Special Sauce

Lisa Sherman is the CEO at The Ad Council, the organization that brings together the best minds in advertising and media to create public service campaigns addressing the biggest challenges facing our society. She joins the podcast to talk about how she came to be in her role and how the work of the Ad Council has changed in the decade since. Lisa shares her coming out story in corporate America and how that experience changed her, as well as the policies of the company she had just left. She and Jordan also talk about her upcoming induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame and her career reflections that are inspired by this moment.

Jeremi Gorman loves to be "at the beginning" of things. She helped plant the seeds and grow the ad businesses of both Amazon and Netflix. The former was in its very early days when she arrived and is now the 3rd largest media company in the world. The latter is still in its relative infancy, but won't be for long. She joins Special Sauce to share the reason she moved from marketing to sales early in her career (it's not what you might think), the challenges that come along with being a woman in board rooms, and what drives her to continue working in the industry. Jeremi and Jordan talk about how her Snap role came about (crazy story), why she invests in women's pro sports franchises and how she's going back to the beginning to help build the ad business at Fanatics.

Ryan Barwick is a journalist covering media and advertising. He is a rising star on the beat. In just the last year, he has reported on Lina Khan and the FTC, the Google antitrust proceedings and how the ad business is using AI. Ryan joins Special Sauce to talk about how he got up-to-speed on the industry, how reporters view other reporters, and to share some advice for Comms people. He and Jordan talk about what it's like to break a story, the difference between perspective and bias, and how Clark Kent came to become his internet avatar.

With the Los Angeles wildfires still raging, we're using this episode to share a brief story about our next guest and suggest a worthy cause in need of donations. That cause is the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which is raising money to buy emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks and wildland brush tools to support firefighters on the ground. As these current fires get contained, new ones will surely follow — and this cause is meant to help today and tomorrow. If you have the means and the desire to help out, please visit supportlafd.org/give or text LAFD to 24365. We'll be back with our next episode shortly.

Eric Berry has been a founder of companies in two disruptive categories: advertising technology and healthcare technology. He started TripleLift, the ad tech company he eventually sold for $1.4B, when he had just two years of industry experience. Eric joins Jordan to talk about why he moved from law to advertising, how the intuition of a founder is critical early on in the life of a company, and the importance of building the pipes of a company in order to make it successful. He tells a Dad joke to kick things off and ends by revealing who he thinks is the best texter on their group chat.

Peter Naylor has been one of the most respected names in digital media since...the beginning of digital media. With stints at Lycos, iVillage, NBC, Hulu, Snap and Netflix, he has helped create and shape some of the most important platforms in each era of internet advertising - from web to online video to mobile to streaming. Peter joins the podcast to discuss his style of servant leadership, his belief that "readers are leaders," and the importance of being multilingual (professionally speaking) in business. Jordan dives deep into trying to understand Peter's likeability and how that might drive him - and his teams - to success.

Heather Freeland has held senior level marketing jobs in Silicon Valley for over a decade, with roles at Facebook, Lyft and Adobe. Prior to moving out west, she was a New Yorker having worked at MTV, Gilt Groupe and the marketing services company, Digitas. Heather joins to talk about the challenge of marketing to marketers, how working for Sheryl Sandberg taught her to be a better listener, and what she learned working with American Express. She also shares a valuable lesson from her Great Aunt Tootie.

Carl Fremont is a long time veteran of advertising agencies. He's also my mentor. Ask anyone who has known him closely over the years and they will tell you that he's been a mentor or advisor to them as well. He joins the podcast to talk about what he's gained by staying at companies for long stretches, and then what he looks for - and advises others to look for - when seeking a new job. He shares the family story that drives his positive outlook on life and how that story motivates him in his career. Carl and Jordan also discuss Carl's vintage radio collection and what that hobby says about his philosophy in business.

Lisa Caputo has worked in the c-suite of some of America's largest companies for over two decades. Prior to her career in the business world, she served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and later in The White House. Lisa shares how she came to know and work with Hillary Clinton, what her relationship with Hillary has meant to each of them over time, and what it's like to work in one of the most famous buildings in the world. She and Jordan discuss what goes into changing the name and brand of a giant financial services company, and how the "Experience" part of her title came to be part of her remit.

Wenda Harris Millard is a true digital pioneer. Over her career, she has held game changing roles at companies including DoubleClick, Yahoo! and MediaLink. Wenda joins Special Sauce to discuss her early career and the formative experiences she had building organizations. She shares that she started her first business when she was just 9 years old, and got paid to write articles as a young woman for magazines like Seventeen. Wenda and Jordan discuss the value of leading with empathy, her nose for talent, how she consciously set out to (re)build the best media sales team in the world, and she tells us who would be on her own personal Mount Rushmore of the digital media business.