WORKING MEDIA with Rafael Bracero

#14 - Narrative Ads Founder Francisco Cheng

The ultimate challenge for modern CPG startups isn’t just creating a great product—it’s navigating growth, retail distribution, and fundraising simultaneously. In Episode #14, Rafael Bracero brings together the brilliant minds behind the upcoming CPG Convergence Conference (taking place June 25, 2026, in Los Angeles).

Subriana Pierce (Navigator Lighthouse Foundation) and Chirag Sagar (Mission Matters Media) break down the blueprint for building multi-generational wealth on grocery shelves and securing high-impact capital.

📌 What You’ll Learn:

• The "Valley of Death": How to survive the cash flow crunch when scaling from local success to national retail accounts like Walmart or Kroger.

  
  

• Investor Metrics: The top data points VCs and Angel Investors look for beyond simple sales numbers.

  
  

• AI & Narrative Alignment: Leveraging cutting-edge AI tools to drastically cut marketing acquisition costs and create an "intention economy" for your brand.

  
  

🔗 Event Links & Resources:

🎟️ CPG Convergence Conference Registration: lu.ma/rmoecmqx

🌐 Navigator Lighthouse Foundation: navigatorlighthousefoundation.org

🎥 Watch the NLF Retail Success Video: NLF Spotlight Video

If you found value in this episode, please Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more insights pulled straight from the marketing trenches! 💥

#12 - At the Nexus of Economics & Media Advertising - Brian Weiser - Founder, Madison & Wall

OUR GUEST:

Brian Weiser - Founder, Madison & Wall; xCMO at Simulmedia; xGroupeM; xDeutche Bank.

OUR CONVO:

BRIAN WEISER, often called “Madison Avenue’s De Facto Chief Economist” and a highly respected figure in the media and advertising industry. We discussed (taped in June 2023) Upfronts, Newfronts, the WGA strike and the current state of media buying for linear and CTV.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

[email protected]

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

https://madisonandwall.com/home

OUR GUEST:

Marissa Gomes - Senior Director of Marketing, Kiva Brands; xMattel; xDelMonte

OUR CONVO:

In honor of Women's History Month, Marissa joins us in the podcast to tell the story of her career journey as a female marketing leader in CPG and drops some great nuggets of wisdom for up-and-coming female marketers.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Linkedin:

linkedin.com/in/marissa-gomes-91a842

Guest Book Reco:

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't By: Simon Sinek

https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/

https://www.audible.com/pd/Leaders-Eat-Last-Audiobook/0593291352?plink=mGBRpBqRAEYgW4Wb&ref=a_pd_Summar_c5_adblp13nvtcf_1_1&pf_rd_p=fbdf1dfd-e2e7-4467-a3d0-fc0dc177899c&pf_rd_r=AV83E9JDRA8QC45S3A68&pageLoadId=K7of14ZVGoLQ7Lw4&creativeId=bc14d9ea-6326-4915-8f44-2bb7a157715e

OUR GUEST:

OUR CONVO:

Ida joins the podcast to share her career and personal journey through the prism of the The Hero's Journey. Along the way, she imparts many insights along her path in a remarkable marketing career (encompassing innovation, strategy, research, GTM, etc.) and some advise for up and coming marketers.

A quick primer on "The Hero's Journey" framework for context:

https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2013/lessons/Heros-Journey

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Linkedin:

linkedin.com/in/idaabdalkhani

linkedin.com/company/abilitytoengage/

P&G Podcast -  Learning from Leaders: https://www.pgalums.com/podcast/

Guest Book Reco: "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown

https://www.audible.com/pd/Essentialism-Audiobook/B00IWZ6XGA?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp&shareTest=TestShare

09: Brand Innovation - Nikki Mamuric - NPD Director & Fmr. Brand Director, Sargento Foods; Fmr. Marketing Director, L'Oreal; P&G Alum

OUR GUEST:

Nikki Mamuric, NPD Director, Sargento Foods Inc. & AdWeek Executive Mentee

OUR CONVO:

Nikki joins the podcast to share highlights from her distinguished marketing career (starting with our days as ABMs at P&G) and encompassing her brand innovation leadership at companies ranging from CPG food to health & beauty.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Linkedin

linkedin.com/in/nikkimamuric

OUR GUEST:

Kris Holmes

Author of "Ignite Your Career!: Strategies and Tactics to Unleash Your Potential"

Principal & Executive Recruiter, O'Connell Group, LLC

OUR CONVO:

Kris returns to the podcast by popular demand to offer a deep-dive conversation into career best practices for mid-career marketing professionals drawn from her best selling book "Ignite Your Career!: Strategies and Tactics to Unleash Your Potential"

Our conversation is divided in 3 parts:

1) Getting the Job 

2) Keeping the Job & Navigating the Culture

3) Leveling up your Marketing Career 

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Website

www.igniteyourcareerbook.com

Email

[email protected]

[email protected]

OUR GUESTS:

Dan Terek, Dir. of CTV/OTT Strategy, MNTN

Mouton Hennessee, Account Exec / Partnerships, MNTN

OUR CONVO: Performant CTV & recent rebranding of Steelhouse to MNTN

DAN TEREK

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-terek

https://nrfconverge.nrf.com/    Webinar: "The Top3 Connected TV KPIs & Benchmarks Every Retailer Needs to Know" by Dan Terek

MOUTON HENNESSEE

[email protected]

LINKS:

https://mountain.com

https://deadline.com/2021/06/mntn-acquires-ryan-reynolds-maximum-effort-marketing-1234780296/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ryan-reynolds-maximum-effort-marketing-mntn-acquisition-1234972384/

OUR GUEST:

Austin Strauss, Director of Programmatic, iNvolved Media

OUR CONVO:

Programmatic Advertising - Present & Future Trends

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

linkedin.com/in/austin-strauss-b329bb168

[email protected]

OUR GUEST: Aparna Mukherjee, JSK Stanford Community Impact Fellow; Civic Technologist aka Hypewoman for Local + Democratic Voice; Priors: @NYTimes @Bloomberg @WSJ @McKinsey 

OUR CONVO: Clubhouse, Cause Marketing & Micro-Influencers

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

@aparnamuk (Twitter; IG)

https://jsk.stanford.edu/fellows/class-of-2021/aparna-mukherjee/

MORE INFO:

https://haas.stanford.edu/news/more-35-colleges-and-universities-take-part-nations-largest-deliberative-democracy-event-young

Clubhouse: FutureProof (Saturdays eves) - co-hosted by Aparna M.