather than “achoo” because you can read it in the captions. Captions a...

Mad Men was a study in identities – of characters and of brands. Don Draper, played by John Hamm, is a master of fabrications and storytelling. He understands what motivates Americans of the time even if he doesn’t understand himself. The show explores the brand strategy behind some of the most iconic brands and in this scene, he even discusses a still prevalent strategy of driving sales – the coupon. But Rachel Menkin, played by M...

Kanye West’s 2007 hit, Stronger, paraphrased Friedrich Nietzsche’s maxim, “What does not kill me makes me stronger.” The idea is that the trials, tribulations, and challenges we face in life help us grow. It’s a rallying cry used by many in the face of difficult circumstances. A closer reading within context, however, opens the door to different interpretations. Regardless of how you interpret Nietzsche, most business leaders wou...

When Centauri whisks away Alex Rogan to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada in 1984’s The Last Starfighter, he leaves behind his assistant, Beta, to act as a doppelgänger proxy for Alex while he’s away. Beta is a simuloid designed to take the form of a person and act as a stand in for that person.

Proxies like Beta are the stuff of science fiction. But artificial intelligence advances have led to proxies of ano...

In 1962, The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley topped multiple charts with Return to Sender, a song about a heartbroken man whose mail to the object of his love is always returned unopened. Over 60 years later, the concept of a handwritten apology sent via mail probably seems foreign when we have access to Snapchat, Whatsapp, and Messenger, among many other communication options.

But January is the beginning of tax season in ...

In 2011, Game of Thrones took the world by storm. Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, is the head of House Stark, the ruling family of the North. In this scene, we first hear the phrase, “Winter is coming,” the motto of House of Stark. The phrase was used so often that it’s taken on a life of its own, even spawning many popular memes. Simply put, it’s a warning to be prepared for harsh and unpredictable times ahead.

If you’ve ever b...

The 1984 video for Magic by the Cars featured a wild cast of characters who rush to surround a backyard pool. Why? Lead singer Ric Ocasek walks on water while singing about how the feeling of being close with someone can be like magic. The entire crowd is fixated on Ocasek throughout the video, even after he leaves the water and walks around the pool’s perimeter. It’s the kind of attention that any brand would love to have.

But ...