‘Jordan The Stallion,’ Jenny Hoyos, Misha Brown, V Spehar, Ziad Ahmed, Shira Lazar, and companies like Liquid Death, LTK, Boobie, Smosh, NFL all have one thing in common – It’s No Fluke they found success.
Each week, we unpack the highs, lows, and untold stories of culture and creativity with top creators, brands, agencies and thought leaders.
New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday. Stay tuned!
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A Shorty Award winner and Real Time Academy member, Jeff Barrett works with major influencers and brands like Adobe, Experian, Oracle, FIS and more on communications and influencer strategy. He spent three years traveling to almost every state in the country writing about startup ecosystems for Inc and Entrepreneur. After years of talking for a living, he's ready to listen and amplify the voices of amazing people, stories and ideas.
The Business of Creativity, part of the Whalar Group, launched Beyond Your Limits, a first-of-its-kind 7-week course created in partnership with former Nike Chief Marketing Officer Greg Hoffman. Built for modern Athletes, the program empowers them to confidently express who they are, shape their narrative on their own terms, and unlock opportunities that extend well beyond the game.
Greg Hoffman is a global authority on brand leadership, the former Chief Marketing Officer of Nike, and founder of the brand advisory group Modern Arena. Over a 27-year career at Nike, he held senior roles across marketing, design, and innovation, most recently serving as Vice President of Global Brand Innovation, where he led teams exploring the future of storytelling and consumer experience. Today, through Modern Arena, Greg helps brands and leaders build bold, distinctive identities that inspire connection and cultural impact.
Ben Lee is an entrepreneur and investor committed to unlocking human potential through creativity. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Business of Creativity, a platform that partners with leading experts to help individuals and organisations harness creativity as a strategic advantage. Previously, Ben was a partner at The Garage Soho where he led investments into a portfolio of early-stage consumer startups, supporting founders as a board member and helping them scale through building distinctive brands. Ben continues to champion creativity as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and cultural impact.
Ayden Syal is the Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder at MOGL, the leading athlete influencer marketing platform. He has been named to Sports Business Journal’s New Voices Under 30 list, has been recognized as a Sports Business Journal NIL Power Player, and won the 2022 SXSW Pitch competition on behalf of MOGL. MOGL was also recognized as part of the Forbes 30 Under 30.
Prior to founding MOGL, Ayden held key roles at Morgan Stanley, Lexington Partners, and S&P Global. His diverse professional background has positioned Ayden as a visionary leader in the NIL space, where he is dedicated to helping brands reach Next-Gen audiences at scale and with precision.
Ayden graduated from the University of Notre Dame, served on the Young Alumni Board at the University of Notre Dame and is a proud partner of SeeHer and Every Kid Sports.
Diandra Binney is Director of Communications, North America at Xero, a global small business platform that helps owners supercharge their businesses with smart automation, strategic insights and expert support. With nearly 15 years of experience in B2B technology communications, Diandra specializes in building powerful brand narratives that drive market leadership and business results. At Xero, she leads the North American strategy for media relations, executive visibility and corporate reputation across the region. Before joining Xero, held senior roles at several high-growth agencies, where she played a pivotal role in helping clients navigate periods of rapid scaling, funding rounds and new market entry.
Jacques Keyser is the Director of Programming at VidCon, where he leads the strategy and execution of event programming across the US and international markets. With over 15 years of experience in music, entertainment, and the creator economy, he has worked with leading platforms, labels, creators, executives, and global brands.
At VidCon, Jacques has helped launch and scale events worldwide, curating industry-leading programming that unites creators, executives, and fans on a global stage. Previously, he held senior roles in talent management and artist development, shaping the careers of top UK digital and music talent while building strategic partnerships across the industry. Jacques also shares insights on the creator economy through his bi-weekly VidCon industry newsletter.
Jessy Grossman is a long time entrepreneur in the digital media space. She's passionate about supporting women in business and being at the forefront of innovation. She’s been quoted in the New York Times (again here), Forbes and was awarded a spot in the “Influencer Top 50” by Talking Influence. In less than two years she created one of the fastest growing influencer talent agencies in the country. Amidst unprecedented growth, she sold the multi-six-figure agency and pivoted to focus on her long-time passion project: Women in Influencer Marketing (better known as WIIM). Founded in 2017, WIIM is the premiere professional organization for those who work with influencers.
The community offers networking and new business opportunities, career services, continuous education and so much more. Jessy also does consulting, advising and influencer marketing recruiting through her consultancy Tribe Monday. You can find inspiring stories and more about Jessy on the WIIM Podcast. Check out iamwiim.com and tribemonday.com for more information.
Aidan Brannigan is the Founder of No Boring Brands, the content agency making Memes + Skits for Fortune 500 companies, SaaS Unicorns, and legacy brands. They are generating 100s of millions of organic views for their B2B clients via evergreen content and built the largest marketing meme page on IG in less than 2 years. He lost $500k in crypto when he was 20, lost a spam eating contest to Joey Chestnut in front of 14,000 people and can probably hit a 4 hybrid further than you.
He spoke at SXSW about memes - is a twin - his mom checks his follower count every day and takes a screenshot, so you better follow or you'll upset her - Featured in AdAge for a skit filmed in his bed.
Julie Alvin is a digital media executive, consultant, editor, and speaker. She has led cross-platform content strategy at brands like Refinery29, TheSkimm, InStyle, Real Simple, and Bustle, and now has her own content strategy and brand marketing consulting practice, taking on clients across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wellness, tech, politics, and the nonprofit space. She is a former adjunct professor for NYU’s master’s in publishing program, a founding member of Chief executive women’s network, a board Member at FOKO, and a former regular on Fox News.
Julie's still very relevant piece in Adweek.
Bill Zimmerman is an assistant teaching professor in the department of advertising and public relations in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. He’s the author of “Understanding the Creator Economy: Making Digital Media Work for You,” published by Kendall Hunt. He teaches courses such as Digital PR and PR Campaigns, and in the spring semester will offer Digital Content and the Creator Economy, a new course launching Penn State's content creator certificate program. Prior to teaching, he worked as a newspaper reporter and public relations professional in higher education. He also holds the Accreditation in Public Relations.
With 15 years’ experience spanning some of fashion’s most influential global names, including Stella McCartney, Farfetch, and Net-a-Porter, followed by senior roles in both nimble independents and major network agencies, Lucinda Bounsall brings a rare blend of brand-side insight and agency-honed expertise. Her practice is rooted in both doing and thinking, interrogating outdated models and reimagining how strategy is applied for the way modern brands actually operate. The result is a sharper, more culturally attuned approach that bridges big-picture vision with tangible impact.
If you haven’t seen the ad just yet, “Driven” kicks off with a high-octane brand campaign starring Chalamet and directed by Oscar-nominee James Mangold (A Complete Unknown, Ford v. Ferrari). The spot blends cinematic flair with automotive innovation, with Chalamet and a bride (played by Larsen Thompson) hijacking the Lucid Gravity SUV from a top-secret desert facility in a two-minute “director’s cut.”
Akerho “AK” Oghoghomeh is the Senior Vice President & Global Head of Marketing at Lucid Motors, where he’s redefining what it means to build a premium brand in the EV space. Known for blending creativity, culture, and strategy, AK has led some of the most transformative campaigns in food, beverage, and now mobility. At Lucid, he’s steering global storytelling and cultural partnerships around the launch of the Gravity SUV and beyond.
Before Lucid, AK was Chief Marketing Officer at Beyond Meat, where he helped reshape how people think about food, and Senior Vice President of Marketing at Red Bull North America, where he drove record-breaking U.S. growth. From scaling Amazon’s recruitment engine to building lifestyle movements with Red Bull, AK thrives on turning bold ideas into brands that inspire.
Ian Grody is Chief Creative Officer of Giant Spoon, an independent, integrated agency that expands the ways people experience brands. As the only creative agency on Fast Company’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies 2023 and #1 in its Advertising category, Giant Spoon is known for turning marketing upside down. Obsessed with culture and driven by insatiable curiosity, the agency is composed of teams across creative, media, and strategy to stir shit up for ambitious brands.
Leading creative at Giant Spoon, Ian has produced award-winning work for clients like Lucid, Autodesk, HBO, Johnnie Walker, Netflix, Away, Marvel, and Savage x Fenty across offices in New York City and Los Angeles.
Over the course of his career, Ian has been named one of Adweek's 100 People Shaping Culture and Media and included on The Drum's 100 Most Awarded Creative Directors in the World. Ian has written superhero shows, dystopian thrillers, and raunchy country musicals for networks like MTV, SyFy, and CMT; optioned features domestically and abroad; and published a graphic novel with AWA Studios and The Tribeca Film Festival.
