We’re kicking off a new series of shows, where brands come to the Woodshed to share their challenges and aspirations.

First up, the team from Baboosha – Frank Amoros, Heather LeFevre and Leo Lourdais – travel all the way from Paris to talk about “The world’s softest slippers.”

Alex’s guest host this week – Courtney Loveman, former fashion designer and co-head of strategy at CPB.

Alex recently joined Roben Farzed on his NPR program, Full Disclosure.  Get the full episode at:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/682205174/full-disclosure-with-roben-farzad

Former Schwinn Bicycles CMO Gregg Bagni joins Alex in the shed to design the perfect equation to create the perfect idea. From bikes to natural foods and now working in niche start-up investment as Director at White Road Investments (Clif bar, Ragnar, Santa Cruz Bicycles) Gregg shares his thoughts on building a brand, the DIY mentality and how to stay original while asking these 4 questions: Who are you? What will you sell? Who will you sell it to?  What will you say no to?

Ari Kuschnir, founder of production company m ss ng p eces, has a crazy idea to implant a narrative film into live DNA. Well, that's where it started. Ari dropped by the shed to brainstorm with Alex and CPB tech lead Joe Corr about how to use emerging DNA technology to tell a powerful story that will ignite the world's imagination. Later, we hear from Harvard genetics professor George Church on his work and this project. Give us your take, leave a voicemail: 720-432-6174

Our first return guest, John Bielenberg (Co-Founder at Pando Institute & Founder of Think Wrong Institute) is back in the Woodshed with his new project, THINKNADO. John share his new process for creative problem solving and how anybody from kids to adults should question assumptions and think ‘stupid’ in order to come up with solutions to everything from new ways to do dishes to fixing the world’s problems.

After a session of live concepting at Boulder Start-Up Week 2019, Alex and creative director Quinn Katherman opened up for a live Q+A session talking about the creative process, the biggest mistake most startups make and just how much "crazy" content should have.

Two start-ups join Alex and Creative Director Quinn Katherman on stage at Boulder Startup Week. The challenge: come up with brilliant branding ideas on the spot. Alex and Quinn put themselves on the line all for the sake of our community of listeners in an ongoing quest to de-mystify the creative process. Hear what they came up with for Buderflys, an upstart earbud purposefully designed NOT for music, and Uncanny Wellness, a CBD brand that is becoming a hit among baristas.

The team from Beacon Street Studios, Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, along with CD Quinn Katherman, join Alex in The Woodshed to talk about finding the right musical fit, tips on giving feedback to musicians and when it makes sense to think of music before anything else.

Howard Luck Gossage, known as "The Socrates of San Francisco," was an iconoclast and advertising innovator. Alex and his former assistant turned creative director Mike Howard discuss the famous, yet under-appreciated ad-man and his methods that are still around today. They also discuss his legacy, some of Gossage’s most important teachings, how they informed CPB’s early work, and how and he is more relevant now than ever.

A headline from Philip Morris catches Alex’s attention. With vaping on the rise, is Big Tobacco trying to get back in the ad industry’s good graces? Alex asks the industry to sign a pledge not to work with Big Tobacco, and for brands not to work with agencies and PR firms that do.