In this episode of Ugly, Irresponsible, and Childish, we explore the unrelenting pursuit of creativity and the workplace cultures that either celebrate or suffocate it.

In this episode of Ugly, Irresponsible, and Childish, hosts Marc Levy and Jeremy Baka sit down with industry veteran Bob Osmond to discuss leadership, coaching, psychological safety, career transitions, and practical ways agencies can protect creativity while driving results.

Shut up. No Dancing. Kill the robots. Long live humans. No, this isn’t some dystopian novel. It’s the latest “Ugly, Irresponsible & Childish” episode featuring the straight-talking Dos and Don’t of presentations and sales pitches.

Marc & Jeremy deliver a candid guide to presenting. Drawing on real pitch stories, they explain how to read the room, sell your humanity instead of a hard sell, and choose when to rehearse or improvise.

This episode covers concrete do's and don'ts: know your audience, don’t over-rehearse, invite questions early, use short personal stories to make ideas stick, and above all—shut up and listen.

Welcome back, listeners! In our long-awaited 2026 debut, Jeremy and Marc return to discuss how fake ideas—empty taglines, celebrity-dependent campaigns, and superficial marketing tactics—undermine true creativity and brand strategy. They share personal stories from agency life, critique examples, and explain why ideas must ladder to the brand, not just a catchy line or influencer.

They also explore how celebrities can boost recall yet overshadow the brand, and tease an upcoming video episode featuring a legendary guest.

Marc and Jeremy do a 2025 year-end wrap up, along with a 2026 prediction about brands that might just cause some anger issues. Which, strangely enough, is the whole point.

In accordance with universal law, Marc and Jeremy share their annual holiday gift-guide ideas, leading not only to some great gift ideas for that special creative someone, but also hallucinogenic exchanges about huffing, Bone Music, QWERTY and The Wizard of Oz. 

Below are the links to all the gifts we mentioned. And again, NO — we’re not getting a damn cent!

Thai Herbal Inhaler

Sphere Tix

The Book We Wish We Had

1440.com

Astropad Rock Paper Pencil

Printomatic Full-Color Instant Print Digital Camera

Custom Viewfinder Reel

Qwerkywriter

Bone Music

Hosts Jeremy Baka and Marc Levy continue part two of their interview with David Gluckman, a forty-year drinks industry veteran who created memorable brands like Bailey's, Sheridan's, The Singleton, and Smirnoff Black.

David shares behind-the-scenes stories about product development, marketing missteps, the value of ownership, how committees can strangle ideas, and practical takes on AI and design tools. He emphasizes the single-minded creative approach—"go for one answer"—and warns against failing expensively.

While sipping that Baileys Irish Cream, Smirnoff Black, or Tanqueray Ten this holiday, remember: somebody had to invent those delightful drinks—and his name is David. Author of “That Sh** Will Never Sell,” David Gluckman shares amazing tales of imaginating, formulating, making and marketing of some of the world’s most recognized spirits brands during the Mad-Men era, including the “one” rule that, even today, he never breaks when presenting to clients.

They dig into product invention, when to trust instincts over research, the power of committing to one bold idea, and lessons from a 40‑year global career in making iconic beverages.

A $2 million Wu-Tang Clan record. Scammers who lie about having cancer. Somewhere in that madness are two cool ideas. Marc and Jeremy share the concepts they simply can't give up on—waiting for just the right client to say “Yes!” Are they brilliant marketers or just two marketing dopes who don’t know when to give up on ideas that will never sell? You decide.

In this episode they share their favorite "dog with a bone" ideas—bold campaigns they loved but couldn't sell. They discuss controversy, persistence, facilitation, and when to keep pitching a daring idea.

A child faced with imminent incineration, the menacing stare of a creepy old man and deranged laughter. Hollywood’s next thriller? Hardly. They’re political ads. In this Election Day special, Marc and Jeremy discuss and dissect some of the nation’s most unforgettable campaign ads.

The hosts analyze these ads without taking political sides, consider how ads become cultural contagions, and invite a political strategist for a follow-up episode to deepen the discussion.

In this Part 2 episode of Presentation Horror Stories, Marc and Jeremy host two mystery guests who dish about a major grocery store chain. Listen in as the guests share what it feels like to have 17 clients in a room using your agency pitch team as their very own human pinatas.

The brief arrived through a third party with no clear budget, competing regional stakeholders (17 people in the room), and a disconnect between the agency's digital focus and the client’s in-store priorities. Communication gaps, lack of a client champion, and an incumbent agency ultimately doomed the effort.

Takeaways are simple: be selective about pitches, confirm scope and stakeholders before you present, win relationships before the room, and don’t be afraid to re-level set when a pitch veers off course.