Everette Taylor, the CMO of the online art-collector’s marketplace, Artsy, is “just a kid from the hood,” which is not the typical profile of a global art dealer. His fast-track career is not based on connections but on something far more valuable–inner drive, creative risk-taking and listening to mom. Taylor grew up in a neighborhood where many were trapped by a cycle of street life, drugs and prison, so his mom nudged him to interview for a marketing job, which he got at the age of 14, despite wanting to work at Chick-fil-A with his friends. A natural marketer was born and Taylor’s career has been ascendant ever since.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• A first job is humbling, you learn you don’t know what you don’t know.
• It’s good business to democratize spaces for everyone.
• A CMO’s job is to build a team that is the shit.
• Stay at the job that gives you the most opportunities to grow.
• Ultimately, there will come a time for CMOs to go for CEO.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

The creator economy has been valued at $100 billion, so it is easy to forget that a decade ago, it was dismissed by many as people listening to themselves talk on YouTube. Jim Louderback recognized what video technology and expression could become. He helped build VidCon, the professional conference and fan fest, into global preeminence and now chronicles it all through his weekly newsletter, Inside the Creator Economy. Louderback’s vision was evident early on, as he left a consulting career to capture the PC revolution at Ziff Davis, eventually putting “geeks like me” on camera for ZDTV/TechTV. He’s been ahead of the internet ever since.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• To go on and answer the help-wanted ad.
• At start-ups, you spend 90% of your time building outward; big companies mean more managing inward.
• The metaverse is a new canvas for storytelling
• Like silents to talkies, not every creator will translate to the metaverse

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Is Selena Gomez the next beauty billionaire, gliding along a path set by Rihanna, Kim and Kylie? That’s what Skinnygirl mogul turned TikTok beauty influencer, Bethenny Frankel, believes. Katie Welch, CMO at Gomez’s Rare Beauty, is helping build the brand along a purpose-driven platform that welcomes all and supports good mental health. Welch, who has marketed Bliss, Burt’s Bees and Hourglass Cosmetics, discovered beauty could be a career when she met a college classmate’s stepmother, who was an Estee Lauder exec. She moonlights as a TikTok influencer herself, with 80,000 following her marketing/career advice.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• A brand narrative can shift a business forward.
• If you wake up at 5 a.m. to do something, you love it.
• It’s very easy to sell lipstick the same way over and over again, so don’t.
• Create a space where people feel welcome.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

As CMO of Proximo Spirits, Lander Otegui markets a host of spirits, including Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Boodles British Gin. But the most renowned brand under Otegui’s watch, legendarily comes from Mexico. Jose Cuervo is the world’s No. 1 tequila, and the first tequila brand on Earth. Now, it’s also the first tequila distillery in the metaverse. It’s one way Cuervo remains relevant with consumers. Sustainability is another. Agave-plant fibers, once discarded at the distillery, now fashion straws and other items, eagerly snapped up online. A native of Mexico City, Otegui was set for life as an engineer. But when he realized his love of drawing, building and deconstructing things applied to marketing, he never looked back.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to be a David, when you are the Goliath
• Why category founders should own and uphold traditions
• There’s a tequila for every consumer and occasion
• Follow your gut, then get others to buy in

Brought to you by Mekanism.

New Balance is not only “the shoe brand of choice for film stars, athletes and supermodels,” according to Urban Journal, it’s the brand for “the biggest, hype-inducing names on the street right now.” As CMO of the hotly resurgent brand, which was born in 1906, Chris Davis applies a risk/innovation model which puts 50% of the marketing budget into proven, demand-creation tactics, 30% into calculated risks (NFTs, for example) and 20% into purely experimental vehicles that may fail spectacularly or succeed later. Davis, who is also SVP Global Merchandising, says the only unacceptable risk is one that comprimes brand values. He tells us how to transform a 116-year-old product company into a world-class brand.

Thank you, Chris, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Growing up, Ricky Engelberg loved both computers and playing baseball. While your basic 1990s high schooler would say the two sit on opposite sides of the cafeteria, it was the perfect mix for Nike, where Engelberg worked for almost 20 years after college. There at the dawn of the internet era, Engelberg helped Nike create digital products for athletes and sneakerheads alike, including Nike Plus Running, nurturing passionate communities. Today, as CMO at Vista (formerly VistaPrint), Engelberg is bringing a spirit of community among small business owners, who tackle marketing after regular business hours, helping them conquer pandemic-era digital transformations.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• If you want to build a new line of business, go crack some eggs
• Community is a critical building block of brands today
• Be respectful of your consumers’ communities, realize you are a part of it
• Science plays a part, but ultimately, the future always involves a gut decision

Brought to you by Mekanism.

We’ve had a blast talking to some of the marketing world’s most brilliant minds here on Soul & Science. Instead of a new episode this week, we’ve compiled some of our favorite Soul & Science insights from the last 14 weeks.

Thank you to all of the insightful guests for sharing your knowledge with us. We have a lot more exciting interviews coming up. Listen to Soul & Science, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes.

Brought to you by Mekanism

Is success as seemingly simple as putting one foot in front of the other? Sam Parr, founder of The Hustle, one of the fastest-growing media companies, focusing on millennials, tech and culture, fueled his rise by curiosity, action and googling. Segueing from helping “American Pickers” Mike Wolfe set up a Nashville store to running a hot dog stand to feed the fans, Sam googled how to start an internet business and then did. He moved to Silicon Valley, started and sold a few ventures, then the self-proclaimed nobody started a blog which evolved into The Hustle. Sam’s career proves that hustle manifests success, more than degrees, connections and money.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Building a business is like writing a hit song
• About the benefits of a PhD in the school of life: Poor, hungry and driven.
• Throwing money at a new business can give an artificial sense of success
• How to hustle to bring your goals to life

Thank you, Sam, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Bonin Bough’s first flare of marketing genius came at the age of 12, when the executive who would later set the pace for big brands entering online and social channels, launched a magazine in the NYC Public Schools. In college, the physics major built websites for brands, and one millennium-era internet party later, he joked, the vodka fountain and shrimp boat steered him into a marketing career. Bonin built internet practices at two global PR firms, then became the client and a prodder of global CPG companies, like PepsiCo, Mondelez and Kraft, to be digital innovators. You might recall him from the CNBC show, Cleveland Hustles, with LeBron James. And, as Founder of Lockstep Ventures he tackles systemic issues by helping Black founders create scalable businesses that also support their communities. Ventures, which tackles systemic issues by helping Black founders create scalable businesses that also support their communities.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Pack the pipeline, because the ingrained corporate response is to kill what is new, but they can’t kill it all.
• Babe Ruth called his shots, name your next win, because external pressure will help make it happen.
• “Marketers are like roaches”, they’ll infiltrate what you thought was a safe space.
• Jump in early, ride the bull, first runners have a better shot at winning.
• To learn something new, walk the outer trade-show booths on closing day, talk to everyone at the mixer.

Thank you, Bonin, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes.Presented by Mekanism

My guest on the pod this week, Josh Taekman is the Founder & CEO of the functional wellness brand, EBOOST. Inspired by hip-hop, Josh’s career started in the mailroom at Bad Boy Entertainment where he learned that you “eat what you kill” and hustled to start his own agency. Eventually, he saw a space for a functional wellness product that spoke to the pop culture audience. EBOOST, was born as a wellness supplement that supports immunity, boosts your energy and gives you essential vitamins. By focusing on building small, close communities, Josh has been able to triple distribution of EBOOST to 12,000 locations in the U.S.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• You have to hustle and can’t take no for an answer.
• Building community is key for growth.
• Don’t judge by effort, judge by results.
• Not everyone is an entrepreneur.

Thank you, Josh, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes. https://apple.co/3LDwXNu


Brought to you by Mekanism.