Michael Aimette didn't set out to become Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York.He started in media planning, considered journalism, moved to Ireland to write a novel, directed a feature film, and eventually found his way back to advertising.In this episode, Michael shares the unconventional path that shaped his creative philosophy, why curiosity matters more than career planning, and why today's creatives often spend too much time polishing ideas instead of generating them.We also discuss:Why work-life balance actually gets harder as you become a CCOThe biggest mistake young creatives make with AIHow award-winning ideas are discoveredWhy collaboration beats individual geniusThe campaigns that changed how he thinks about creativityWhat separates great creative leaders from everyone elseWhether you're a student, junior creative, strategist, or agency leader, this conversation is packed with practical advice for building a long creative career.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Jamie Umpherson didn't go to portfolio school.

Before breaking into advertising, he managed a bar, designed coupons for eight hours a day, and spent nights teaching himself the fundamentals of creativity while building a portfolio from scratch.

Today, he's the Chief Creative Officer at Runway and Runway Studios, helping shape the future of AI-powered creativity.In this episode, we discuss how AI is changing the creative process, why ideas still matter more than execution, what agencies get wrong about the future of creative work, and how the next generation can use tools like Runway to bring ambitious ideas to life faster than ever before.

If you're a student, creative, filmmaker, advertiser, or anyone trying to build a career around making things, this conversation is packed with practical advice and a refreshing perspective on where creativity is headed next.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Lisa Topol spent decades building her career at some of advertising's biggest agencies, eventually becoming Co-Chief Creative Officer at DDB. Then she left.

In this episode, Lisa shares why she walked away from the holding company world, what she found at independent agency Oberland, and why having a stake in the decisions you make can completely change your relationship with work.

We also discuss mentorship, creative leadership, purpose-driven advertising, the making of Elf Beauty's award-winning "So Many Dicks" campaign, and how young creatives can stand out in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

If you're trying to build a creative career, navigate agency life, or figure out where you belong in this industry, this episode is packed with honest advice from one of advertising's most respected creative leaders.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Antonio McDonald has spent more than two decades building content for brands, audiences, and culture.

After starting his career at MTV during its peak, Antonio went on to found KUAMP, an independent creative production agency helping brands connect with audiences through content that people actually want to watch.

In this episode, we discuss why most branded content misses the mark, what MTV understood about culture before everyone else, the power of independence, building a business over 24 years, and the advice he'd give to anyone trying to break into advertising today.

If you're interested in creativity, media, production, brand storytelling, or building something from the ground up, this episode is packed with lessons from someone who has seen the industry evolve firsthand.

More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Every quarter, Breaking and Entering Media hosts the Crowbar Awards, a $1 global student advertising competition designed to help aspiring creatives build their portfolios, solve real-world briefs, and get their work reviewed by some of the industry's top creative leaders.

The highest honor awarded each quarter is the Blue Crowbar, given to the single best submission across all entries.

This quarter's Blue Crowbar winners came from RMIT University Vietnam.

In this episode, Geno Schellenberger sits down with Vy Tran, Nguyen Minh Ngoc, and My Phung, alongside Highdive Co-Chief Creative Officer Mark Gross, to break down the campaign that earned them Best in Show.

The brief challenged students to help Lollapalooza differentiate itself from Coachella by showcasing a deeper and more authentic music experience.

The team's solution was a custom Monster Energy can capable of capturing festivalgoers' heartbeats and transforming those heartbeats into music, creating a soundtrack generated by the crowd itself.

Mark explains why the idea immediately stood out, how creative leaders evaluate student work, and what aspiring creatives can learn from the campaign.

View the winning campaign deck here: https://www.crowbarawards.com/previous-winners

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Anthony Reeves grew up in the Australian Outback, built a career across agencies, Amazon, WPP, and now serves as VP of Global Brand & Creative at Kohler.In this episode, Anthony shares the moment he walked into Amazon believing he had all the answers and left with one of the most important lessons of his career.We discuss discomfort, career growth, mentorship, specialization, breaking into advertising, and why the best opportunities often come from putting yourself in situations where failure is possible.If you're trying to break into the industry or level up your career, this episode is packed with lessons that only come from decades of experience.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Sam Slaughter is the Founder of Lighthouse Creative Group.

After getting fired from his previous job, Sam and his co-founder decided to build the kind of company they actually wanted to work for. Today, Lighthouse is a 40-person employee-owned agency working with brands like Amazon, Fanatics, and more.

In this episode, Sam shares the lessons he's learned building an independent business, why relationships matter more than titles, how young people can stand out in the age of AI, and the advice he wishes more people heard early in their careers.

If you're a student, recent graduate, young creative, strategist, account person, or aspiring founder, this episode is packed with practical career advice and honest reflections from someone who has built a company his own way.

More from Breaking and Entering Media:

💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠

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📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠

🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠

🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

For nearly 30 years, Chuck McBride has heard the same prediction: advertising is dying.

He's heard it through the rise of the internet, social media, YouTube, streaming, creators, and now AI. Yet after helping launch the iconic Got Milk? campaign, leading work for Nike, working alongside Lee Clow at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and building Cutwater into one of advertising's most respected independent agencies, Chuck remains optimistic about the future.

In this conversation, Chuck joins Geno Schellenberger to discuss why creativity thrives under constraints, why media fragmentation creates more opportunity than most people realize, how agencies should think about charging for impact instead of time, and what young creatives need to do to stand out in a rapidly changing industry.

Along the way, he shares stories from the early days of YouTube, explains how a small Ray-Ban experiment generated 20 million views, and makes the case that the best thing the next generation can do is stop listening to the doomers and start building.

If you're worried about the future of advertising, this episode is for you.

More from Breaking and Entering Media:

💼 Follow on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-media 

📖 Read our Publications https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog

💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei

✉️ Subscribe to The Vault https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/

📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/

🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising https://www.crowbarawards.com/

🤝 Work With Us - Email: [email protected] 

Patrick Coffee of The Wall Street Journal joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to break down the current state of the advertising industry.

We talk about why creative departments feel increasing pressure inside holding companies, how AI is changing expectations for marketers, why creator marketing still struggles with measurement, and how brands are trying to evolve into entertainment companies.

Patrick also shares insights from covering the industry for more than a decade, including what today’s agency world has in common with the fallout from 2008, why marketers are obsessed with measurable outcomes, and how Gen Z’s “analog movement” is influencing brand strategy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Patrick Coffee and His Role

01:57 Current State of Advertising

05:56 Challenges for Creative Agencies

10:12 Historical Context of Advertising Challenges

13:56 Impact of AI on Advertising

16:55 Exploring the Creator Economy

22:52 The Evolving Landscape of Creator Partnerships

25:23 The Rise of the Analog Movement

30:11 Skills for the Next Generation in Marketing

36:10 Branded Entertainment: The Future of Marketing

More from Breaking and Entering Media:

💼 Follow on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-media 

📖 Read our Publications https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog

💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei

✉️ Subscribe to The Vault https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/

📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/

🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising https://www.crowbarawards.com/

🤝 Work With Us - Email: [email protected] 

In this solo episode of the Breaking and Entering Podcast, Geno Schellenberger opens up about how AI, holding company consolidation, and changing agency structures are reshaping the path into advertising. From portfolio schools to creative partnerships to tools like Runway and ChatGPT, Geno breaks down what young creatives should actually focus on in 2026.
Geno also shares advice on building a portfolio, finding mentors, standing out to recruiters, and why “nerd up, work up, cool up” still applies in today’s industry. Plus, updates on the Crowbar Awards, the B&E Mastermind Cohort, and how Breaking and Entering is continuing to help the next generation break into advertising

More from Breaking and Entering Media:

💼 Follow on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-media 

📖 Read our Publications https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog

💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei

✉️ Subscribe to The Vault https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/

📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/

🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising https://www.crowbarawards.com/

🤝 Work With Us - Email: [email protected]