Breaking Through The Mayhem
Marketing in a time of constantly shifting risk and opportunity. Industry leaders from brands, agencies, publishers and partners discuss the challenges and possibilities emerging from the ever-shifting media landscape, with regard to brand safety and purpose, real-time marketing, influencers, cancel culture, data privacy, technology and more.
Episodes
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Tammy Henault, a transformational marketing leader whose career spans The New York Times, CBS/Paramount+, and the NBA—organizations that have reinvented themselves in the face of massive industry shifts.
Tammy shares how she has built her career at the crossroads of media, entertainment, and sports, stepping into roles during moments of disruption—from th...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem live from Adweek, host Adam Katz sits down with Terrence Moduthagam, VP at Media.net, to reflect on a year of partnership, cultural alignment, and shared innovation between their companies. Terrence leads the curation business for Media.net Exchange — a nearly 2,000-person, product-led organization shaping the future of sell-side media targeting.
Terrence explains how curation is evolv...
On this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, Adam sits down with Michelle Niblock, SVP and Client Lead at Digitas, representing Publicis and leading the McDonald’s business. Michelle dives into how McDonald’s stays culturally relevant by moving at the speed of fans—from playful real-time CRM moments (like the viral “seemingly ranch” Taylor Swift activation) to reviving nostalgia with digital-first initiatives like Monopoly.
She ...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Melissa Berger, Chief Solutions Officer at Digitas, for a lively and insightful conversation about leadership, innovation, and loyalty in the modern marketing era.
Known simply as “Berger,” Melissa shares how her evolving role at Digitas bridges media, commerce, CRM, and creative to help brands drive meaningful growth. She discusses her work leading a sma...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Samantha Rose, EVP of Digital & Video Investment at Horizon Media, live from Adweek. With nearly 19 years at Horizon, Sam reflects on how staying curious, collaborative, and adaptable has allowed her to grow alongside one of the industry’s most influential independent agencies.
Sam shares how her career evolved from traditional TV buying to leading di...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Janet Levine, Head of Global Invention at Mindshare (WPP Media), to unpack her creative philosophy, career journey, and the groundbreaking concept she calls world building.
Janet shares how her lifelong curiosity evolved into a leadership mindset that blends imagination with structure. Over her 16 years at WPP, she’s held roles across media planning, clie...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Adam Katz sits down with Brian Albert, Managing Director at Google, to unpack his 15-year journey leading transformative initiatives at YouTube. From the platform’s early days as a desktop video site to becoming the largest CTV platform in the U.S., Brian shares how passion, team culture, and bold innovation have fueled his career.
Brian dives into YouTube’s role at the epicenter...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Ben Lambert sits down with Michael Dobson, Global Chief Digital Officer at AMS, to explore his career path from retail management to leading digital strategy and innovation across ten countries and three business lines.
Michael reflects on the lessons learned from both client- and agency-side roles, his embrace of independent agencies, and the pivotal mindset shift of asking “wha...
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Ben Lambert sits down with Steve Wolf, Head of Integrated Media at Scale Marketing, to trace his two-decade journey across the media industry—from his first break at MediaVest to leading integrated planning at an independent agency.
Steve shares how pivotal career moments shaped him: from cutting his teeth on Continental Airlines and Capital One, to learning hard lessons under to...
What if the real power of data wasn’t in dashboards, but in shaping how brands grow and connect across the world?
On this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Ben Lambert sits down with Zach Lain, Director of Global Data Partnerships at PepsiCo, to unpack how he’s helping one of the world’s biggest CPGs balance global consistency with local relevance. From rethinking CTV measurement to scaling data systems across 200+ marke...
What if building a media company was really about building a movement?
On this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Alena DeSalvo sits down with Jason Schulweis, Chief Commercial Officer at The Female Quotient, to talk about scaling a mission-driven brand without losing its soul.From running HBO digital campaigns at 22, to helping Morning Brew grow revenue 20x, to leading FQ’s evolution from the Girls’ Lounge to a global me...
The key to unlocking leadership? It might just be seeing your own potential differently.
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, Adam Katz sits down with media leader Maureen Bosetti, Chief Investment Officer at IPG Mediabrands, for a candid conversation about resilience, reinvention, and riding the relentless waves of change in media.
From her early days at GM Mediaworks to steering massive brand strategies at Publicis and...
What if the biggest media trend is just a new label on the same old strategy?
On this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Ben Lambert is joined by Liane Nadeau, Chief Investment Officer at Digitas North America, for a grounded and refreshingly honest look at how real innovation happens in media today.
From local TV buys to leading investment across North America, Liane has seen every evolution and built a few herself. She ...
The future of media leadership starts with a culture first playbook.
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, Ben Lambert reconnects with his first ever boss, Michael Law, now CEO of Carat North America, for a full circle conversation on leadership, legacy, and the evolution of modern media. With candor, warmth, and a healthy dose of Boston sports analogies, Mike shares lessons from 25 years at Carat, where culture, curiosit...
What does it mean to build a creative career by being unapologetically you, while making space for others to do the same? Bernice Chao, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of Asians in Advertising, joins Michele Ching for a conversation about authenticity, representation, and the power of culturally grounded storytelling.
From leading campaigns for brands like Google, Amazon, and Netflix to mentoring the next generation at LMU,...
What does it take to spend 27 years at one agency and still feel like you're just getting started?
David Campanelli, President of Global Investment at Horizon Media, joins Adam Katz to unpack how the media world has evolved and how he’s stayed ahead of it every step of the way.
They cover everything from his early days at Horizon to leading global investment strategy, and what he’s learned about staying grounded while thinking big.
...What if performance marketing could do more than drive growth—what if it could drive equity?
In this episode, Michele Ching sits down with Laura Lee, former performance lead at HBO Max and founder of LL Consulting, to talk about using advanced strategy and AI to open doors, not close them.
From helping B2C and DTC startups grow with fractional leadership to championing inclusive representation, Laura shares her mission to uplift AP...
What do cowboy ethics, climate-conscious media, and the perfect chocolate chip cookie have in common? For John Osborn, it all comes back to purpose.
In this episode, Sightly CEO Adam Katz sits down with John—Director at Ad Net Zero and longtime industry force—for a no-BS conversation about sustainability, values-driven leadership, and why the future of advertising depends on doing the right thing and doing it well.
Together, Adam a...
From airline data to agency boardrooms and long swims to leadership wins, Amy Lanzi’s story proves that the best career journeys don’t follow a straight line.
Sightly CEO Adam Katz sits down with Amy Lanzi, CEO of Digitas North America. Amy shares her unique path from yield management analyst at American Airlines to the top of the agency world, revealing how a foundation in data, customer experience, and relentless self-improvement...
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