The Last Advertising Podcast

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.

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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.

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

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🏆 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 

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💬 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 

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

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

🤝 Work With Us - Email: [email protected]

What separates memorable brands from forgettable ones? According to brand writer and manifesto expert Lonnie Elliot, it starts with belief.

In this episode of Breaking and Entering Advertising, Geno Schellenberger sits down with the former Apple and Meta writer to break down the true anatomy of great manifestos, from Think Different to Nike’s Dream Crazier. Lonnie explains the structures behind powerful brand storytelling, why tension and point of view matter, how startups often get branding wrong, and why AI still can’t replicate the specificity of elite human copywriting.

For copywriters, strategists, founders, and marketers, this is a masterclass in writing words that move people.

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]⁠

Todd Condie could’ve stayed on the traditional path: Georgetown Law, Wall Street, big paycheck, partner track. Instead, he walked away from it all to chase creativity.

In this episode, the Terri & Sandy Group Creative Director shares his unconventional rise from magazine hopeful to corporate lawyer to award-winning creative leader. Todd unpacks the mindset, risks, and relentless hustle it took to reinvent himself, why passion always beats security, and how today’s creatives need to evolve in an AI-shaped industry.

This is a story about betting on yourself, breaking the safe mold, and building a career where creativity actually wins. For anyone questioning the expected path, Todd’s journey proves there’s another way.

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] 

A few good things to start: Best music video in recent memory just dropped from GENER8ION and Yung Lean. People are now turning their group chats into songs on TikTok. And Wieden brought back the Harlem Shake. Good morning.

In the WORLD FAMOUS TWO MINUTE DRILL: High Noon is looking for a new creative agency — Preacher is the incumbent. WPP just won consolidated global creative and production for Henkel Consumer Brands. Coors Light is going all in on the World Cup with a new summer campaign starring Andrés Cantor, the most iconic voice in soccer broadcasting. Expedia tapped iShowSpeed for a new collab. And Omnicom posted Q1 revenue of $6.2 billion — more than $2.5 billion more than the same quarter last year. With IPG now fully integrated, they delivered 3.9% organic growth and margins expanding to 14.8%. The new Omnicom is operational and it is large.

First on the show: Bridget Jewell, Head of Social at McCann and one of the most decorated social creative leaders in the industry. She leads global social for Mastercard across 100+ markets, was the inaugural winner of Adweek's Social Team of the Year, and has 50+ awards including Cannes, Clios, D&AD, and Webbys. We talk about what's actually working in social right now.

Then Dan Salkey, Co-Founder of Small World, joins us to break down Entertain or Die 3.0 — the third edition of his annual report ranking 100 brands across 16,200 US consumers on how well they entertain. Top performers: Dr. Squatch, BuzzBallz, and LEGO. The core thesis is simple and it's proving out: entertainment-first brands are outperforming everyone else.

Jack Byrne and Jordan Zwang, Co-Founders of Spectra, join us next. They built Sidetalk, the NYC viral street show. They're Forbes 30 Under 30. And now through Spectra they run social for NBA teams, Fanatics, and more — building the next generation of social-first entertainment IP.

And to close: Natalie Lennox, Executive Director of Strategy at Apollo Partners. She repositioned Delta from airline to experience brand, was the first marketing hire at Feather during Series B, and led Atolla through acquisition by Function of Beauty. She just joined Apollo Partners and joins us to talk about what brand transformation actually looks like.

Sarah Collinson, CEO of Havas New York, joins the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to talk about what it takes to break into advertising at a time when there are fewer roles and higher expectations than ever.

She shares how she built a high-performing agency culture, why leadership and communication matter more than process, and how her team continues to win major clients while prioritizing people.

The conversation covers the reality of entry-level roles changing due to AI, what young professionals should focus on instead, and why becoming an expert in your client’s business is still the fastest way to stand out.

They also get into pay gaps in the industry, the challenges around maternity leave, and what agencies need to do to better support talent long term.

If you are trying to break into advertising or lead within it, this episode gives a clear view of what works now.

More from Breaking and Entering Media:

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

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

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

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

🤝 Work With Us - Email: [email protected] 

Brian Collins, co-founder of COLLINS, joins the show to break down how design actually drives business transformation. COLLINS has won the Ad Age Design and Brand Agency of the Year or Business Transformation Agency of the Year seven times, and has helped shape brands like Spotify, Airbnb, Robinhood, and The Coca-Cola Company.

In this conversation, Brian explains why advertising makes things famous while design makes them useful, and how the best brands win by doing both. He shares his philosophy of “making the future irresistible so it becomes inevitable,” and what that looks like inside COLLINS, a consultancy-studio hybrid that helps companies imagine and build their next chapter.

We get into the Up&Up transformation at Target, how great packaging should live in your home, and why most brands are designed to sell instead of to last. Brian also breaks down what actually builds long-term client relationships, the role of trust in creative work, and the difference between having a job and building a career.

If you care about branding, design, and where the industry is going next, this episode is a masterclass from one of the most respected thinkers in the space.

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]

Rick Brim has won over 100 Cannes Lions and helped shape one of the most iconic creative agencies in the world. He played a key role in building Adam&EveDDB and bringing campaigns like John Lewis’ holiday ads to global attention, turning them into cultural moments that drove real business impact.

In this conversation, he breaks down what actually makes great advertising and why so much of the industry gets it wrong. He talks about the danger of chasing awards, how momentum can transform an agency overnight, and why creativity should be treated as a serious business tool rather than surface-level output.

Rick shares what it was like working on high-pressure campaigns that the public reacts to in real time, how to lead creative teams without pretending to have all the answers, and why vulnerability and curiosity matter more than hierarchy. He also explains why most ads don’t last, what makes certain ideas endure for years, and how the best work often comes from doing what you personally find interesting rather than trying to impress others.

The conversation also covers his decision to launch Ace of Hearts, what he believes the future of agencies looks like, and what advice he would give to anyone trying to break into advertising today.

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]⁠