It's No Fluke

Sophie “Lightning” Jamison is a content creator and Creator Partnership Lead at Anomaly, where she directs the development and execution of the agency's creator strategy. She also runs her own TikTok account with over two million followers and previously served as CTTO at Nerf, where she spearheaded creator strategy initiatives.Jamison is known for her authentic approach and distinctive online presence, helping brands integrate creators in meaningful and culturally relevant ways. She has worked with leading brands across entertainment, lifestyle, and consumer goods, building creator programs that drive both cultural impact and measurable results. Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2024, she has been featured on numerous media outlets and podcasts, sharing insights on creator partnerships, influencer strategy, and the evolving digital landscape.

Amanda Adams spent 20 years climbing the corporate ladder in sales and marketing before deciding the view wasn't worth it and jumping off entirely.She's lived in a lot of places and tried on a lot of identities along the way — but Nashville has always been home. The city she understands better than anywhere on earth. The place she keeps coming back to.Now she's channeling 20 years of hustle and a lifetime of Nashville love into something entirely her own. She's the host of The Nashville Insider podcast — taking listeners inside Music City's music scene, food scene, neighborhoods, and the fascinating people who make it all come alive. Her website, the ultimate insider's guide to Nashville, debuts in April 2026.Nashville has its insider. And she's just getting started.

Kailyn Nunn is Influencer Marketing Lead, North America at Canva, the world's leading all-in-one visual communication platform on a mission to empower the world to designKailyn Nunn is Influencer Marketing Lead, North America, at Canva, where she has built a world-class creator marketing engine from the ground up—scaling it from ad hoc activations into a global, strategic function in service of Canva's mission to empower the world to design.Joining Canva in 2020 as the company's first influencer marketing manager, Kailyn has shaped the creative direction of some of Canva's most impactful global campaigns, including Canva Create, Canva World Tour, and partnerships with internet-defining creators like Corporate Natalie and Dude With Sign. She believes in building a brand with creators - not just through them - to drive both cultural relevance at global scale.Today, Canva is one of the world's most widely used platforms on the internet, with 265 million people now creating 400 designs every second.Outside of work, Kailyn can usually be found walking her golden retriever, heading to Pilates, or scrolling social in the name of “research.”

Alyssa Meyers is a senior reporter for Marketing Brew who's covered sports for three years, with a particular interest in brand investment in women's sports. Prior to that, she wrote about podcast and audio advertising for Marketing Brew and Business Insider and was a data journalist for Morning Consult. She started her career covering crime and breaking news for the Boston Globe and the Virginian-Pilot.

Rebecca Larzik is the Head of Marketing at Stan. With nearly 20 years of marketing experience, she has led work for global brands including Chanel, Clinique, O'Neill, and GoPro. Prior to joining Stan, Rebecca served as Executive Producer of Global Marketing at GoPro, where she oversaw the content used to market the company's hardware and software products worldwide. Drawn to the freedom‑fighting spirit of the cannabis community and Weedmaps' mission to power a transparent, inclusive global cannabis economy, Rebecca joined Weedmaps in 2017. There, she oversaw all aspects of brand marketing strategy, helping establish Weedmaps as one of the first companies in the category to retain an entertainment marketing AOR (Wheelhouse Labs), secure a multi‑year partnership with Kevin Durant's Thirty Five Ventures, and continually find innovative ways to educate consumers about cannabis. At Stan, Rebecca now leads marketing strategy and major initiatives, including overseeing the Dare to Dream Challenge, a flagship contest designed to spotlight and support ambitious entrepreneurs building their personal brands with Stan.

Caity Bransby is a social marketing leader who turns live events into internet moments. She leads global social strategy for StubHub, building culture-driven content and creator programs that connect fans to what's happening now. Previously, she led social at NBCUniversal, across the Paris Olympics, scripted shows, and major live broadcasts. Her work blends data, fandom, and internet culture to help brands stay relevant where attention lives.

Michael Kaye is the Head of Brand for Match Group's ARCHER and OkCupid, and leads communications for the company's Evergreen and Emerging portfolio, including The League, Match, and Plenty of Fish. He is also an adjunct instructor at Columbia University and New York University.

Survivor-led nonprofit The SHERO Foundation and its agency partner Duncan Channon launched “Girlhood,” a pro bono campaign that reframes how sex trafficking is portrayed. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI2A9ve-uncThe work blatantly omits showing the crime itself and instead focuses on what trafficking takes away from girlhood. The work was created as part of Purpose, Produced, a partnership between Kevin Bacon's SixDegrees.org and Advertising Week that pairs top agencies with deserving nonprofits to create pro bono campaigns. The campaign includes a two-minute hero film and three 30-second spots that capture a diverse group of girls simply being girls: taking selfies, making TikToks, and going to school. Viewers hear the real stories of women who were trafficked as girls, describing what was stolen from them long before anyone noticed something was wrong.Lisa Hayden's involvement with SHERO began through a personal connection, but her commitment quickly evolved into transformative leadership. As the Founding Inaugural Chairperson of the Technology Committee, she helped build the operational infrastructure that supports the Foundation's mission. Her work strengthened systems, streamlined processes, and laid a foundation for growth during critical years of expansion.She then served six years on the SHERO Executive Board, helping guide strategic decisions and organizational development during a pivotal season for the Foundation. Today, as SHERO's Manager of Operations, Lisa ensures that vision becomes action — overseeing the internal structure, coordination, and day-to-day leadership that allows the mission to thrive.Jessea Hankins is an extremely online creative director and writer who was pulled into the vortex of advertising by fate. Her decades-long career began at Wieden+Kennedy (in the finance department! With a poetry degree!), flew through Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and landed at Duncan Channon. She can be blamed for work on brands like Sephora, Kettle Chips, the United Nations, Kona Big Wave, Horizon Organic, and the CA Department of Public Health – from their first anti-vaping campaign to the recent fentanyl prevention effort, “Facts Fight Fentanyl.” In between, she took a 4-year hiatus in the advertising wilderness before boomeranging back to DC to continue being very silly and very serious forever.

Stacey Richman is an accomplished communications executive with extensive experience shaping brand narratives across sports, entertainment, and digital media. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Head of Communications for DAZN and Whistle Sports. DAZN is a global sports streaming platform, while Whistle is a social publisher connecting athletes, brands, and original content across sports and culture. In this role, Richman led global communications strategy and played a key role in supporting the launch of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cuptournament.Prior to joining DAZN, Richman was Director of Consumer Communications at Group Nine Media, where she led communications efforts supporting several of the company's flagship digital brands, including The Dodo, PopSugar, Thrillist, and NowThis.Earlier in her career, Richman held communications roles at truTV and served as a publicist for Animal Planet.Richman began her career at CBS News before joining FerenComm, where she gained experience in media relations and agency communications. She later moved to Discovery Communications, where she led communications for the company's consumer products and advertising sales divisions.She is known for developing high-impact communications strategies that elevate brand visibility, support business growth, and connect audiences with culture-defining content.

Beth Everhart is Managing Director at AntiSocial, where she leads growth across North America and strengthens the agency's social-first, talent & partnership and media offerings. She brings senior leadership experience and a deep client background, guiding cross-functional teams and complementing AntiSocial's existing strengths with strategic perspective as the agency expands its footprint in North America. Previously, Beth served as Chief Client Officer at Pearpop and held senior roles at leading agencies working with brands including Microsoft and Snap.

Doug Straton, CMO, BazaarvoiceBefore joining Bazaarvoice, Doug served as the Chief Digital Officer at The Hershey Company, earning a Hot Topics/HP Top 100 Global CDO award, where he oversaw digital business development across marketing, sales, category management, product development, insights, and enterprise digital transformation. Before that, he held a series of global Marketing and Strategy leadership roles at Unilever, including VP of Digital, E-commerce, Omnichannel and Data, and Head of Global E-Commerce Strategy and Innovation.Doug is currently an advisor to DCG (Digital Commerce Global) and has also recently served as an advisor to NectarFirst, Catena Clearing, and Alert Innovation. Doug has been a featured speaker at academic institutions such as Wharton, NYU, and Penn State, as well as at leading industry events including NRF, FMI, and Shoptalk. His thought leadership has been featured in Business Insider, USA Today, and MarketWatch. He has been frequently quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Forbes. Doug lives in New York with his wife of 25 years, has a college-aged bodybuilding son, and a wildly enthusiastic French bulldog.

Christian Muche, Global President & Co-Founder of POSSIBLE, is a renowned global executive and business strategist operating at the intersection of the digital, marketing, technology, and event industries. Muche has worked with global brands and executives, including AOL, YAHOO, and FIFA, to bring successful results. He was the Co-Founder of DMEXCO which has become the leading and most international digital marketing event in the world. Seeing a gap in the marketing community, he believed the time had come for a new event experience created specifically for the entire marketing world which is POSSIBLE.

Badass Mamas is a media platform and community dedicated to working mothers who are rewriting what success, leadership, and care can look like. Co-founded by Jessalin Lam and Kat Richards, the platform shares unfiltered stories at the intersection of work, motherhood, identity, and healing. Grounded in lived experience, Badass Mamas examines the unlearning required to break generational patterns, heal the inner child many mothers are still carrying, and challenge the invisible labor and cultural expectations placed on women. The platform centers rest, growth, and purpose as necessary conditions for sustainable leadership, not luxuries earned after burnout.Listen to their podcast.

Sabrina Haschak is a brand partnerships and influencer marketing executive with over 20 years of experience spanning media, entertainment, and the creator economy. Currently leading brand partnerships at Beacons, she focuses on building innovative ways for brands to turn their creator marketing into a scalable growth channel. She has worked with leading brands including American Express, Resy, Clinique, Coca-Cola and Glossier.

Brian Keenan leads international strategy and AI consultancy for WE Communications, a ~$200M integrated marketing firm. Brian counsels senior leaders from companies such as Adobe, HEINEKEN and Amazon to succeed in an AI-enabled future. Latest interest areas including AI search, agentic commerce, synthetic audiences, and autonomous workflows. He is a regular presenter at industry conferences such as ICCO, PRCA, WARC, and Mumbrella across EMEA & APAC. He brings a global and grounded mindset to his work from living in four countries and raising three children.

Rebecca Bemhena is vice president, content at Shoptalk Luxe. She leads the editorial direction and research strategy for Shoptalk Luxe, with full accountability for the agenda and speaker lineup. Her work sits at the intersection of elevated retail, hospitality, and transformative technology, translating shifts in the premium consumer landscape into programming that is commercially relevant, insight-led, and built for senior decision-makers.With 11+ years of experience in content strategy and storytelling, she's motivated by bringing the right leaders into the right conversations at the moment the industry needs them most.

Charlotte Pavlik is the Chief Growth Officer at Gladiator Productions where she drives brand visibility, supports revenue growth, and showcases the company in high-impact environments. She's known for her strategic vision and flawless execution, building meaningful partnerships with global entertainment, luxury, & consumer brands like LVMH, Sol de Janeiro, and Live Nation while leading results-driven campaigns that push the envelope.Seth Dolan, Chief Creative & Experience Officer and Co-Founder of Gladiator Productions, has 20+ years of experience in live entertainment and experiential marketing under his belt for top clients like Pandora Jewelry, The Walt Disney Company, and AmorePacific. Dolan is a visionary creative and show producer who crafts immersive large-scale experiences that tie in storytelling, design, and brand strategy for global brands.

Dmitri Cherner is an influencer marketing leader and advisor known for building and scaling high-impact creator and ambassador programs from the ground up. At Future Influence, he partners with founders to turn creator relationships into sustainable growth engines for the entire marketing org.

Milton Correa and Jones Krahl are a creative duo with a drive for brand building, a passion for craft, and an obsession for business growth. From IBM's Smarter Planet, which redefined enterprise storytelling, to Coke Zero's first-ever Drinkable Campaign, to the Cannes Innovation-winning Illustrate Change, our work fuses bold ideas with tangible business impact.Their work spans digital shops, iconic agencies, product companies, design studios, and consultancies across both the U.S and Brazil.

Ashleigh Malangone is a lifestyle creator, host of The Eternal Entrepreneur Podcast and the Founder & CEO of Blaise, a tech startup building the missing infrastructure behind modern influencer marketing.After nearly a decade working as a content creator, strategist, and brand partner, Ashleigh recognized a fundamental flaw in the industry: creators were driving real-world consumer behavior, especially in physical retail, with no way to track, prove, or monetize their impact. Brands were investing heavily in creators, yet lacked verified attribution and clear ROI for in-store conversions. Blaise was built to solve that gap.Ashleigh built a highly engaged social audience and partnered with leading brands including META, Target, Estée Lauder Companies, REVOLVE, Bluemercury, and Tanger Outlets, to name a few. Her corporate background spans fashion and finance in NYC, giving her rare fluency across creative, commercial, and operational worlds.

Aimie Rigas is an audience engagement and growth expert. She is the Director of Audience Growth for Nine Publishing, which includes The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and all associated brands such as Good Food. In this role, Aimie is responsible for audience engagement, consumer subscription revenue and marketing.She is a board member of the Fairfax Foundation, which provides financial support to advance the health, education and welfare of people who work in, or have previously worked in, the media industry in Australia and their families.

Libby Rodney is Chief Strategy Officer at The Harris Poll, where she helps Fortune 100 executives decode cultural shifts and anticipate what's next. A futurist who has shaped strategies for leading organizations for over two decades, she's known as a "human decoder" who helps leaders see around corners.Her insights have commanded the stages of Davos, Cannes Lions, SXSW, and CES, and been featured in The New Yorker, Fortune, and CNBC. She's the author of "The Next Big Think!" and co-host of the "So Get This" podcast.

Eri Mizobe is a digital marketing leader with over 12 years of experience spanning influencer marketing, social media, and public relations. As VP of Digital at MSL, Publicis Groupe's creative communications agency, she leads integrated digital strategy and execution for global brands including KitchenAid and JM Smucker. She has worked with industry-leading companies such as Dyson, Estée Lauder, and Marriott International, driving innovative campaigns that connect brands with modern audiences. Outside of work, Eri enjoys traveling, film photography, cooking and planning her wedding in Malta.

Katarina Marossy is a talent architect and cultural operator redefining what modern creator representation looks like. Known as a disruptor in the industry, she has built a reputation for being deeply connected to Black and Brown creators while simultaneously carving out space in the automotive content world, two verticals rarely bridged with intentionality.A true entrepreneur at heart, Katarina founded Disrupt MGMT before co-founding Stealth TLNT, a next-generation talent management company focused on long-term brand building, equity participation, and scalable creator businesses. Within its first three months, Stealth generated over $1.2M in topline revenue and secured exclusive representation for powerhouse creators such as Collins and Devan Key, signaling both velocity and vision.Her approach goes beyond traditional brand deals. Katarina is focused on placing talent on cap tables, structuring influence-for-equity partnerships, and building operational systems that allow creators to evolve from personalities into enterprises.

Felipe Mendez is a 26-year-old professional. He is a Manager @ UTA Marketing's Next Gen Practice, formerly known as JUV Consulting (acquired). Next Gen is a Generation Z team that works with clients to help them connect with young people. Formerly JUV has worked with over 20 Fortune 500 companies, has been profiled by the New York Times. He has managed some of the largest brand and studio TikTok accounts on the platform including Lionsgate, ArthurPBS. Above all, he's a Gen Zer spending way too much time on TikTok, and considers himself a professional internet surfer and is ready to talk about it.

Kamla Pande is the VP of Talent at Fixated, a creative-first management company that acquired her boutique firm, Moondust Management, in 2025. At Fixated, she continues to steward the careers of top-tier digital creators while collaborating closely with internal teams and brand partners to drive strategic growth and long-term opportunity.Kamla founded Moondust in 2019 with a mission to help creators build sustainable businesses beyond the algorithm, and she brings that same values-driven approach to her role at Fixated. Her career spans leading digital media and talent firms including Maker Studios, StyleHaul, and YMU Group, with a track record of launching and scaling creator-led ventures across brand deals, tours, IP and more.

Over the course of Jeffrey Bowman's career, his work has impacted brands like Pepsi, P&G, Unilever, Dell Technologies, Verizon,  Wyndham, United, British Airways, Restaurant Associates,  Prudential, MetLife, Gap, Sears, IKEA, Whirlpool, Delta Faucet,  Behr Paint, Unilever, Planned Parenthood, Estee Lauder and  CoverGirl to name a few. Bowman is an industry thought leader, two-time award-winning Wiley published author,  Campaign US 40 Over 40, pocstock 2025 Top 50 Future of Black America and recipient of the David Ogilvy Beacon Award. Prior to starting Reframe Consulting Services in 2015, Bowman was a senior partner, managing director at Ogilvy, where he disrupted the $1T industry by starting the first cultural agency while pioneering a change operating system - The Total Market Approach that helped leaders accelerate growth that reflected the total addressable audience.

Leanne Perice is the Founder & CEO of Made By All, a leading digital management company focused on representing talent who are defining the creator economy and culture. Founded in 2017, Made By All was built on Leanne's early belief that creators would become the most powerful force shaping culture, media, and commerce. She is widely recognized as a pioneer of the creator economy and has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top digital managers and agents in the space.In 2025, she launched Made By Us, a cultural marketing and content division helping brands and celebrities operate like creators through viral storytelling, strategy, and social-first production.Clients include: Adam W, Hannah Stocking, Devon Rodriguez, Helen Owen, Haley Kalil and Amanda McCants

Christine Cyr Clisset is the special projects director for Wirecutter and co-host of The Wirecutter Show podcast. She has spent over 20 years in media covering home and consumer products. During her tenure at Wirecutter, she has overseen numerous categories, ranging from emergency preparedness to large-scale editorial initiatives.Wirecutter's recent three-part series detailing what two of their writers learned while recovering from the LA wildfires—and the vital lessons they can teach everyone. Listen to the three part series.

Alex Dahan, a fierce innovator with a passion for problem-solving, co-founded Open Influence in 2011. Alex has always had an entrepreneurial spirit which is what drove and ignited the idea of Open Influence. Shortly after graduating high school, Alex was searching for ways to advertise his clothing line when he turned to creators on Instagram with large followings. After finding success, Open Influence (originally Instabrand) was born. Over the decade in which Open Influence has been evolving, Alex dove into many other successful endeavors, including a startup studio, 0x Ventures, where he has developed products in the fields of SaaS, fintech, AI, and web3. layed a key role in securing many of the company's first major clients through his innovative and creative pitch decks. Alex also serves on the advisory board of electric car company Faraday Future (an OI client) and acts as a consultant to the Director of Innovation. Alex's creativity spills into his daily life into his many hobbies, including designing user-interfaces, drawing, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, playing guitar, and hiking with his two huskies. 

Marissa Kiersch is a seasoned event marketing and brand strategy leader with more than 20 years of experience creating high-impact experiential campaigns for Fortune 500 brands. As SVP & Head of Brand + Creative Strategy at 15|40 Productions, she leads the agency's positioning, creative vision, and strategic growth, helping clients deliver culturally relevant, unforgettable brand experiences. Her work spans large-scale immersive activations and tentpole events for brands including Paramount+, Hulu, ESPN, Disney, and Nickelodeon, with recent highlights such as Disney's Percy Jackson Experience at San Diego Comic-Con and ESPN's Party at the Playoff. Known for blending storytelling, innovation, and operational excellence, Marissa thrives on turning bold ideas into moments audiences can see and feel. She is passionate about pushing creative boundaries, mentoring teams, and building experiences that resonate long after the event ends.

Curtis Diggins is a cultural brand marketer who has worked with global companies like Nike and TikTok, as well as leading creative agencies, to build timeless campaigns and experiences. Beyond the work, Curtis is a proud husband and father of two.As careers evolve and our relationship with work continues to shift, Curtis finds himself in a moment of transformation, searching for a role that aligns with his values and reignites his creative spark. In a world where it often feels like everyone has it figured out, this is a conversation about embracing the search, and finding meaning in the answers uncovered along the way.

Lotte Jones is Chief Commercial Officer of Caliber, a multi-platform parent company defining a new era of journalism. Its portfolio of socially native, creator-led brands reaches more than 100 million users each month and includes The News Movement (TNM), delivering Gen Z-focused news; The Recount, covering U.S. politics; and Capsule, spotlighting lifestyle and cultural trends. Under her commercial leadership, Lotte oversees all partnerships, marketing and communications across the organization, as well as The Caliber Collective, a creative studio that produces digital campaigns for more than 25 major brands, including Amazon, KFC, Planned Parenthood, and Snap. Lotte brings over 20 years' experience leading and advising some of the world's biggest brands during moments of transformation and reputational scrutiny. She was also the first No. 1 female Creative Director in PR Week Powerbook. With a background spanning communications, corporate affairs, digital innovation and marketing, Lotte sits at the heart of our changing media landscape and is passionate about anything that has an impact on society and modern culture. Lotte has founded and sold her own communications agency in London, thrived building a start-up in New York and led global media companies.

Josh Horowitz is the creator and host of the long-running Happy Sad Confused podcast, which has become the destination for actors and filmmakers to speak openly about their craft. The show has broken entertainment news, gone viral, and drawn guests ranging from Jennifer Lawrence to Christopher Nolan. In the past two years, Happy Sad Confused has amassed over 200 million views and 750 million impressions across audio, YouTube, and social media. With Who's A Good Guest?, Horowitz – a devoted dog dad to the adorable Lucy, partners with BARK and brings that same mix of deep curiosity and joyful fandom to the dog world.Season one features a star-studded lineup of dog parents, including Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Johnny Knoxville, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Patrick Wilson. Each episode invites a celebrity and their dog into a conversation that's funny, honest, and a little chaotic. From balancing careers with dog care, to the challenges of training, to the unbreakable bond they share with their furry friend, guests reveal a side of themselves usually reserved for living rooms and dog parks.

Philip Pirkovic is a brand architect who bridges the gap between creative ambition and business reality. Having led teams both in-house and within the agency world, he possesses a unique ability to marry creative vision with operational excellence. He has worked with global icons, high-growth startups, and heritage brands, helping them navigate the complexities of modern brand building.During his recent tenure at Shinola, he oversaw Brand & Partnerships, spearheading the brand's cultural resurgence. Philip specializes in building brand platforms and strategic partnerships that transcend traditional advertising, turning brand moments into genuine cultural touchpoints. His work and insights have been featured in premier publications including GQ, Business of Fashion, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Adweek, and Complex.

There was a lot of buzz coming out 1 Billion Followers Summit. Leslie Morgan helped develop 75 sessions across 154 speakers and three stages led by Creators HQ and Nizar Salman. We talk about what went into this, what went right and what to expect next year and beyond.

Christina Ziroli-Leaman is a social media strategist who got her start in social by manipulating HTML on Myspace to make her profile pink and sparkly. Fast forward 20 years, and now she gets to do what she loves for a living, every single day, which she's eternally grateful for. Her experience spans edtech, higher education, and manufacturing - proving that great storytelling works anywhere there's a human on the other side of the screen. Christina believes that in a world that can feel heavy, social media should be a place for light and joy, where humor, empathy, and the occasional meme remind us we're all still connected. She lives in Birmingham, AL, with her husband Matt, their 7 month old daughter Naomi, their crazy dog Zelda and their sweet parrot Juju. When she's offline, you can find her reading and sipping coffee while snuggling her daughter. Her favorite pizza topping is pepperoni, her favorite thing in life is family and her fun fact? She once wrote Harry Potter fanfiction on Quizilla and honestly, the storytelling hasn't stopped since.

Kacy Ray is a Director of Sports and Brand Partnerships at Salesforce, where she leads high-impact collaborations across sports, media, and entertainment. She has partnered with some of the most recognizable names in sports and media, including the Indiana Fever, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, United Football League, Tottenham Hotspur, Fox Sports, and NBC to name a few.Her experience spans global brand campaigns, Olympic storytelling, athlete and celebrity partnerships, and multi-million-dollar media strategies that connect brand to demand across the funnel. Known for her data-driven approach, cultural fluency, and ability to navigate complex organizations, Kacy is passionate about helping brands tell authentic stories that resonate across generations and communities.Originally from Arizona, Kacy began her career in New York City in journalism and digital media before transitioning into brand strategy and partnerships. She's now based in the Midwest and is proud to call Indianapolis home. As a mother to two young kids, Kacy loves to teach and take Pilates and barre classes in her free time to keep her sane.

Oksana Kravchenko is the Head of Creator Partnerships at Manychat, where she leads global influencer and creator strategy across the US, Europe, and Brazil. She focuses on building scalable, creator-first partnership programs that drive real business results — from always-on creator ecosystems to product-led storytelling and long-term relationships. Over the past year, Oksana has scaled Manychat's creator partnerships 7x, built and led cross-regional teams, and worked with hundreds of creators across marketing, lifestyle, business, and education.With over 10 years of experience in creator partnerships, influencer marketing, and growth strategy, Oksana's background spans PR and show business to modern creator-led SaaS growth. She's dedicated to helping creators turn influence into opportunity — blending relationships, technology, and strategy to build programs that scale without losing the human touch.Manychat is a leading Instagram automation platform used by over 1.5 million creators and businesses across 140+ countries. Officially approved by Meta, Manychat automations are user-friendly ways to automatically reply to users' Comments+DM, Collect Emails, and Request your Commenters to Follow you. With this new solution, Manychat helps users maximize the value of their DM automations, significantly improving their ability to convert conversations into actionable outcomes. Manychat is also available on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and has recently become officially available for TikTok.

Miles Sellyn is the VP of Partnerships and Partner at Rare Days, a multi-disciplinary digital product agency. Elite creators partner with Rare Days to uncover and then capitalize on the innovative product opportunities that deliver value, create impact, and grow wealth.In his role, Miles oversees the platform and technology partnerships that are core to the agency's delivery, as well as being accountable for business development, sales and marketing, and initial stages of client strategy. 

Alexandra Vailas is the Head of Brand for Bad Birdie Golf, a golf apparel brand that challenges tradition and invites every player to show up as their bold selves. She has over 20 years of experience helping brands tell their stories, create memorable campaigns, and connect with communities in ways that stick. With experience as an influencer, agency leader, and brand executive, Alex brings a 360-degree perspective to executing campaigns that truly resonate. When she's not building brands, she's raising two kids and mentoring young professionals.

Maha Abouelenein is a strategic communication expert, best-selling author, and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience. As the CEO and Founder of Digital and Savvy, a global communications consulting firm with offices in the United States and United Arab Emirates, Maha has been instrumental in orchestrating transformations in communication strategies for clients that include global corporate giants, high-growth startups, sports organizations, top governments, CEOs, and high-net-worth individuals. In 2024, Maha released her debut book, 7 Rules of Self-Reliance: How to Stay Low, Keep Moving, Invest in Yourself, and Own Your Future which became a USA TODAY bestseller and provides a transformative guide on mastering self-reliance. Raised and educated in the United States to Egyptian parents, Maha is at home in both Western and Arab worlds, offering a global perspective that translates into her work. She serves as a bridge between cultures, providing invaluable support to companies and high-profile executives seeking to navigate business opportunities in the Middle East market, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. She is active in the tech, sports, entertainment, and gaming industries. Maha is an Advisor to the BRIDGE Alliance, Lockchain.ai, JumpShot (the Top Golf of Basketball), the Global Gaming League, sits on the Global Board of Directors of the Associated Press, and is on the Board of the Animal Humane Society. Maha handled communications for some of the world's largest tech companies in the Middle East—from Google and Netflix to Udacity and Careem (Uber Middle East)—and more. She helped PR giant Weber Shandwick cement their presence in the Middle East, opening 18 offices in the region and leading the Cairo operation. She supported the largest IPO and the largest acquisition in Egypt's history at Orascom Telecom.

With over 30 years of creative leadership, Adele Mulford has served as strategic visionary for top global for-profit and nonprofit brands. From the highly disciplined world of finance to the heartfelt needs of children's health, she tackles the complex nature of brands head-on, and builds ground-breaking creative strategies that generate tangible results. Adele loves a good challenge, and believes that no matter the situation there is always boundless opportunity to unlock dynamic creative and operational solutions that cultivate stronger businesses – and people.Adele launched The Cultivate Company in 2022: A brand, creative and marketing firm that promises to elevate the people, companies and communities it serves.

In this episode, we sat down with John Sampogna, co-founder and CEO of Wondersauce, to unpack the evolution of agencies in a results-driven world. John shares how his team shifted from selling services to delivering measurable outcomes, the mindset needed for value-based client relationships, and why accountability, not billable hours, is the real differentiator for agencies today. They also dive into how human creativity and collaboration with in-house teams shape modern campaigns, and why every “last mile” matters in driving business growth.

Elizabeth Pigg is the Chief Communications Officer of That's it., makers of the No. 1 Fruit Bar in America. She joined the company in 2020 as Vice President of Marketing and was later promoted to Chief Marketing Officer, where she led efforts to strengthen its digital presence, eCommerce, and influencer marketing. In 2024, she pivoted her role to Chief Communications Officer, returning to her roots in brand storytelling and media strategy after nearly two decades as a senior leader at Edelman.At Edelman, Elizabeth led digital communications and marketing for several brands, most notably Ben & Jerry's, helping the brand stay culturally relevant while driving impact. Her experience spans public relations, social media, and integrated marketing strategy. She currently serves as Marketing Chair of the FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) Advisory Council, has contributed to Forbes, and is a jury member for the Digiday, Effie, and Shorty Awards.Originally from Chicago and now based in Los Angeles, Elizabeth is also a classically trained violist and vocalist, a voiceover artist, and serves on the Board of Directors for Angels Nest, supporting youth aging out of foster care.

Camille Dagorn is an award-winning creator and influencer marketing expert with more than a decade of experience building high-impact campaigns for global brands including L'Oréal, Unilever, Pernod Ricard, GoPro, and Mastercard. As the VP, Creator Partnerships for McCann New York, she is known for scaling social-first programs, designing creator-led brand initiatives, and driving measurable growth across beauty, lifestyle, tech, and consumer verticals. Camille is passionate about creating meaningful, unforgettable moments for creators and audiences.

Alex Athanasiou is Managing Director at COLLINS, the transformation consultancy honored as “Firm of the Year” 6 times in the last 7 years by AdAge and the D&AD. Alex created the consultancy's new Cultural Capital practice, developing cultural strategies, stages and products for brands. He also directs productions and PR across the COLLINS portfolio, launching over 50 projects in the last three years to maintain the consultancy's positions as one of the most creatively awarded firms in the world.

GIPHY/Censuswide Group Chat study for a deeper dive into the numbers.Alix McAlpine is a creative and strategy leader with experience at the intersection of media, technology, and advertising. She has built and led high-performing teams, launched new products, spearheaded hundreds of impactful branded content campaigns, and developed systems that enable revenue-generating creative organizations to scale while executing flawlessly.As VP Client Solutions and Advertising at GIPHY, Alix oversees global advertising strategy and client solutions, leading the execution of all sales collateral and proposals, product innovation and marketing, packaging, and creative production. Previously, she led the Creative Strategy group at GIPHY, where she launched the Creators Club, a collaborative community and incubator supporting up-and-coming creators. Prior to GIPHY, Alix was part of BuzzFeed's creative leadership as Head of International Creative, overseeing branded content across six markets and running the Creative Fellowship program, which accelerated talent development during BuzzFeed's boom years. Her work at GIPHY earned her a spot on AdWeek's Creative 100, and multiple Webby Awards. Alix has served on the Shorty Awards jury since 2020.

Fahad Khawaja is your favorite community builder's favorite community builder. Marketing and innovation leader turned creator, social entrepreneur, podcast host, author, & speaker, he is the CEO and Chief Content Officer of Hue. Award-winning thought leader, panelist at major conferences, industry awards judge, lecturer at universities, & frequent guest on podcasts, he deeply believes in the power of community as a force for good.

With over 10 years of experience in the consumer space, Lauren Roth has helped brands grow their community through building out and running their influencer marketing, community engagement, UGC and brand partnerships programs. Brands include Otherland, United Sodas, Candy Crush, Daiya, Cricut, Lululemon and more.

This is a conversation about augmenting, not automating, creativity.Leslie Walsh is the Head of Strategy at RYA, the AI SaaS provider that's creating innovative campaigns for name brands. Leslie's experience as an advertising veteran includes leading brand and digital strategy for some of the world's biggest brands like MINI Cooper, Nestle, Oscar Mayer and AT&T. Leslie is a graduate of the University of Georgia.