Breakfast First: The Creative Media Podcast

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Senior Director of Product, Leigh-Ann Bortz to discuss their newest proprietary social listening and trend-spotting tool: Culture Tap. Leigh-Ann runs down the different applications and benefits of the platform, including trend data analysis, keeping tabs on your competition and unearthing rising trends before they reach their apex. Plus, she hosts a new game on the show, "Trending or Nah?" which uses Culture Tap to put our hosts trend knowledge to the test.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by ad tech vet and president of Martin, Lewis Rothkopf, to talk about the phasing out of third-party cookies and what it means for digital marketers. Lewis shares why folks in the industry shouldn't panic and should, instead, embrace the change. He then shares possible solutions and ramifications that can quell any uneasy marketer.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the SVP of Marketing at NBCU, Jamie Cutburth, to discuss the power of brand integrations on Bravo's hit show 'Top Chef.' Jamie details the process of brands appearing on the show and the work it takes to perfectly balance episode narratives with sponsorships. He also highlights Top Chef's diverse menu of cross-channel content that extends well beyond the weekly episodes. Bon appetit!

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's VP of Strategy Sharon McCafferty to breakdown the media trends for 2021. Sharon recaps the turn of events that transformed media consumption over the past year and a half and analyzes three booming areas: video, audio and social. Then, Sharon turns the tables and asks the hosts their approaches to media (as creatives).

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by two members of the dream meme team at Doing Things Media: Head of Brand Partnerships Austin Pollock and creator-turned-brand-partnerships expert Sam Graviet. They discuss memes' place in culture and commerce and the growing trend of branded collaborations across their diverse portfolio of meme social media accounts.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the founder of Rosebud CBD, Alexis Rosenbaum. Alexis shares how she broke into what is now a booming DTC and retail category and why CBD and other cannabinoids are here to stay. She also talks about the importance of education and word-of-mouth in her marketing strategy and the gray areas in paid advertising for cannabis-based products.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by blogger, content creator, interior designer and mom extraordinaire Brittany Hayes to talk about influencer marketing from the perspective of influencers. Brittany details her the launch and evolution of her popular blog and social media account, Addison's Wonderland. She also discusses the dos and don'ts for brands approaching content creators.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are rejoined by Empower's President and COO Rob FitzGerald to discuss agencies and advertising a little over one year past the pandemic. The three dig into how culture and camaraderie were essential to agency success before discussing the new Empower initiatives including DEI, EMerge and MediaAgent. As always, Andrea and Evan get Rob's thoughts on what lies ahead for the industry and discuss things like NFTs and Clubhouse.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Tziarra King, forward for the OL Reign of the NWSL. Last summer, Tziarra was a leading voice in the social justice movement when she courageously called out the owner of her previous team for racially ignorant and insensitive comments. She shares her path in her career to date, what it means to speak to power and how she's a part of progressing her sport. Empower's DEI Chair Connie Ross also joins the conversation and shares her perspective and personal ties to Tziarra.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by a super squad of Empower's very own to discuss advertising's biggest night. Then, they're joined by advertising vet and Auto Extremist author Peter DeLorenzo to discuss his work on various Super Bowl spots and his key ingredients to a great ad.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the EVP of Programming at Crown Media, Michelle Vicary, to chat the Hallmark Channel's epic holiday spectacular: Countdown to Christmas. Michelle shares some of the challenges producing the movies during the pandemic, her thoughts on Christmas competition from Netflix, and the continued infiltration of branded content into the mainstream.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by their Search Associate colleague Annette Echikunwoke... who also happens to be training for the 2021 Olympics. They chat about her training amidst COVID, her Olympic aspirations and her championship attitude towards work and life. Then, Annette tries to teach the hapless creatives how to hammer throw.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by psychic medium Melissa Alejandro, who shares her encounters with the afterlife and gives a medium reading of our office. Plus, Empower's very own recount their terrifying tales for the third annual Spooky Stories podcast! Listen if you dare.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by a host of Empower experts to preview Prime Day 2020. First, Director of Integrated Planning Diana Patterson and Director of Digital Integration Caitlyn Ford of Empower's Retail Center of Excellence give the lowdown on everything Prime Day, including strategies for brands to win the shopping extravaganza. Then, Senior Director of Search Chris Reebie hops on to discuss Prime's new competition and how to gameplan teams specifically for Prime Day.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the Senior Director of Audio Programming at ESPN, Pete Gianesini, to discuss ESPN's podcast content strategy response to COVID-19. Pete breaks down how the network leveraged "The Last Dance," changes to podcast development, ESPN's role in Black Lives Matter, the return of sports and much, much more.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower President and COO Rob FitzGerald to discuss how independent agencies can find themselves in a sunnier situation than their holding company counterparts during the pandemic. Rob also shares his thoughts on the future of work, Empower's efforts to help local business bloom and where we're heading amidst (and after) coronavirus.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Spotify's Head of North America Ad Sales Brian Berner to riff on the latest platform and advertising developments. Brian shares key insights on advertising solutions within the platform and discusses Spotify's recent podcast push, which includes notable industry plays towards exclusive content and acquisitions.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Food Category General Manager John Oghia and VP, Consumer Brand Strategy - Research & Insights, Esmee Williams of AllRecipes to discuss how their site has been a welcome respite and source of inspiration during the COVID-19 global pandemic. They share which trends are popping and detail how a wave of new cooks are now heading to their site in these unprecedented times. Then, Empower VP of Marketing Meghann Craig calls in to share how businesses can Make It Personal in times like these.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by a band of Empower folks representing creative, marketing, media and strategy to discuss the biggest night in the industry: Super Bowl LIV.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Director of Broadcast Media Rhonda McLeod to discuss the election cycle's impact on the advertising and media market. Rhonda leads Empower's Political Taskforce, which helps our clients and buying teams find the best opportunities to advertise during the topsy-turvy election season. Rhonda shares tips on how to plan, where to buy and how to avoid nestling ads next to contentious political programming.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks Bill Abbott to talk about Hallmark Channel's humongous holiday content machine, the Countdown to Christmas. Bill chats about the programming process, the value consumers and advertisers can gain from their wholesome content, and how the season - which now begins in October - has evolved over the last ten years.

Billy Price has been a pivotal figure in Empower's history since the early days of the company. He's lived an adventurous, illustrious life in marketing and advertising. In part two, he's interviewed by his son, Empower CEO Jim Price, and shares his stories and memories from his time at Empower and talks about where he thinks the company can go next.

Billy Price has been a pivotal figure in Empower's history since the early days of the company. He's lived an adventurous, illustrious life in marketing and advertising. In part one, he's interviewed by his son, Empower CEO Jim Price, and recounts his early days of work, his time with Leo Burnett (the company and the man himself), Kings Island and much more.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the Chief Product Officer and Head of Technology at Pandora and Sirius XM Chris Phillips, who shares Pandora's latest developments including their foray into podcasts, exclusive content and new technology. Chris details how their latest moves will try to keep Pandora atop the digital audio game.

Empower's very own recount their terrifying tales for the second annual Spooky Stories podcast! Listen if you dare.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney sit down with Empower's CEO and newly minted owner Jim Price to discuss the media elements of the direct-to-consumer boom. Jim answers how DTCs are successfully reaching out and establishing relationships with consumers and shares what traditional brick and mortar shops can learn from savvy DTC brands. Finally, he shares how Empower plans to immerse themselves into the DTC landscape to learn more for ourselves and our clients.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney mic up with Greg Leader, the VP of Advertising Partnerships at Midroll, to chat about the very thing they are recording: podcasts. Greg shares his vast knowledge on the podcast industry, how podcast ads are actually valuable content for listeners and why marketers should consider spending their media dollars on the rising platform.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Chief Creative Officer (and their boss) Tinus Strydom and SVP of Media Innovation Ryan Derrow to discuss Empower's Creative Media hybrid and why the need for creative and media to work together is more important than ever. Then, Billy Price shares one of his Evel Knievel stories from his days at Kings Island. For more on Creative Media and Empower, visit: empowermm.com

Empower CEO Jim Price interviews the two that started it all: his parents, Mary Beth and Billy Price. They share their fascinating journey through the advertising, media and marketing world in the Midwest, including stops at Leo Burnett, P&G and more. Then, Mary Beth recounts how and why she broke from P&G to start her own media agency. The rest is history.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney ring in the co-founder of FBE, Rafi Fine, to chat about Rafi and brother Benny's pioneering into online video content, FBE's blossoming YouTube community (with nearly 30 million subscribers), their über popular "React" series and the future of FBE's content machine. Then, in honor of Empower's "Make It Personal" value, FBE's Greg Trani joins to talk his personal journey towards FBE and how brands and agencies can team up with them.

Empower is at SXSW! While our team has been spread across Austin hitting up all the tech, talks and tacos, everyone had a chance to visit Facebook's Austin HQ for a day of sessions. Check out our top insights and learnings from the day at FB and follow our IG @Empoweragency for all our SXSW updates!

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney sit down with author, speaker and fellow podcaster ('The Accidental Creative' & 'The Daily Creative') Todd Henry to chat creativity, leadership, and his latest book "Herding Tigers." Andrea and Evan pick Todd's brain on unlocking creative potential, his day-to-day routine, and what makes an effective leader. For more on Todd, visit: www.ToddHenry.com

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the former SVP and Head of Communications at Dell, Stella Low. Stella dishes how she best delivered difficult messages for one of the world's largest corporations. She also shares why companies should talk about the good they're doing in the world and the best ways they can share their altruism without sounding immodest.

Empower's bright, creative and outspoken voices discuss the biggest night in advertising. From the ads to the game, the evening captivated few, so this episode breaks down the bright spots from the game, analyzes the flops and missed opportunities and posits what was missing from our industry's hallowed night. The podcast puts together a super cut of two separate roundtable discussions, which include Empower's SVP of Agency Strategy, SVP of Creative Media and Chief Creative Officer among others. Oh, and we also chat about Maroon 5....

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney introduce a new item to the Breakfast First menu: Hot Take Hotcakes. In the first installment of the mini-episode series, the two share their thoughts on Gillette's polarizing new ad: "We Believe: The Best Men Can Get."

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower President Rob FitzGerald to recap the year that was in advertising and agencies. Then, the gang predicts the trends and shifts that'll hit the industry in 2019 and posit why brands that take a stand can thrive in the New Year. In Rob's second appearance on the show, he becomes the pioneer member of the "Breakfast First" two-timers club.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by talented public speaker and touring violinist of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Roddy Chong. Roddy recounts some of his best stories - including his serendipitous audition for Shania Twain - and how his experiences and love of performance led him to become a professional public speaker. He also strings together how his process and approach can apply to brands, marketers and everyday life. At the end, Evan geeks out with Roddy about the time he reached out to play with the Dave Matthews Band.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by PR whiz and creator of the PR and Bad Pitch blogs, Kevin Dugan. Kevin covers his illustrious PR and agency career, the origins of the Bad Pitch Blog and his dream (and nightmare) PR clients. Then, he chats his switch to the "other" side, a.k.a. the client side, as he is now a Senior Global Communications Executive at Apex Supply Chain Technologies.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Jim Fisher, the founder and CEO of Roadtrippers. Over a breakfast of beermosas, Jim shares the Roadtrippers start-up story, the near shutdown of the company, and the resilience and determination of the start-up mentality. Then, the group chats about the map ahead for Roadtrippers and Jim's odd collections. For more on Roadtrippers, check out https://roadtrippers.com/

It's Halloween! In this special episode of Breakfast First, co-ghosts Evan Boo-laney and Andrea "Spooky Booky" listen in on scary stories from our own friends at Empower. Subscribe, rate, and hear all the haunts.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Apartment Therapy's VP of Sales Development, Chris Phillips, and Senior Account Executive, Chris Cortimiglia, for a chat about their well-oiled content machine, advertising with Apartment Therapy, and why the site is a preferred lifestyle destination for readers. The Chrises also bring along Millennial Bingo to see whose home is the most "millennial" of them all.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by the EVP of Brand Development at Ashley HomeStore, Kevin Hook, to talk about the changing retail landscape and how Ashley has been able to thrive while others are simply trying to survive. Spoiler alert: Empower has a little something to do with it. Kevin also shares how Ashley plans to corner every touch point of the consumer journey whether it's in-store or online.

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by HGTV's SVP of Programming And Development John Feld as he discusses his role in selecting shows for the TV titan and how the network is producing shows for streaming environments. Then, Clint Harp of "Fixer Upper" (HGTV) and "Wood Work" (DIY) joins the hosts for a quick round of speed dating to promote his new book "Handcrafted."

Empower's Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney sit down with their new boss, freshly minted President of Empower, Rob FitzGerald, to discuss his life's journey through the biz and how he landed in Cincinnati with Empower. Rob details the pit stops in his career from working around the globe to a venture with Kanye West before dishing on what it means to be a Creative Media agency.

Empower’s Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Social Media Specialist Allison O'Brien to talk the ins and outs of social media community management. Allison shares her experiences as the human behind the handle and explains why brands should interact with their social community no matter how big or small.

Empower’s Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney are joined by Empower's Senior Director of Programmatic Media Lindsay Pullins to chat Amazon's all-encompassing presence in the world, their impact on brands and traditional retailers, and Amazon's fast-emerging advertising capabilities. Lindsay and Andrea also try to persuade Evan to join the Amazon Prime population... perhaps to no avail.

Empower’s Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney sit down for breakfast with Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens digital engagement & publicity manager Angela Hatke and communications director Michelle Curley to reminisce about the social media strategy for hippo superstar Fiona. Angela and Michelle give tons of insights into how the journey of a pre-mature hippo put Cincinnati Zoo on the map and gave the community a platform for promoting the importance of conservation.

Empower’s Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney split pancakes with Marissa Luther, marketing director of the Bunbury Music Festival, and discuss the incredible effort it takes to pull off a three-day music fest. Learn how Bunbury selects its lineups, which partnerships help the festival thrive, and what brands can glean from bands. And, of course, they talk a little rock n' roll!

Empower’s Andrea Book and Evan Dulaney sit down with NFL veteran, entrepreneur, television star, and modern-day Renaissance man Dhani Jones to chat about his transition from professional athlete to astute businessman, the never-ending search for creative satisfaction, and the desire to break free from the “jack-of-all-trades” label. Later, the team bounces creative (and quirky) investment ideas off Dhani with hopes of launching their own hypothetical products.