Brand New

To wrap the year, we could think of no one better than industry power broker, consigliere, and founder now of 3C Ventures: Michael Kassan, to give us his uniquely insider take on the headlines that are rewriting the rules of the media business in real time. From the blockbuster Omnicom–IPG merger to Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the tectonic plates underneath the entire ecosystem are shifting, propelled of course by technology and AI.  Michael is always in the room where it happens, and with his storytelling flair we know you’ll appreciate hearing what these mega-moves actually mean: who gains power, who loses leverage, what it means for agency folks, for clients and for consumers. We loved this conversation, we learned from it and hope you will too.

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It’s holiday shopping prime time, which means for many retailers and brands, this is business prime time too. (There’s a reason the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday.) To give perspective to what’s going on out there and what we might expect, there is no one better than Marni Shapiro, the outspoken, in-the-trenches retail analyst behind The Retail Tracker. In this episode, Marni breaks down how the current macroeconomic environment is impacting American consumers (picture: a lot more shoppers standing in the aisles doing math), while sharing her belief that the American consumer has a way of making Christmas happen.
From cautionary tales to unexpected bright spots, this is a fresh, fascinating conversation on the holiday retail season and more.

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Terence Kawaja has mapped (literally) the chaos of media and marketing tech for decades. As many in the industry know he is somehow part investment banker, part prognosticator and part comedic showman (his musical parodies about Cannes and more are rather iconic). In this episode, Marisa and Steven get Terry’s take and where it’s all actually going from here. If the business of brands was once a combination of “real estate and religion” what is it now becoming? You might be surprised where this banker nets out, but here’s a hint: how about tech as the ultimate megaphone for… creativity? Join us!

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Here’s a question: if you were invited to a dinner party, at an anonymous stranger’s house, where you also didn’t know who else would be there but you believed it was going to be interesting… would you go? Behavioral scientist Jon Levy sought to answer that question for himself by starting the legendary Influencers dinner parties back in 2010. Now, 400 dinners and about 4,000 affirmative RSVPs later (including at different points Steven and Marisa),  Nobel Laureates to self-made CEOs to professional athletes have made burritos together, and Jon has become a master at decoding connection (essential for humans, and especially for marketers). In his new book,Team Intelligence, Jon is taking those insights to teams and leadership (hint: being a leader is a lot like being a host). And note there is through line of trust running through all of the above (at a time when trust in leadership is in short supply). Trust US when we say this is a great conversation that will make you think differently about - genuine  - influence.

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Marisa and Steven are back after a hiatus, with this kick-off episode that takes the themes of seasons 1-2 and brings them right into the current moment. In just the past few weeks, we’ve seen so many examples of brands who found themselves caught in moments of unexpected cultural explosion. From Cracker Barrel to AE to Jimmy Kimmel to Tylenol and more, each of these have demonstrated how much the requirements of leadership have changed. The hosts surface 3 words that they believe carry new resonance today for that challenge: vision, vulnerability, velocity. (Not your standard adjectives, are they)? Yet incredibly fitting for our tech-disrupted and politically complex world, a world where trust is so fragile. A world where brands, and leaders, have to root themselves more than in ever in: what do you really stand for?

Listen in as they catch up… and break it all down, with personal stories from the front lines paired with their unique macro industry insights.

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This episode comes with a guarantee: this conversation is NOT the same recap of the Cannes Lions that you’ve probably read multiple times by now in your feeds. Joined by leading industry journalist Suzanne Vranica, who has long covered media, advertising, marketing and tech for The Wall Street Journal with a clarity few possess, Marisa, Steven and Suzanne get underneath the real business that happens -and happened this year - in Cannes. From the future of the big agency holding companies (the point of view might surprise you) to some vigorous debate on whether AI was talked about too much, or not enough to where the action really happens, grab your own glass of rosé and join us for this juicy final episode of this season.

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A personal speech. A private AI summit. One powerful catch-up.
In this episode, Marisa and Steven reconnect in real life to reflect on two powerful weeks, from Marisa’s moving and bold speech at the UJA Marketing Leadership Awards in NY to Steven’s high-impact Alpha Board Forum in LA. Threading these two events with the larger themes of this season, the two talk about what it means to “stand up” - as professionals, as humans, and as leaders - in a time of exponential change. With candor and care, they examine how brand, identity, and humanity remain as essential as AI, agents and automation, while being unequivocal about the urgency with AI in “learning how to surf.” A thoughtful lead-up to the 2025 Cannes Lions and a powerful reminder that: how you lead is part of your brand.

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If your work involves connecting with consumers, you’ve probably been influenced by Jim Lecinski without even knowing it. As one of Google’s early top executives, he was at ground zero for the digital revolution that rewrote marketing's rulebook, and coined the idea of a “Zero Moment of Truth” (ZMOT) which is now taught in marketing curriculae everywhere. Jim wrote a definitive book on AI in marketing - three years ago. So it’s fitting that Jim has segued from a huge corporate career to an academic one, as one of the most popular professors at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. On this episode, everyone gets to learn from Professor Jim. From how ZMOT was born, to the best advice Eric Schmidt gave him, join Marisa and Steven as they continue to have the conversations that are critical to wrestling with the challenges and opportunities of business today. As Jim says, “it’s still not too late to be early.”

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The question on every working person’s mind: how do I reinvent myself to stay relevant in this fast changing world? Surprisingly, one of the most erudite thought leaders on this subject says he personally hates change! - but it’s better than the alternative. 

In fact when it comes to navigating the business world and the impacts of technology, no one has navigated a more balanced view about how to embrace it while keeping a soul than Rishad Tobaccowala. Bringing the best of his writings into this conversation, Rishad shares with Marisa and Steven wisdom for brands, and careers. A couple of our favorite nuggets: 
- the future is NOT all about data, it’s (still) about storytelling
- trade thinking about your “tech stack” for thinking about your “customer experience stack”
- don’t compete with AI, complement it
For so much more, including Rishad’s take on the 6 skills that the future of work will need most, tune in now!

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After talking entrepreneurship in the last episode, Steven and Marisa are at it again with one of the most iconic and successful husband and wife entrepreneur teams: Kass and Mike Lazerow. From founding golf.com to going on to create Buddy Media, the leading social media marketing platform that sold to Salesforce for $745 million, this power pair has accrued a lifetime of stories from building their own businesses to helping others as prolific investors and advisors. How do you know when an idea is good enough to greenlight? What are some of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make… and what are lessons that everyone can take away? As investors, do you bet on the jockey, or the horse? Many of these lessons will be found in their forthcoming book Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story… But get a jump before its launch in June, by listening in now.

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