The CMO Whisperer

My guest today is Cassie Schmid, the Chief Strategy Officer for Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. She's the one shaping how millions of people will experience Philly, especially as the city gears up for the World Cup, the All-Star Game and the country's 250th birthday in 2026. Cassie leads enterprise-wide strategy, performance management, communications, guest experience, marketing and brand. If it impacts how travelers see and feel Philadelphia as it's known, it runs through her.

She brings a dynamic, sharp, data-driven, customer-first mindset, turning market trends, competitive dynamics and traveler insights into strategies that actually move the needle. Before Philly, she helped guide strategy and stakeholder engagement for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and before that, she built a really strong track record for leading go-to-market strategy and high-impact partnerships across multiple organizations. 

Simply put, Cassie is one of aviation's top strategic voices, and she's playing a major role in the future of how people arrive in and experience Philadelphia.

My guest today is Don Sklenka, SVP of AI Optimization at Claritas and one of the rare operators who's lived at the intersection of creative media and machine intelligence long before AI became a buzzword on every deck. With nearly 25 years in digital marketing, Don built his foundation inside global agency powerhouses like Publicis and Dentsu, leading omni-channel strategies for Fortune 500 brands across retail, CPG, automotive and healthcare. 

Today, Don is scaling patented AI solutions that turn data into decisions and campaigns into performance engines, real-time optimization, predictive analytics, smarter, creative, better outcomes, less noise, and more signal. Finally, he's a lifelong Cleveland sports fan, which tells you everything you need to know about his resilience and commitment to the long game!

My guest today is Bonin Bough, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Portrait Media Group. He's one of the most awarded marketing leaders on the planet, a rare blend of operator, builder, and boundary pusher who has reshaped how billion-dollar brands grow. Bonin's career reads like a highlight reel of modern marketing

He became one of the youngest Fortune 500 C-suite executives, led transformations that rewired global organizations and built campaigns that turned beloved brands into cultural heat engines. He's in the advertising hall of achievement. His name shows up on lists like Fortune's 40 under 40, Fast Company's most creative people in business, Ebony's Power 100. He's an author, a CNBC host and one of the most dynamic voices in the industry and just stepped into a brand new role of dad. We're gonna start there. How's it going, how much sleep he's getting, and from there, we're gonna get into the evolution of the CMO role, the rise of multicultural growth, the limits of reach, the power of resonance, and why content, culture, and AI are reshaping the playbook.

My guest today is Kerry Gordy, a name woven into the fabric of modern music and a force in his own right at the intersection of brand, culture, and intellectual property. Yes, he’s the son of Berry Gordy, but Kerry’s career stands on its own merit. He grew up inside the Motown ecosystem, managed Rick James through his comeback years, played a pivotal executive role at Prince’s Paisley Park Records, and helped architect one of the most important independent moments in music history with The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. 

Beyond music, Kerry has become a leading advocate for artists’ rights, pioneering copyright termination strategies that have helped creators reclaim ownership and long-term value. I met Kerry years ago when we were both speaking at Harvard, and from that moment on we’ve been brothers. This conversation is a rare blend of history, hard-earned lessons, and real-world insight into how brands, artists, and legacies are actually built.

My guest today is Lucy Markowitz, SVP and General Manager of the US Marketplace at Vistar Media. Lucy oversees it all: Sales, client services, analytics, DSP, and supply partnerships. She leads teams that power the connective tissue between agencies, brands, publishers and DSPs. Her leadership is the reason Vistar's marketplace hums, ensuring every relationship and every impression delivers value.

Before joining Vistar, Lucy led hedge fund and investment bank sales at Data Miner, giving her a front row seat to how information and timing move markets. Lucy holds a BS in International Finance and Marketing from the University of Miami and has been with Vistar since 2014 through the company's acquisition by T-Mobile earlier this year.

My guest today is Perry Kamel, founder and CEO of DNA Vibe and I'm going to tell you exactly how this conversation started and where it started at CES. I walked in expecting to see a lot of shiny new tech and walked out genuinely awestruck after encountering one of the fastest-growing brands in wearable technology. That's where I first experienced DNA Vibe. That's where I was introduced to the Shine movement. And that's where I met Perry, his leadership team and an incredible community of athletes, trainers and health and wellness leaders who were deeply committed to what this brand stands for. 

Perry is the visionary behind DNA Vibe, a purpose-driven, regenerative wearable company built around a powerful mission, helping people overcome the life-limiting effects of injury, surgery, and the everyday wear and tear of time, activity, and gravity. That mission is now expanding with Shine, a bold, large-scale program designed to redefine not just how people heal, but how communities show up for one another.

For more than 30 years, Perry has been at the forefront of transformational technology from optical networks and voiceover IP to interactive digital media and real-time distributed systems, the kind of foundational work that quietly powers modern communication, education, healthcare, and entertainment. If that weren't enough, he also serves as a fellow and chief advisor for phototherapy and bioharmonics.

My guest today is Maria Del Rio, Chief Marketing Officer at DNA Vibe. She is a builder, a scaler, and a leader who's been in the arena for over 25 years, shaping brands, launching growth engines, and helping companies move from interesting idea to real market impact. At DNA Vibe, Maria is steering brand creative and growth as the company expands across wellness, performance, and health tech. 

Before that, she was CMO at Chromatic Technologies, and earlier in her career, she helped drive global brand powerhouses at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark, and Molson Coors. She's seen marketing at every altitude. From scrappy scale-ups to Fortune 500 giants, from early-stage chaos to enterprise precision. And she knows exactly what it takes to build brands that actually move people and generate revenue.

My guest this week is Joseph Perello, founder and CEO of Props. Props is a performance-based creator marketing platform built around a simple belief. The best marketing still comes from people, not metrics. Instead of chasing follower accounts, Props uses AI to match brands with creators based on storytelling strength, trust, and audience authenticity. So campaigns are both data-driven and deeply human.

AI does the heavy lifting in the background, brand safety, workflow and precision, while real human creators stay in front and center. Before launching Props, Joe built and ran a digital agency serving brands like Nike, HP, Lowe's Hotels, Betterment, and even Michelle Obama. And earlier in his career, he served as New York City's first CMO under Mayor Bloomberg, helping to revitalize tourism and launching the city's first self-sustaining marketing agency. 

Finally, Joe sits at the intersection of brand, policy, tech, and creative. I'm so happy I spent a few minutes with him at advertising week not long ago, and we're gonna continue that great conversation.

My guest this week is Jonathan Sackett, a former D1 track athlete turned music industry insider who recorded at Paisley Park and Flight Time before moving into advertising where he built award-winning work for giants - Geico, Coca-Cola, Walmart, McDonald's, IBM, Harley-Davidson, Budweiser, and Mars. He did it at agencies like FCB, the Martin Agency, DDB, and Ogilvy.

He now partners with former NBA star, Jamal Mashburn, as a board member of Mashburn Enterprises and he serves as Chief MarComm and Brand Officer for the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, where he rebranded to NEI and launched the NEI Pioneer podcast, which topped six million views last year.

My guest this week is Catherine Salazzo, Chief Marketing Officer at Appfire, a leading global provider of enterprise apps that connect the world's top platforms. Catherine oversees Appfire's global marketing and communication strategy, driving brand expansion, go-to-market acceleration, and deeper engagement across developer and partner communities. With more than two decades of experience at companies like Syntax, TechData, and IBM, she's led marketing transformations, built demand across multiple routes to market, and championed cloud and AI adoption worldwide. And finally, a fellow of the Marketing Academy, Catherine is also a passionate advocate for purpose-driven leadership, mentorship, and building cultures that last.