Agency Business

Michael Magnusson, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss what it means to run an agency built on retail performance and measurable outcomes.

Michael explains how that focus shapes team structure, client relationships, and day-to-day decision-making, as well as how the agency operates in a market defined by consolidation and evolving client demands.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

Reach Out:

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
4. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Scott Shamberg, president and CEO of independent media agency Mile Marker, joins Brian to discuss the growing opportunity for independent agencies serving mid-market and private equity-backed brands. 

Shamberg explains how Mile Marker is positioning itself between small media boutiques and holding companies, why its clients prioritize flexible, “human in the loop” service models, and how the agency is using automation and AI to enhance — not replace — talent. 

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

Reach Out:

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
4. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week, Olivia and Brian interview Boston Consulting Group's Janet Balis. We discuss how AI is reshaping the agency business beyond efficiency gains. Janet argues that many agencies and clients are underestimating AI’s impact by treating it as a cost-saving tool rather than an opportunity to rethink operating models, partnerships, and growth strategies.

We explore how agencies should adapt to evolving client expectations, where work should sit between agencies and in-house teams, and why success increasingly depends on designing more flexible, account-specific models that better align creative, media, and technology capabilities.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

Reach Out:

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
4. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week, Madison and Wall’s Tucker Lake joins Olivia and Brian to discuss new research examining how the largest agency groups are approaching AI. Based on M&W's interviews with senior leaders across holding companies, one theme stood out: while AI has become a central focus, agency offerings today are far more similar than they are different.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

Reach Out:

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
4. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week, Brian and Olivia interview Andrea Bendzick, CEO of independent digital agency, Wpromote. The group discusses Wpromote's recent acquisition of Giant Spoon and what it signals for the future of advertising agencies, including the convergence of creative and performance marketing.

Drawing on her background in finance and technology, Bendzick explains why the traditional divide between brand and performance no longer reflects client needs, how Wpromote is integrating creative, media, and data through its PolarisIQ platform, and why the company is building a tech-enabled services model to drive measurable outcomes.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

Reach Out:

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
4. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Rick Milenthal, chairman and CEO of independent agency, The Shipyard, joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building and sustaining a full-service independent agency — with major operations in Columbus, Ohio and San Diego — around the philosophy of "engineering brand love" through the integration of paid, earned, and owned media.

Rick shares how The Shipyard has grown to ~450 people by bringing together best-in-class talent across creative, media, PR, and experiential disciplines rather than treating them as separate businesses. He discusses the agency's sweet spot serving mid-market clients spending $50–$100 million, why he sees a significant greenfield opportunity in media buying for that segment, and how he thinks about acquisitions as talent acceleration rather than traditional M&A. Brian and Olivia also dig into the appointment of Nancy Hall as the new U.S. head of WPP Media, Havas' agency acquisition in Germany, the $220 million DHS media campaign and the political agency world it surfaced, and how agencies navigate clients or campaigns that staff find ethically fraught.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Inquire about Briefly.
4. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
5. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week Dan Khabie, cofounder of CourtAvenue, joined Olivia for a conversation about building an independent digital and AI transformation agency — from a garage startup in San Diego to a 250-person company growing at 64% year-over-year.

Daniel discusses CourtAvenue's five pillar go-to-market strategy — spanning digital ecosystems, retail media, physical-digital experiences, and AI consulting — and how AI has become the central accelerant across all of it. He also shares his "fresh water" philosophy for working alongside in-house teams, reflects on lessons learned inside WPP and J. Walter Thompson, and offers his take on holding company consolidation. Brian and Olivia also dig into WPP's Elevate28 restructuring plan, Globant's client losses, and a remarkable 36-page court document that revealed the actual media spending of WPP's largest clients across major platforms.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Inquire about Briefly.
4. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
5. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Brian and Olivia interviewed Beth Ann Kaminkow, CEO of the Americas and global chief client officer at Dentsu, following a significant leadership transition and renewed scrutiny of the company’s international business. The conversation comes as Dentsu posted weak financial results, announced Takeshi Sano as its new global CEO and president, and signaled that a previously explored sale of its international operations is no longer under consideration.

Beth Ann discusses Dentsu’s strategy to prioritize Japan and the U.S. as growth engines, strengthen its power brands including Merkle, and position the company as “right-sized” for the AI era. She addresses questions around integration, talent turnover and global alignment, and confirms that partnership models — similar to the recent Horizon–Havas arrangement — remain a possibility as Dentsu evaluates ways to accelerate growth without creating further internal disruption.

The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Inquire about Briefly.
4. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
5. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

John Elder, CEO and co-founder of independent creative agency Supergood, joined Brian and Olivia to discuss how data — not AI alone — may become the real differentiator for agencies navigating margin pressure and rising client expectations.

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Inquire about Briefly.
4. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
5. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Patti McConnell, co-founder and managing partner, and Tommy Henvey, co-founder and chief creative officer of independent creative agency Something Different, joined Brian and Olivia for a conversation about building an agency designed for closeness, flexibility, and creative fulfillment rather than scale.

Patti and Tommy discuss the studio model that allows Something Different to expand and contract around client needs, how trust and chemistry still decide pitches once you’re in the room, and why disciplined scoping and margin protection still matter even when agencies take on passion projects or long-term bets.

We also explore cautious approaches to new business investment, rising expectations around transparency and security driven by procurement and fintech clients, and why many independents continue to prioritize culture, senior involvement, and client relationships as holding companies focus on profitability and structural change.

1. Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.
2. Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.
3. Inquire about Briefly.
4. Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.
5. Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.