Agency Business

Welcome to Agency Business.

This week, Pedro Lerma, CEO and founder of LERMA/ joins us on the show.

Pedro shares his unconventional career journey—from selling radio spots in Wichita Falls to spending 23 years at The Richards Group, where he built both its digital practice and its Hispanic marketing arm, Richards/Lerma. He explains how that experience laid the foundation for launching LERMA/ as an independent agency in 2021, and how he has scaled it into a purpose-driven shop working with brands like The Home Depot and Salvation Army.

He also discusses how LERMA/ approaches multicultural marketing through its “cultural fluency” practice, helping brands grow by leading with underrepresented communities without alienating legacy customers. And he reflects on the challenges and opportunities of running an independent agency at a moment when inclusivity is both politically charged and essential for growth.

Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:

• Dentsu considers divesting its international business, raising questions about what buyers might emerge and whether the company can avoid a prolonged decline.
• T-Mobile pulls creative in-house while Walgreens reverses course on media in-housing, highlighting the shifting balance between external agencies and internal teams.
• S4 Capital is reportedly cutting its workforce.

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.

This week, Brian interviews Kat Ott, president of Havas Chicago.

Kat’s unconventional path into advertising—from professional ballerina to agency president—shapes her perspective as what she calls a “modern marketer.” She explains how Havas Chicago operates like a speedboat: integrated, mid-size, and agile enough to make quick turns that larger holding companies can’t.

She also describes how Havas Chicago won Stanley Steemer after competing in a pitch that started with 50 agencies. The scale of that process shows how competitive the pitch market has become—and how agencies must invest heavily to stand out.

Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:

• WPP wins MasterCard, while Dentsu retains Vodafone
• Accenture acquires influencer agency Super Digital
• Gravity Global buys Marketing Doctor

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.

This week, co-hosts Brian and Olivia are joined by Chad Maxwell, president of Kelly Scott Madison (KSM).

Maxwell’s path into advertising started in anthropology, a background that still informs how he runs KSM today—both in understanding consumers and in building culture inside the agency. He shares how that perspective shapes hiring, talent development, and client strategy.

We also discuss:

• How the agency balances independence with partnerships in creative and technology.
• The role of geography in staffing and client relationships.
• Why Chad emphasizes relationships over spend thresholds in navigating platform support.

Plus, in News of the Week:

• Dentsu’s international struggles and layoffs.
• Globant’s slowdown and what it could mean.
• S4 Capital’s odd and short-lived talks with One Equity Partners.

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.

This week Jason Mitchell, CEO of Movement Strategy, joins us to discuss how a social‑first shop scales from a college startup into a 180‑person creative agency. He explains why early pricing was a competitive advantage, how Movement Strategy grew from social AOR work into 360 creative projects, and why creator marketing works best when platform tools are paired with real relationships.

Jason also breaks down the agency’s pod-based reorg for speed, its investment in a proprietary AI stack, and a partner-led approach to international expansion—plus where media buying fits alongside creative without trying to be a full-service media AOR.

Plus, in this week’s news recap:

• WPP’s earnings show a 5.8% organic decline and broad regional weakness.
• Omnicom–Interpublic move closer to closing with U.K. clearance, raising questions about client and talent shifts.
• Marketers continue exploring in-housing: Georgia-Pacific’s programmatic example prompts a wider look at what’s realistic to bring inside—creative vs. media.

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

In this episode of Agency Business, Haley Hunter, co-founder, COO, and CMO of Party Land, joins us to discuss building a comedy-forward creative agency that can still win serious business. Haley shares how Party Land has scaled from a scrappy indie shop into a creative force behind campaigns for brands like Liquid Death, Every Man Jack, JanSport, and Google. She explains how the agency’s clear focus on comedy—as both a strategic and emotional tool—has helped it stand out in a crowded landscape.

We talk about how Party Land embeds humor in campaigns without sacrificing performance. Plus, Haley gets candid about attracting top talent, the agency’s evolution beyond just top-funnel work, and how staying “very human” might be the best defense against mediocrity in the AI age.

Plus, in this week’s news recap:

• Stagwell touts revenue growth, but organic gains remain modest
• Havas sees improved margins, keeps growing steadily and quietly
• Dentsu sees more high-level turnover as execs exit amid continued change.

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

In this episode of Agency Business, Andrea Kerr Redniss, managing director and co-lead of marketing transformation at MediaLink, joins us to discuss how the firm has evolved from its relationship-driven origins into a full-fledged strategic consultancy. She shares how MediaLink works with Fortune 100 brands on marketing transformation, AI integration, and agency strategy—often in partnership with, rather than in competition with, agencies themselves.

We cover what “agency therapy” really means, and why the firm’s relationship with parent company UTA makes sense.

Plus, in this week’s news recap:

• WPP loses Laurent Ezekiel to Publicis in another blow to its Coca-Cola business
• Falfurrias-backed Brainlabs acquires Exverus, signaling continued private equity interest in midsize independents?
• Interpublic posts improved margins—should it get credit despite major account losses?

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia and Brian speak with Nadja Bellan-White, group CEO of M+C Saatchi Americas.

Nadja explains how the agency is structured to compete across disciplines—from creative and PR to sports marketing and issues management—while remaining lean and independent. She outlines how the team scopes work through upfront strategy sessions and how a focus on speed, senior talent, and selectivity shapes their client roster.

She also discusses:

• Working across time zones and markets without holding company overhead
• How M+C Saatchi is experimenting with hybrid and outcome-based pricing
• The impact of AI on pricing, talent needs, and critical thinking
• What it means to be publicly traded in a market dominated by private peers
• How clients are shifting toward smaller RFPs and project-based work

Plus, in our weekly news segment, Brian and Olivia discuss:

• Publicis’ continued growth and investment in tech
• Omnicom’s increased use of principal-based trading
• Accenture’s reported talks with WPP and what it might signal for both firms
• How agency models are evolving in response to uncertainty in the U.S. market

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia and Brian speak with Emma Armstrong, CEO of FCB New York and global transformation officer at FCB.

Emma shares how FCB’s structure gives local offices real autonomy, and how her newly formalized transformation role helps scale innovation across the network. She reflects on how her team built a strong creative reputation, why agency operations must evolve alongside new pricing models, and how FCB New York has maintained just 10% voluntary turnover for three years running.

She also discusses:

• How AI is reshaping lower-funnel work, but not brand fundamentals
• Why the project-vs-retainer debate misses the bigger picture
• The business case for culture and psychological safety
• Her perspective on in-housing, the Oliver model, and evolving client collaboration
• How agency leaders should think about succession and structural change

Plus, in our weekly news segment, Brian and Olivia discuss:

• WPP’s appointment of new CEO Cindy Rose, and why the board remains the key power center
• Whether Rose’s tech and sales background will help the holding company reverse its trajectory
• If Dentsu’s continued turnover and losses could signal a future divestment
• Updated data from Madison and Wall showing between 2 and 3% growth across top independent agencies despite macro uncertainty

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia speaks with Chris Lowery, president of Chase Design Group.

Chris shares how he helped scale Chase Design Group from a three-person studio in a Silver Lake house into a global design agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and the UK. He reflects on the company’s creative roots in music and entertainment, the influence of founder Margo Chase, and how the agency has grown without acquisitions—by planting cultural seeds in new markets through longtime team members.

He also describes:

• What distinguishes design-focused agencies from traditional creative shops
• How Chase maintains brand consistency for clients over decades-long relationships
• Why the company operates with a flat, “player-coach” leadership structure
• How he approached the sudden loss of Margo Chase and led the agency forward
• Chase’s view on AI, remote work, and where future growth might come from.

Plus, in our weekly news segment, Brian joins from Europe to discuss:

• What the FTC’s restrictions on IPG and Omnicom mean for political and ideological targeting
• Whether the new decree will harm the open web and brand safety practices
• The fallout from fabricated Cannes Lions case studies
• What Ogilvy’s shift from a global to regional DEI structure signals about holding company strategy.

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia speaks with Tim Ringel, global CEO and founder of Meet the People.

Tim shares how his global performance marketing background and time at IPG informed his vision for Meet the People, an independent agency group now 800 people strong. The company’s pitch? A multi-agency model designed to preserve individual agency cultures while operating under a single P&L and shared equity system. That structure, he says, fosters collaboration without the bureaucracy of traditional holding companies.

He also discusses:

• Why Meet the People keeps acquired agency brands intact
• How its tech layer underpins collaboration across creative, media, and commerce
• The group’s plan to grow geographically and fill capability gaps
• Why they’re building proprietary AI tools in-house

Plus, Brian joins in post-Cannes to share his impressions from the festival floor, including:

• Why he believes AI will lead to more agency jobs, not fewer
• How Accenture Song’s latest moves—including the hire of Dimitri Maex—position the firm to build a media practice from scratch
• What the influx of IPG leadership to Accenture may signal in light of merger speculation

Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter.

Agency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.

Email us!

📩 Brian at [email protected]

📩 Olivia at [email protected]

Follow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.

📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.

🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.