Cracked, A Podcast

In this episode, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and creative content, sparked by insights from the Cannes festival. Our hosts reflect on how AI's role in the industry is evolving, raising questions about integrity and authenticity in creator culture.

We’re back and we brought snacks — emotional ones. This week, we’re unpacking three things living rent-free in our heads.

First up: Serotonin Summer. As we collectively white-knuckle our way through the tail end of this administration, a quiet cultural shift is underway, people are curating their media consumption like a prescription. Only comfort. Only joy. Only things that make the nervous system go ahh. We get into why this isn’t avoidance, it’s survival, and what it says about the moment we’re actually living in.

Then we go darker. Cyber Femicide: the slow, deliberate dismantling of women’s public identities online. We’re talking about the coordinated pile-ons, the viral reframes, the comment sections that function less like discourse and more like character assassination. Who does it, why it works, and why women in the public eye are uniquely positioned to have their entire personhood reduced to a meme.
And finally we have to talk about Meghan Trainor. The talent is there. The catalog is there. The cultural proximity is there. So why does mainstream keep sliding off her like water off a raincoat? We dig into the gap between likability and legitimacy, and what her career arc reveals about how the industry decides who gets to be a moment versus who gets to be a star.

All that, zero gatekeeping. This is Cracked

Marketer, dad, and entrepreneur Brian Bauman and I discuss what it takes to be resilient, being a girl dad and whats in store for us in his first book The Second Summit.

In Episode 4 of Cracked, I sit down with Zelena Khan, Director of ContentLabs at TransPerfect, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to lead a high-performing team.

Together, we unpack the realities of managing ambitious talent, setting clear expectations without micromanaging, and developing the leadership skills that aren’t taught in any playbook. Zelena shares the lessons she’s learned while building teams at ContentLabs — from giving feedback that drives growth to navigating the shift from individual contributor to confident leader.

If you’re building a team, stepping into management, or refining your leadership style, this episode delivers practical insight with real-world perspective.

This week on Cracked, we’re diving into the spectacle behind The Big Game and what it really means for brands in 2026. From seven-figure ad spots to real-time cultural relevance, we break down which campaigns actually moved the needle—and which ones just moved money. More importantly, we unpack how YouTube has cemented itself as the second screen (or maybe the first), reshaping how audiences engage with ads before, during, and long after kickoff.

Then we take it coast to coast. East Coast hustle vs. West Coast innovation—where is the better place to build a career in marketing? Is New York still the epicenter of brand power and pressure? Or does LA’s creator economy and tech-meets-entertainment energy offer the smarter long game? We get into culture, opportunity, lifestyle, and what “making it” really looks like on each side.

If you work in media, marketing, or just love a little healthy industry debate, this episode is your group chat brought to life.

In Episode 2 of Cracked, we’re diving headfirst into the conversations millennials can’t escape—on our screens, in our group chats, and in our careers.

We break down this year’s Oscar nominations and what they signal about Hollywood’s evolving taste, cultural relevance, and who’s really driving the conversation around film right now. From unexpected nominees to the marketing machines behind award-season buzz, we unpack what’s actually moving culture.

Then, we shift gears to relationships in your 30s—how priorities change, why boundaries feel different, and how careers, ambition, and burnout are reshaping modern connection. Less rom-com fantasy, more real-world recalibration.

Finally, we zoom out on influencer marketing through the lens of Jaden Smith’s appointment as Creative Director for Men’s Christian Louboutin. Is this the future of influence? Where do celebrity, creator, and brand authority intersect—and what should marketers take away as traditional influence models continue to crack?

It’s pop culture with context, marketing with perspective, and honest conversations for a generation figuring it out in real time.

Episode 01: New Year Resolutions, Millennials, and Social Media as Religion

It’s a new year and once again, the timelines are full of promises, pressure, and performative fresh starts. In this episode of Cracked, we explore how New Year resolutions have evolved for millennials and why social media now functions less like a tool and more like a belief system.

From digital rituals and “online confessionals” to algorithm-approved self-improvement and the fear of falling behind, we break down how platforms shape what we value, how we measure success, and who we think we’re supposed to be. We look at the quiet cracking between intention and performance and what happens when growth becomes content.

It’s part cultural analysis, part group chat therapy, and fully honest.
Welcome to Episode 01. Let’s question the gospel.