Jeff Kling is the mind behind some of the most legendary campaigns in advertising history. From Miller High Life to Arby’s “We Have the Meats” to the iconic Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World,” Jeff has shaped culture with his words and ideas. In this episode, he opens up about the struggles of selling bold work, the truth about why most advertising misses the mark, and the lessons he learned from decades at Fallon, Wieden+Kennedy, and beyond. Hear the real story behind naming Hims, and why strategy matters more than repetition. If you want to know what it really takes to make work that changes the game, this is a conversation you cannot miss.

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Spangler Candy just shook up the industry with Ghosted Sweethearts, a Halloween launch that flips the script on Valentine’s Day. In this episode of Breaking and Entering News, Evan Brock, VP of Marketing at Spangler Candy, reveals how the brand turned modern dating struggles into a viral product. From situationships to ghosting, discover how Sweethearts is owning the cultural conversation, why blank candy hearts might be the boldest move yet, and what it takes to keep a 100-year-old brand at the center of today’s trends.

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The Crowbar Awards are back, and this time, Nikki Baker, CEO at Fallon, is our guest judge.

She reveals what it takes to win this year’s brief: a holiday campaign for Dollar General targeting 23 to 29 year olds. She shares the secrets she’ll be looking for in submissions from sharp ideas that cut through the holiday clutter to teamwork tips that keep projects on track. If you want the inside edge on how a top judge evaluates creative work, this episode is your playbook.

DETAILS HERE: https://www.crowbarawards.com/

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Senior Agencies Reporter Brian Bonilla (Ad Age) joins Geno Schellenberger (Breaking and Entering Media) for a Labor Day special covering the biggest shifts in the agency world, from AI tools to in-housing trends to indie shops scoring major wins.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why brands want agencies as in-house enablers (creative consulting + AI guidance)

• The latest on Dentsu’s shake-up and what it could mean for the market

• Why T-Mobile pulled creative in-house and who’s still on the roster

• How Opinionated won Shake Shack and what that pitch looked like

• The RTO model with receipts: Motion Agency’s 88 WFH days

• Big people moves: Asia West exits W+K Portland after 17 years

• The rise of pitch theater (yes, one agency built a fake White Castle)

• NYC culture checks: Mojo Supermarket’s new space, Mechanism at Hudson Yards

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Labor Day cold open
01:05 Rapid fire: creativity, inspirations, J. Cole for a dollar, Invincible on Prime
04:40 Favorite city and travel take
06:10 Best recent read: robot vacuums + RoboRock Q5
09:10 Streetwear chat and Whatnot finds
11:20 Agency model shift: enabling in-house teams + AI guidance
15:20 Who’s gaining momentum: Brandtech, Known, PMG, ITG
17:10 Dentsu’s bankers and international options
20:05 T-Mobile in-housing and creative roster
23:10 Opinionated’s Shake Shack win explained
26:10 QSR round-up: White Castle, Dairy Queen, pitch theater
29:15 Motion Agency’s RTO model with data
33:10 Asia West exits W+K Portland
35:00 NYC agency spaces: Mojo, Mechanism, Dumbo vs. Chinatown
38:00 Tease of the next B&E project

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#Advertising #AdAge #Agencies #AI #InHousing #ShakeShack #BreakingAndEntering #Podcast

Eric Rojas went from working in a pharmacy and cutting boards at Deutsch to leading his own New York City agency. In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, he shares how a high school ad class sparked his passion, why he studied psychology before switching into advertising, and how persistence helped him move from art director to creative director. Eric also reveals what he learned building brands like Vitamin Water, Pirate’s Booty, and Spectrum, and why starting Six + One was the most defining step of his career. This is a conversation about grit, growth, and the power of believing in your own path.

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What does it take to spend your entire career at one agency and rise all the way to CEO? Tom Denari has been at Young and Laramore for 36 years, starting at half salary and working his way up to the top.

In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, Tom shares why he chose loyalty over job hopping, the lessons he learned from building a national agency in Indianapolis, and how long-term commitment shaped both his leadership and creativity. From the Steak ‘n Shake campaigns that put the agency on the map to evolving strategy and creative into a true team sport, Tom’s story is proof that staying in one place can be the most daring career move of all.

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Haymaker started in LA with nothing but a borrowed laptop and a big idea. Eight years later they are officially opening their doors in New York City. In this episode Jay Kamath and Matt Johnson share how a vision board turned into reality, what it really takes to expand without investors, and why Madison Avenue still matters. From scrappy beginnings to pitching Coca-Cola, this is the story of betting big on creativity and throwing haymakers in the biggest ad market in the world.

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Malobi Dasgupta was supposed to be a chemist. Instead she wrote one email, moved to Paris, and now helps run the agency that’s been crowned Cannes Agency of the Year… twice.

We get into how Publicis Conseil actually pulls it off, why spec work still matters, and the lessons every young creative can steal to make their own way in.

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The Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast is usually about others. But today, Geno turns the mic on himself. After interviewing hundreds of ad professionals, he’s sharing his own path into the industry. You’ll hear:

• How Mad Men inspired him to pursue advertising

• Why his first internships shaped, but didn’t define, his career

• The pivotal moment when persistence got him an Edelman interview

• How the pandemic sparked the launch of Breaking and Entering

• The three steps he teaches every aspiring ad pro: Nerd Up, Work Up, Cool Up

If you’re just starting out in advertising, or need a reminder that the path is never linear, this episode is for you.

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Nancy Reyes didn’t plan on advertising. In fact, she walked into her first agency job thinking she’d be a writer and walked out an account person. Now she’s the global president and CEO of BBDO, steering one of the biggest names in the game toward bigger, bolder, weirder ideas. We talk breaking in through a fifth grade scholarship program, why she loves a fixer upper agency, the problem with “advertising equals TV,” and why AI won’t replace you unless you let it. Plus, she confesses her Love Island habit.

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