Podcasts about akqa

Do you welcome the sounds of silence? Shu Hung is the Global Chief Creative Officer of AKQA. In a complicated world, Shu has learned that knowing who you are is the foundation on which leadership success is built. Please come as you are. There is such profound truth in that request, and such enormous challenge. We spend so much of our lives wondering if we measure up, if we're doing things the right way, if we have approval from the right people. And the energy that's required in all of that self doubt is not just exhausting, but it denies us access to the instincts, the consciousness, the confidence that creativity thrives on. Life is a journey that at the end will only be judged by the one person that matters, you. And the sooner we discover who we are, the sooner we can discover what we're capable of. Please come as you are. Words to live by.

Today we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from season one where Lucy sat down with Sarah Cunningham, an executive leader at AKQA and a winner of the Golden Gloves tournament at Madison Square Garden.In this conversation, Sarah shared her inspiring journey from Ireland to NYC and the transformative coaching experience that helped her achieve alignment between her personal and professional life.A lot has changed for Sarah since we first shared this episode, so next week she'll be back on the show to give us an update on her journey! We'll also be sharing a new coaching container we're launching for our community this spring.Before then, tune in to this inspiring conversation where we explore:[3:15] Sarah's career dreams as a little girl and what advice she would give that little girl now[5:19] Inner Wisdom and how to know when you are in alignment with your values[15:27] What happened when Sarah had the courage to integrate her two worlds and share them publicly with others[19:19] Sarah's story of stepping into the ring at Madison Square Garden to finally achieve her dream.[23:46] The power of asking for help and activating your Board of Advisors.[27:30] Sarah's final pearl of wisdom using a boxing metaphor of not staying in the pocket too long Stay connected:Check out The Murmuration CollectiveConnect with us on Instagram & LinkedInSubscribe to our monthly newsletter  ⌾ We're launching virtual career coaching cohorts! If you're yearning for support as a leader and want thought partners in navigating your career, we begin March 6th. Join us.

Campaign US takes a look back at our podcast conversations throughout 2024, including conversations with Dow Jones and Wall Street Journal CMO Sherry Weiss, AKQA president Tesa Aragones and Annex88 CCO Andre Gray. campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US.

In this conversation, AKQA president Tesa Aragones discusses the business challenges keeping her up at night, her experience creating 12 patents for Nike and shares a touching, personal story during her time working with Kobe Bryant on product innovation. Prior to AKQA, she worked at major brands like Nike, Discord and VSCO. Aragones also shares valuable advice to the next generation of CMOs and creatives. campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US.

In addition to the in-depth conversations with each guest on our show, we have a lightning round segment where we ask each guest to respond on the spot without seeing the questions in advance. This week, we welcome back Julie Channing, a seasoned marketing leader with an impressive portfolio spanning Levi's, Google Nest, and Allbirds, to hear her alternative career choices, next travel destinations, favorite food, and much more.A brand builder at heart with a digital backbone, Julie Channing has spent nearly 25 years building and nurturing beloved world-class brands and marketing teams. She spent the first half of her career on the agency side, predominantly working at AKQA where she led client relationships with Gap Inc., McDonald's and Palm Pilot. Her brand-side experience spans legacy businesses to early stage start-ups across a breadth of industries, including Levi's, Google Nest and Allbirds – where she was the first hire and responsible for building the brand and marketing organization from the ground up. Today, Julie has her own marketing consultancy and advisory practice, working with consumer-led, purpose-motivated brands looking to scale their business and elevate their team.Episode References:Julie Channing | LinkedInRei Inamoto | InstagramRei Inamoto | XI&CO | Corporate SiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What skills are the most important for marketing in today's environment and beyond?In this week's episode, we welcome back Julie Channing, a seasoned marketing leader with an impressive portfolio spanning Levi's, Google Nest, and Allbirds, to explore the essential skills required for today's marketers. Key topics include the importance of curiosity, balancing art and science, and the necessity of collaboration in marketing. Julie highlights the ever-evolving landscape of marketing and how staying curious can make a significant impact. She also stresses the importance of combining storytelling with data for effective marketing and leveraging teamwork to achieve collective goals.A brand builder at heart with a digital backbone, Julie Channing has spent nearly 25 years building and nurturing beloved world-class brands and marketing teams. She spent the first half of her career on the agency side, predominantly working at AKQA where she led client relationships with Gap Inc., McDonald's and Palm Pilot. Her brand-side experience spans legacy businesses to early stage start-ups across a breadth of industries, including Levi's, Google Nest and Allbirds – where she was the first hire and responsible for building the brand and marketing organization from the ground up. Today, Julie has her own marketing consultancy and advisory practice, working with consumer-led, purpose-motivated brands looking to scale their business and elevate their team.Timestamps:0:03 Essential Skills for Modern Marketers: Curiosity, Balance, Collaboration5:31 The Lost Ring: A Revolutionary Marketing Campaign for McDonald's11:55 Resilience, Teamwork, and Mindfulness in Professional and Personal Life16:52 Navigating Career Changes and Personal Fulfillment21:25 Julie Channing's Career Insights and Soccer SkillsEpisode References:Julie Channing | LinkedInRei Inamoto | InstagramRei Inamoto | XI&CO | Corporate SiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brand-building at Allbirds began with a clear purpose: “to reverse climate change through better business.”In this week's episode, we welcome Julie Channing, former CMO and Global VP of Marketing at Allbirds, to explore the fundamental principles behind Allbirds' exceptional branding success since its launch in 2016. Julie recounts her early days at Allbirds, from joining as the first full-time employee to helping the brand craft a compelling narrative and marking its territory in a competitive landscape dominated by giants like Nike and Adidas. The conversation covers crucial steps in building a brand, including establishing a clear purpose, engaging PR and social media strategies, and staying true to the brand's core values.A brand builder at heart with a digital backbone, Julie Channing has spent nearly 25 years building and nurturing beloved world-class brands and marketing teams. She spent the first half of her career on the agency side, predominantly working at AKQA where she led client relationships with Gap Inc., McDonald's and Palm Pilot. Her brand-side experience spans legacy businesses to early stage start-ups across a breadth of industries, including Levi's, Google Nest and Allbirds – where she was the first hire and responsible for building the brand and marketing organization from the ground up. Today, Julie has her own marketing consultancy and advisory practice, working with consumer-led, purpose-motivated brands looking to scale their business and elevate their team.Timestamps:0:03 Julie Channing's Journey from AKQA to Marketing Leadership3:54 Building Allbirds from Scratch: A Leap of Faith12:56 Allbirds' Mission to Reverse Climate Change Through Better Business17:47 Crafting a Powerful Brand Story for Allbirds22:30 Making Better Things in a Better Way26:26 Early Wins and Strategic Breakthroughs for Allbirds' Brand30:40 Embracing Authenticity and Experimentation in Social Media Marketing36:51 Consumer Feedback Drives Allbirds' Gender-Neutral Color Strategy38:51 The Importance of Authenticity and Purpose in Brand Communication43:05 Building Brand Loyalty Through Local Community Engagement51:29 City Collaborations and a Major Partnership with Shake Shack53:24 Creative Collaboration Between Shoe and Burger Brands55:19 Building Brands with Purpose and Navigating Social Media Evolution59:41 Building World-Class Brands Through Purpose, Edutainment, and Common EnemiesEpisode References:Julie Channing | LinkedInRei Inamoto | InstagramRei Inamoto | XI&CO | Corporate SiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jade Tomlin - ECD at Huge Inc and previously Group CD at AKQA. Tune in to hear what it takes to truly stand for what you believe in, lead as an introvert and have the persistence to make great work (especially when everyone else has given up). Listen to podcast here:https://thecourageousleaderspodcast.buzzsprout.com/Register to join Leaders Connect Roundtables here:https://thechangecreators.com/leaders-connect/Jade shares how the book ‘Quiet' by Susan Cain  inspired her.She also runs a journal and workshop series call CreativeAdventur.es which was inspired by talks she had with  Riverford Organice Farmers and Mette Lykke CEO at Too Good To Go 01:30 Challenging the belief in creativity or financial return.03:22: Working with someone who  you don't get on with 06:44 Identifying negative traits, and the power of patience07:41 Building confidence in your team 09:55 Being female, BAME, LGBT, Dyslexic and wanting to defy the odds11:41 Creators are driven by emotion and can be very sensitive 12:54 Persistence to bring an idea to life when the support isn't there15:28 The importance of vision 16:25 Art as self-expression, inspiration and execution.18:19 Different thinking styles: risk management vs opportunity-seeking.20:50 The challenge for Introverts in leadership 26:15 Handling big projects, feeling overwhelmed, and an unexpected call that helped.29:36 Expressing vulnerability and giving positive feedback is vital.35:03 Adapting leadership style, honing your vision and fostering teamwork.38:37 How innate drive propelled me to leadership roles.40:49 Addressing climate change challenges and sustainability efforts.For Leadership and team coaching and training, you can message me at joanna.howes@thechangecreators.com and we can book a call. website: https://www.thechangecreators.com linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannahowes/youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kZ-x8fDHKEVb222qpQ_NQ

Marketing Report live vanuit Cannes dag vier: Tijdens dag vier werd er gesproken Saskia van Gulick van Your Second Opinion, Kiki Maaskant van ACT Agency, Monique Post en Sonja Kornet van Post & Kornet, Michiel van Riemsdijk van Springbok Group, Mèlanie Bosveld van Kult&Ace, Marlene Wickel van Jean Mineur Mediavision, Marc van Eck van TBWA/NEBEKO, Lodewijk Varossieau van SuperRebel Group, Liesbeth Bakels van Moederannecasting, Henri Lessing en Jennifer Feaster van AGE Media, Erik van Engelen van DDB Amsterdam, Eric Kramer van WPP, Evan Dunn van AKQA, Daan de Raaff van Happiness Amsterdam, Geoffrey Hantson van Happines Brussels en Anna Maria Vuijnovic van Madhouse en Untapped Stories. Marketing Report op New Business Radio is een initiatief van Media Meetings & Magazines en Media- en performancebureau ZIGT en wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door De Combinatie van Factoren.

Marketing Report live vanuit Cannes dag vier: Tijdens dag vier werd er gesproken Saskia van Gulick van Your Second Opinion, Kiki Maaskant van ACT Agency, Monique Post en Sonja Kornet van Post & Kornet, Michiel van Riemsdijk van Springbok Group, Mèlanie Bosveld van Kult&Ace, Marlene Wickel van Jean Mineur Mediavision, Marc van Eck van TBWA/NEBEKO, Lodewijk Varossieau van SuperRebel Group, Liesbeth Bakels van Moederannecasting, Henri Lessing en Jennifer Feaster van AGE Media, Erik van Engelen van DDB Amsterdam, Eric Kramer van WPP, Evan Dunn van AKQA, Daan de Raaff van Happiness Amsterdam, Geoffrey Hantson van Happines Brussels en Anna Maria Vuijnovic van Madhouse en Untapped Stories. Marketing Report op New Business Radio is een initiatief van Media Meetings & Magazines en Media- en performancebureau ZIGT en wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door De Combinatie van Factoren.

In this episode of Collective Wisdom, host Lucy Reynolds sits down with Sarah Cunningham, Director of Client Services at AKQA and a recent winner of the Golden Gloves tournament at Madison Square Garden. Sarah shares her inspiring journey from Ireland to NYC, embracing her dual identities, and the transformative coaching experience that helped her achieve alignment between her personal and professional life along the way.Listeners will hear Sarah's candid recount of her struggle to balance her demanding career with her dedication to boxing, and how she overcame societal expectations to forge her unique path. She discusses the importance of having a supportive environment, both at work and in her personal life, to pursue her passion unapologetically. Sarah also highlights the strategies she used to communicate her needs to her colleagues and clients, earning their respect and support along the way. Discover the wisdom Sarah has gained through her unique path and how she uses her experiences to inspire others. Plus, learn how she continues to push forward despite fear and uncertainty, proving that with determination and resilience, anything is possible (really!).

ENGLISH:He is the co-founder of the agency I&Co and defines himself as a Creative Futurist after having been the Global Chief Creative Officer of AKQA.He was named by Creativity Magazine in their annual "Creativity 50" list and in the "25 Most Creative People in Advertising" list by Forbes. In 2012, he was inducted into "The Hall of Achievement" by the American Advertising Federation.In this episode, I sit down with Rei Inamoto, Founding Partner of I&CO, at Martinez Beach in Cannes. We reminisce about how the Cannes Lions Festival has evolved over the past 18 years since Rei first attended, from a purely creative awards show to now being dominated by big tech companies.Rei shares the origin story behind the Future Lions competition he co-created with PJ Pereira to recognize and inspire young creative talent. We dive into I&CO's guiding principles captured in their 8 "Axioms", focusing on Rei's favorite - "Magic > Logic".Rei explains how this axiom captures the importance of human creativity and imagination in an increasingly data-driven world. We explore examples like how a simple transparent window in the sole of the Nike Air Max created a "key product moment" that made the technology magic and iconic.The discussion also covers Rei's 'Creative Mindset' podcast, where he interviews a diverse range of creative thinkers. He shares insights from guests like the President of Tama Art University on how talent is about uniqueness rather than being better than others.Throughout our engaging chat, Rei demonstrates his gift for drawing connections between design, technology and human creativity. So grab a drink and join us as we ponder the magic in the Martinez sunshine.ESPAÑOL:Él es co fundador de la agencia I&Co y se autodefine como Creative Futurist después de haber sido el Chief Creative Officer Global de AKQAFue nombrado por Creativity Magazine en su listado anual “Creativity 50” y en el listado “Las 25 personas más creativas en publicidad” por Forbes. En 2012, fue introducido a “The Hall of Achievement” por la American Advertising Federation.Esa noche recordamos cómo el Festival Cannes Lions ha evolucionado en los últimos 18 años desde que Rei asistió por primera vez, pasando de ser un festival de premios puramente creativos a estar ahora dominado por las grandes empresas tecnológicas.Rei comparte la historia detrás de la competencia Future Lions que co-creó con PJ Pereira para reconocer e inspirar a jóvenes talentos creativos. Nos sumergimos en los principios rectores de I&CO capturados en sus 8 "Axiomas", enfocándonos en el favorito de Rei: "Magia > Lógica".Rei explica cómo este axioma captura la importancia de la creatividad e imaginación humana en un mundo cada vez más impulsado por datos. Exploramos ejemplos como la simple ventana transparente en la suela de las Nike Air Max que creó un "momento clave del producto" que hizo que la tecnología fuera mágica e icónica.La discusión también cubre el podcast 'Creative Mindset' de Rei, donde entrevista a diversos pensadores creativos. Comparte ideas de invitados como el presidente de la Universidad de Arte de Tama sobre cómo el talento se trata de singularidad en lugar de ser mejor que otros.A lo largo de nuestra cautivadora charla, Rei demuestra su don para establecer conexiones entre el diseño, la tecnología y la creatividad humana. Así que toma una bebida y únete a nosotros mientras reflexionamos sobre la magia bajo el sol de Martinez.Visítanos en https://www.elmartinez.net/ y suscríbete en Spotify, Apple Podcasts o donde lo estés oyendo ahora. Síguenos en FB o IG @elmartinezpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

O que é cultura de agência de publicidade? Essa é a pergunta principal desta temporada do podcast, e a quinta agência a responder é a AKQA. Renato Zandoná, ECD da agência responde o que é cultura de agência para o mercado e também quais os principais traços da cultura da AKQA. Se esse conteúdo te ajudou, ajude esse podcast a se manter de pé. Escolha entre: Picpay | Apoia.se | Pix Assine a newsletter do projeto. Me segue no instagram e acessa o site do projeto.

Ella es Chief Creative Officer de 180 Global Amsterdam, después de haber sido la CCO de Dentsu Creative Amsterdam y creativa en agencias icónicas como David, AKQA y Sra. Rushmore. En su carrera ha ganado premios en los festivales más importantes del mundo después de haber dirigido la creatividad de Nike Women y de haber creado casos como Abobe x Bowie y Kids for Privacy.Esa noche hablamos de su fascinante trayectoria y de los temas que más le apasionan. Desde sus orígenes en Galicia hasta su trabajo en la reconocida agencia 180 Amsterdam, pude conocer a una profesional comprometida con el uso responsable y positivo de la tecnología.También charlamos sobre su preocupación por el impacto de la tecnología en los más jóvenes. Kika compartió conmigo su sueño de crear un espacio en la naturaleza donde los adolescentes puedan reconectar con su imaginación, alejados de las pantallas. Este anhelo se ve reflejado también en proyectos innovadores como "Snelweg Sprookjes", una app que transforma los viajes en coche de los niños en aventuras interactivas.Además, abordamos el poder del deporte en el desarrollo de las niñas. Kika me habló de un proyecto en el que está trabajando con la UNESCO para garantizar el acceso de las niñas a actividades deportivas, fundamentales para forjar habilidades de liderazgo. También me sorprendió con la transformación de un concierto en una experiencia inmersiva de videojuego.Por último, Kika se sinceró sobre su decisión de abandonar las redes sociales. Consciente de su impacto negativo en la concentración y el estado de ánimo, ha optado por cultivar su mente a través de la lectura pausada. Su ejemplo me inspiró a reflexionar sobre cómo priorizar el bienestar en un mundo hiperconectado.Visítanos en https://www.elmartinez.net/ y suscríbete en Spotify, Apple Podcasts o donde lo estés oyendo ahora. Síguenos en FB o IG @elmartinezpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past few weeks in adland have been a busy period for mergers, but luckily in this episode of the Campaign podcast the editorial team has the lowdown to keep you up to speed.Media editor Beau Jackson, tech editor Lucy Shelley and reporter Charlotte Rawlings cover the latest goings-on at The & Partnership and MSix & Partners; AKQA and Grey and Forsman & Bodenfors London and CPB London. The team also dig into Campaign's deep-dive on the state of parental leave in adland, and take a look at what the industry thought of the UK slipping down the ranks in the Warc Creative 100. Further reading:Will AI power a reboot of full-service agencies?Brandtech Group raises $115m in AI funding Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stink Studios Head of Design, Viv Greywoode is the latest guest on Untalented by UNKNOWN. Viv talks about his experience navigating through the industry, stepping into the likes of AKQA, Head, TBWA/MAL and so on. From changing careers, to chatting about who inspires him every day. Viv and Sean touch on topics around diversity, leadership and guidance to designers and creatives trying to break into the industry.

Ivan McClellan is the Founder and CEO of Eight Seconds and the Eight Seconds Rodeo. Driven by a sense of purpose, his work has transformed the lives of these cowboys and influenced the western space. He has executed numerous campaigns for Wrangler, Tecovas, Boot Barn, Stetson, Ariat and many other brands highlighting the spectacular Black cowboys driving this culture forward. His background is working as Design Director for internationally renowned advertising firms, most recently AKQA. Working on activations for the U.S. National Soccer Team, Chicago Marathon, Nike, Adidas and more serve his ambition to create an innovative and premium rodeo product.

It's been 30 years since Ajaz Ahmed founded AKQA, the agency named after his own initials. It was the dawn of the internet, and his experience working with software companies sparked a passion for design and communications that led to one of the industry's most iconic digital agencies. Over the past three decades, AKQA has grown to more than 5,000 employees around the world with longstanding clients such as Nike. In an era when digital agencies are struggling to keep up, AKQA stays ahead of the curve by following a mantra it instilled early on: “It's good to be first, it's better to be good, it's best to be both.” In this episode, Ahmed talks about AKQA's history, new innovations he is excited about (hint: the Apple Vision Pro) and Future Lions, the agency's long-running program that invites students from around the world to compete on a brief at the industry's biggest creative festival. Listen to this episode and subscribe to Campaign Chemistry wherever you get your podcasts. campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US.

Adam Perlis shares why it's important to always treat interns well, how he's trying to solve bad recruitment practices, and some practical advice for navigating the job market. Highlights include: How did an intern play a pivotal role in your career? What do the most successful design portfolios demonstrate? Why are you deeply surprised that you've become a design recruiter? How do you assess a candidate before deciding to present them to a client? Where and how should designers go the extra mile when applying for jobs? ====== Who is Adam Perlis? Adam is the CEO and founder of Academy, a flexible staffing and recruitment agency that helps companies like Under Armour, NBC Universal and Wish.com, to scale their UX orgs and UXers to further their careers. Before founding Academy, Adam spent a decade working in various design roles in New York, including as a Head of UX for AKQA, Head of Design for B-Reel and notably, Head of Design for TIME magazine, where he led the team responsible for TIME.com, FORTUNE.com and MONEY.com. Adam has also been a Creative Director at AT&T, guiding the design of AT&T AdWorks and AT&T AdWorks Lab, and at Dish Network, where he was a manager of Interactive Television. A dedicated contributor to the field, Adam has spoken at events around the world, such as SXSW, Web Summit and Tech Open Air. He is also the host of “How We Scaled It”, a podcast that explores the journey of growing a successful design practice from 0-100. ====== Find Adam here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamperlis/ Website: https://adamperlis.com/ X: https://twitter.com/AdamPerlis Academy - UX Staffing & Recruiting Agency: Website: https://www.academyux.com/ Blog: https://blog.academyux.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/academyux/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8wVKD8NG7uhrcPSuylrPnQ X: https://twitter.com/academyuxdesign ====== Liked what you heard and want to hear more? Subscribe and support the show by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen). Follow us on our other social channels for more great Brave UX content! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheSpaceInBetween/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-space-in-between/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespaceinbetw__n/ ====== Hosted by Brendan Jarvis: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanjarvis/ Website: https://thespaceinbetween.co.nz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendanjarvis/

Have you heard of Action Audio? A world first, this system is a game-changer for watching live sports like tennis or basketball by improving accessibility of the broadcast for people living with blindness or low vision. Our Paulina spoke with Tim Devine, Executive Director of Innovation at AKQA, to find out more about Action Audio and their plans for 2024. Image shows RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background, 'RNIB' written in bold black letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line, also written in black font: 'Connect Radio.'

Tre ud af fem af de nominerede billeder til Årets Pressefoto 2023 er klima- eller miljøbilleder. Klima- og miljøhistorierne har tidligere ikke været visuelle, men nu er de ved at blive det, fortæller Sara Galbiati, der er selvstændig fotograf og medlem af juryen, der udvælger Årets Pressefoto 2023. Berlingskes fotojournalist Asger Ladefoged er blandt de nominerede og forklarer, hvordan han fandt på at fotografere fedtemøg i Køge Bugt. I nat (dansk tid) var lig med en af årets største dage for reklamer, fordi næsten 110 millioner af mennesker følger med hjemme fra stuerne over hele verden, når der er Super Bowl. Vi ser på hvad for et billede, som reklamerne og annoncerne til årets Super Bowl, tegner af USA. Det gør vi sammen med Morten Saxnæs, strategidirektør i design- og kommunikationsbureaet AKQA. Værter: Linnea Albinus Lande og Jesper Dein.

In this episode, Ajaz Ahmed, the CEO and co-founder of digital creative agency AKQA, argues that chaos and unpredictability are the enemies of a well-run company. He is convinced that “exceptional discipline and organisation” are the keys to high performance and it's a trait he's witnessed repeatedly among successful clients. Ahmed's backstory is straight out of the Silicon Valley playbook. In 1994, aged 21, he dropped out of university to launch AKQA with friends, from his parents' basement. As he told Campaign in 1999: 'There was a lot of talk about the information superhighway and we knew if we didn't start then, we would have missed out forever."The gamble paid off. His first client was Microsoft, he was a millionaire by 24 and in 2012, he sold a majority stake in his business to WPP, in a deal that valued AKQA at $540m (£348m at the time). He has since been awarded two honorary degrees. So it's a good thing that he didn't listen to his school careers advisor who told him to work in a factory like his father. On the podcast, he explains how his agency's “operating system” provides clarity to employees, his one-minute MBA for CEOs and why good leadership is really about one thing: being a decent human being. CreditsPresenter: Kate MageeProducer: Til OwenArt direction: David Robinson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

www.CPOPLAYBOOK.comEpisode TranscriptAboutJoin us for leadership and thought-provoking insights' on the CPO PLAYBOOK podcast. In this episode, we reflect on the most impactful moments from engaging conversations with top HR leaders, influential thinkers, and accomplished executives. From exploring the dynamic role of Chief People Officers to advocating for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), our guests, including luminaries like Colleen McCreary from Credit Karma, Dr. Todd Kashdan from George Mason University, Ann Le Cam of Walt Disney, Stephan Le Cam, President of Logoden Advising, share invaluable wisdom, and Hugo Veiga and Diego Machado from AKQA.*Colleen McCrearyColleen McCreary, the latest addition to Ribbit Capital's team, brings a wealth of experience as the former Chief People Officer of Credit Karma. With a remarkable career spanning over 15 years, Colleen has held executive positions in renowned tech companies like Microsoft and Zynga, where she played pivotal roles in their growth and success.Todd KashdanAwarded the 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association, Todd Kashdan is among the world's top experts on the psychology of well-being, psychological strengths, mental agility, and social relationships. His research has been featured in hundreds of media outlets, including multiple articles in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Fast Company, and Forbes.Ann LeCamCurrently, Ann is an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School (HBS), focused on designing experimental and interactive learning programs to better prepare leaders for the complexity and speed of the digital era and to instill the right mindsets and behaviors to thrive in the current business world. Currently Ann also serves as Wētā Digital's SVP, Global Talent and Animation Production. Prior to this, Ann was the SVP of Production, Talent and Studio Planning at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Los Angeles.Stephan LeCamStephan is an entrepreneur. Following a 20 year career in investment banking, he incorporated Logoden International Advising with the goal of providing structuring solutions for Infrastructure and Mining related projects, as well as servicing Governments, Agencies and Financial Investment Companies across various regions of the globe. Stéphan is a graduate of ISG Business school in France and Harvard University Management Development Program.*Be a guest on the showAll media inquiries: media@cpoplaybook.com

Today, we're talking augmented reality with audio and ultimately sensory substitution. Our guest is Tim Devine. He and his team at Action Audio have developed a product that translates the spatial data from live sports into sound, allowing blind and low vision audiences to follow the action in real time. It's not just functional tech though, it's emotional. He wants to bring the tension, the anticipation… the core of what makes live sports amazing to watch, to this audience. Tim shares his journey into the world of sound design, starting with a focus on tennis and eventually collaborating with the NBA, transforming data into an immersive 3D spatial audio experience. You'll hear Tim's passion for music, emotion, and sound come to life as we discuss everything from enhancing the broadcast experience to the future expansions in sports like soccer and football. Tim's story isn't just about technological breakthroughs; it's about persistence, responsibility, and the drive to make ideas accessible to those who will most benefit from them.

Welcome to a special episode of the MTM Visionaries podcast! In this exclusive session recorded during our Los Angeles Forum at the Snap Inc. headquarters, we bring you a deep dive into the Next Evolution of Creators and Collabs.Join us as we sit down with four seasoned marketing veterans who share their expertise:Ilona Aman, CMO at Fabletics.Jabari Hearn, Managing Partner at AKQA.Noora Raj Brown, EVP Brand at goop.Michelle Crossan-Matos, CMO at Ulta Beauty.Together, they unravel the complexities of the evolving creator economy and explore how brands can establish authentic connections with creators. They also introduce the innovative "Above the Ground, On the Ground, and Underground" framework, providing a fresh perspective on creator marketing.If you're curious about the future of marketing and the power of authentic creator partnerships, this episode is a must-listen. Subscribe to the MTM Visionaries podcast to stay informed about the latest insights and trends in the world of marketing.ABOUT VISIONARIESThe Visionaries Podcast is recorded from MTM's Live Visionaries show hosted by Nadine Dietz, EVP of 24 Seven and GM of Marketers That Matter which airs weekly.CREDITS"Visionaries" is brought to you in partnership with The Wall Street Journal and our parent company, 24 Seven, which specializes in helping you find exceptional marketing and creative talent for your teams. To learn more, click here.FOLLOW US! Tweet us at @MTMInsights, @NadineDietz Find us on LinkedIn & Instagram

Jim's guest today on The CMO Podcast is Lynn Teo, Chief Marketing Officer for Northwestern Mutual, one of the perennially most-admired companies in the world. Founded 166 years ago, Northwestern Mutual is a growing $35 billion company today. The company strives to free people from financial anxiety; its products and services include life insurance, disability income, long-term care insurance, and a range of other financial planning services. Lynn has an unorthodox background for a CMO: she earned her Bachelors at the National University of Singapore, specializing in English Language, Linguistics and Geography, before earning her Masters at Carnegie Mellon in Professional and Technical Writing and Interaction Design. She has worked for a host of companies on both the client and agency side, including AKQA and McCann on the agency side, and Thomson Reuters, CA Technologies and Wolters Kluwer on the client side. With a year as the CMO of Northwestern Mutual under her belt, Lynn joins Jim to talk about her career so far. She shares what her "superpower" is and how hiking brings a refreshing outlook to her path. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

www.CPOPLAYBOOK.comEpisode TranscriptAboutDiscover how AKQA São Paulo's dedication to a values-driven culture isn't just a lofty ideal but a daily practice that seamlessly integrates into their creative processes, client relationships, and talent acquisition strategies. Uncover the magnetic power of authenticity and purpose in attracting top-tier clients like Google, Netflix, and Usher, as well as fostering a work environment that draws in exceptional talent. This episode delves deep into the tangible ways values fuel success on both the creative and business fronts, offering actionable insights for those seeking to emulate such a remarkable journey.*Hugo Veiga & Diego MachadoHugo and Diego co-founded the AKQA São Paulo office and was named WPP's Happiest Office in the world in 2018; Cannes Lions Latin America Agency of the Year in 2019 and One Show Latin America Agency of the Year in 2020. The studio has also won a Grand Clio for three different clients during three consecutive years.They led creative projects for innovative brands and artists like Usher, Elton John and Lady Gaga, and Baco Exú do Blues and partnered with clients like Google, Netflix and Nike in what has been a magical journey.Among their body of work are 3 Cannes Lions Grand Prix: Titanium – “Dove Real Beauty Sketches”; Media – “Air Max Graffiti Stores” and Entertainment for Music -“Bluesman”.Hugo Veiga BioBorn in Portugal, Hugo Veiga is one of the main faces of Brazil's new generation of creative leadership. After being recognized as the Year's Best Copywriter at the 2013 Cannes Lions, he co-found the AKQA São Paulo studio. He was named 2019 Best Creative Director in Brazil by PropMark.Diego Machado BioNominee as New Blood by D&AD, Creatives You Should Know by Adweek, Young Innovator by The Drum & Google and the most awarded art director in the world & Young Lions by Cannes Festival 2013. The same year, his work ‘Dove – Real Beauty Sketches' achieved the Titanium Grand Prix in Cannes, it became the most watched ad in history and Best Ad by Time Magazine.*Be a guest on the showAll media inquiries: media@cpoplaybook.com

Here's a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week's guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type, willingly and happily. Developing a truly diverse talent base has been the focus of a great many failed attempts by a great many companies. This is true even of companies otherwise acclaimed as the best of the best. For the amount of time, energy and talent devoted to the effort, diversity and inclusion is still too often a well-intentioned initiative rather than a lived reality. Ajaz's definition is the first time that I've heard a description that made me understand what a truly inclusive company culture would feel like. And I think that matters. Leadership has always been measured by results - usually, the kind you can see on a spreadsheet. That will always be the case. Economics matter. And in the short term, you can move the economic needle of your business through sheer force of leadership will. Which is why we tend to judge our own leadership impact by analyzing what we can get people to do. But, for any company dependent on creativity and innovation for its success, sustained economic performance is the result of how people feel. This is a frightening idea to contemplate, I think. ‘How do I make you feel?' is perhaps the most vulnerable of human enquiries. But it's the one that moves the needle, both on your impact as a leader and as a soul on the planet. A win-win.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here's a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week's guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type, willingly and happily. Developing a truly diverse talent base has been the focus of a great many failed attempts by a great many companies. This is true even of companies otherwise acclaimed as the best of the best. For the amount of time, energy and talent devoted to the effort, diversity and inclusion is still too often a well-intentioned initiative rather than a lived reality. Ajaz's definition is the first time that I've heard a description that made me understand what a truly inclusive company culture would feel like. And I think that matters. Leadership has always been measured by results - usually, the kind you can see on a spreadsheet. That will always be the case. Economics matter. And in the short term, you can move the economic needle of your business through sheer force of leadership will. Which is why we tend to judge our own leadership impact by analyzing what we can get people to do. But, for any company dependent on creativity and innovation for its success, sustained economic performance is the result of how people feel. This is a frightening idea to contemplate, I think. ‘How do I make you feel?' is perhaps the most vulnerable of human enquiries. But it's the one that moves the needle, both on your impact as a leader and as a soul on the planet. A win-win.

Edited highlights of our full conversation. Here's a question. How does your leadership make people feel? This week's guest is Ajaz Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of AKQA. They describe themselves as an ideas and innovation company. AKQA employs 6,500 people around the world and receives about 80,000 job applications a year. The most creative and innovative companies in the world thrive when they build environments that their people trust and cultures that absorb new blood of every type, willingly and happily. Developing a truly diverse talent base has been the focus of a great many failed attempts by a great many companies. This is true even of companies otherwise acclaimed as the best of the best. For the amount of time, energy and talent devoted to the effort, diversity and inclusion is still too often a well-intentioned initiative rather than a lived reality. Ajaz's definition is the first time that I've heard a description that made me understand what a truly inclusive company culture would feel like. And I think that matters. Leadership has always been measured by results - usually, the kind you can see on a spreadsheet. That will always be the case. Economics matter. And in the short term, you can move the economic needle of your business through sheer force of leadership will. Which is why we tend to judge our own leadership impact by analyzing what we can get people to do. But, for any company dependent on creativity and innovation for its success, sustained economic performance is the result of how people feel. This is a frightening idea to contemplate, I think. ‘How do I make you feel?' is perhaps the most vulnerable of human enquiries. But it's the one that moves the needle, both on your impact as a leader and as a soul on the planet. A win-win.

ENGLISH: He is the Global Chief Creative Officer of AKQA. His work, "Real Beauty Sketches" for Dove, won the Titanium at Cannes in 2013, becoming the most-viewed ad in history and earning the title of Best Ad by Time magazine. In 2019, he received two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in Entertainment for Music and Media for Nike. As the Founder of AKQA São Paulo, he led the studio to become the Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions Latin America in 2019 and the second best in the 2020/21 edition, and the Agency of the Year at One Show Latin America in 2020.That night, we talked about how he made an unexpected career move when he decided to establish AKQA in São Paulo, a company that later became a prominent agency within that renowned network. We also discussed the behind-the-scenes details of Beauty Sketches.We delved into the recent Cannes success with the Air Max graffiti project for Nike, which won the GP, and his role as a jury member at Cannes 2023, specifically in the category of Business Transformations. Our conversation concluded with his insights into building global creative teams and his passion for ideas.ESPAÑOL: Él es Global Chief Creative Officer de AKQA. Su trabajo “Real Beauty Sketches” para Dove ganó el Titanium en Cannes en 2013, se convirtió en el anuncio más visto de la historia y en el Mejor Anuncio por la revista Time. En 2019 obtuvo dos Grand Prix en Cannes Lions en Entertainment for Music y en Media para Nike. Como Fundador de AKQA São Paulo, llevó al estudio a convertirse en Agencia del Año de Cannes Lions Latinoamérica en 2019 y segunda mejor en la edición 2020/21; así como Agencia del Año de One Show Latinoamérica en 2020.Esa noche, conversamos sobre cómo dio un giro inesperado en su carrera cuando decidió fundar AKQA en São Paulo, agencia que luego se convirtió en un emblema dentro de esa reconocida red. También hablamos sobre los detalles detrás de las escenas de Beauty Sketches.Abordamos el reciente éxito en Cannes con el proyecto de graffiti Air Max para Nike, que ganó el GP, y su rol como jurado en Cannes 2023, específicamente en la categoría de Business Transformation. Nuestra conversación finalizó con sus ideas sobre cómo construir equipos creativos globales y su pasión por las ideas.Visítanos en https://www.elmartinez.net y suscríbete en Spotify, Apple Podcasts o donde escuches siempre tus podcasts. Síguenos en FB o IG @ElMartinezPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this episode of Navigating Now, where we're excited to have our first Forbes 30 under 30 member, Nic Weinfeld, the founder of Five to Sixty, a media production agency that's been making waves in the industry since 2015. Nic's expertise lies in creating short social videos, stills, and gifs that leave a lasting impression on today's audiences. Over the years, Five to Sixty has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Don Julio, Starbucks, Pepsi, Spotify, and Popeyes. Nic's collaborative spirit has also led him to partner with international advertising agencies like AKQA, GUT, Wunderman, and VaynerMedia. Nic's work has not gone unnoticed either. He has won the coveted Cannes Lions Mo Film award for his Coca-Cola broadcast commercial, and Five to Sixty's Pepsi Super Bowl Campaign was honored with a Gold and Silver Telly Award. One thing that sets Nic apart is his belief that every film has a story to tell, no matter how short or long. This perspective has allowed him to create engaging content that resonates with audiences of all kinds. We invite you to join us for an insightful conversation with Nic on this episode of Navigating Now. Check out Nic: Website: ⁠ http://www.nicweinfeld.com/ FivetoSixty: ⁠ https://www.5to60.com Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/nicweinfeld/?hl=en Linkedin: ⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-weinfeld-18806018/ Email: ⁠ nicweinfeld@gmail.com D Y F R E N T: ENTER IMAGINATION WITH GRACE OUR HOME: ⁠ [http://dyfrentconsulting.com] LINKEDIN @DYFRENT CONSULTING

Welcome to Get It Started, Get It Done, the Banyan Security podcast, covering the security industry and beyond. In this episode, our host and Banyan's Chief Security Officer, Den Jones, speaks with Banyan's Head of R&D, Colin Rand, about the threats and opportunities emerging AI technologies pose for security. We hope your enjoy Den's discussion with Colin Rand. About Colin Rand Colin has extensive experience in engineering leadership and product development working at a wide range of enterprise startups to late-stage and enterprise companies. Most recently Colin helped transform Delphix from an on-premise data management appliance to create their first SaaS offering with an integrated product strategy to create a hybrid platform. Before then, he led the platform initiative for Lookout, a BeyondCorp mobile security company, managing data, identity, and security services for ML-based mobile threat protection. Colin's wide experience brought him through Salesforce, AKQA (creative agency) as well as his own startups in NYC. Colin began his career as a hands-on developer after studying computer engineering at the University of Michigan. Key Takeaways: "It's questionable in my mind whether you'll be able to detect beyond chance whether anything is AI generated." Den speaks with Banyan's head of R&D Colin Rand on this week's GISGID podcast.Den Jones speaks with Banyan's head of R&D Colin Rand about the pitfalls and opportunities of AI on the Get It Started Get It Done podcast.Banyan head of R&D Colin Rand on the Get It Started Get It Done podcast: How AI will be used by bad actors and defenders alike.What Banyan is doing around AI for customers: R&D head Colin Rand on the Get It Started Get It Done Podcast."It'll be an enormous noise at the front door and you won't be able to tell what's real and what's fake." Banyan head of R&D Colin Rand outlines the real threats of AI—and some solutions—on this week's Get It Started Get It Done Podcast."Waiting for governance is nonsense." On this week's podcast, Banyan head of R&D Colin Rand explains why practitioners can't wait for regulators to address AI.

This year, Cannes was dominated by discussions about AI, inclusion, sustainability, and making the business case for creativity in a recession. But how can marketers make sure these conversations have life beyond Croisette and make a real-world impact in their organizations?For a special episode reflecting on the week, the trending topics, and the winning work. Europe brand editor Rebecca Stewart is joined by guest co-host Jameson Fleming, Adweek's managing editor for brands and agencies.The pair have a chat with Tesa Aragones president, North America at AKQA, and Lucy von Sturmer founder at marketing consultancy The Humble Brag and initiator and chairwoman at the non-profit Creatives for Climate, a global community of creatives committed to using their skills for climate action.The pair discuss the intersectionality of DEI and sustainability, and the perspective they hope future marketers will bring to ad land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imogen Watson, work and inspiration editor of Campaign UK, Alison Weissbrot editor of Campaign US, and Robert Sawatzky, editorial director of Haymarket Business Media in Asia, representing Campaign Asia, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to report on the award wins from the second night of Cannes Lions.Nike and AKQA won the Grand Prix for digital craft for “Never Done Evolving” for their 50th anniversary campaign featuring Serena Williams and Kendrick Lamar‘s short film We Cry Together won the Grand Prix for film craft.There was also a double win for Clash of Clans and Wieden+Kennedy, Portland in the main Entertainment and new Entertainment Gaming Lion categories, plus Apple and UK recording artist Michael Kiwanuka's short films jointly won the Entertainment Lions for Music Grand Prix.Beyond the awards, the return of humour after the pandemic, and perhaps as a reaction against the recent focus on brand purpose, has also been a hot topic in the sessions at the Palais with comedians from Kevin Hart to the cast of Saturday Night Live.  We are hosting the daily podcast all this week – with a different mix of Campaign editors and journalists who are on the ground in Cannes talking each day.Look out for the Cannes evening bulletin email at about 10pm French time every evening and make sure you follow the Campaign podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Imogen Watson, work and inspiration editor of Campaign UK, Alison Weissbrot editor of Campaign US, and Robert Sawatzky, editorial director of Haymarket Business Media in Asia, representing Campaign Asia, join Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, to report on the award wins from the second night of Cannes Lions.Nike and AKQA won the Grand Prix for digital craft for “Never Done Evolving” for their 50th anniversary campaign featuring Serena Williams and Kendrick Lamar‘s short film We Cry Together won the Grand Prix for film craft.There was also a double win for Clash of Clans and Wieden+Kennedy, Portland in the main Entertainment and new Entertainment Gaming Lion categories, plus Apple and UK recording artist Michael Kiwanuka's short films jointly won the Entertainment Lions for Music Grand Prix.Beyond the awards, the return of humour after the pandemic, and perhaps as a reaction against the recent focus on brand purpose, has also been a hot topic in the sessions at the Palais with comedians from Kevin Hart to the cast of Saturday Night Live.We are hosting the daily podcast all this week – with a different mix of Campaign editors and journalists who are on the ground in Cannes talking each day.Look out for the Cannes evening bulletin email at about 10pm French time every evening and make sure you follow the Campaign podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.More:BA and Uncommon bag Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2023Adam & Eve/DDB leads UK push in Cannes Monday shortlistsCannes Lions 2023 live blog: all the award winners and festival newsCannes daily global podcast episode 2: BA wins big and NZ does the doubleCannes daily global podcast episode 1: Festival predictions and 6% rise in entriesHere's how to ensure you're not sexually harassing someone in Cannes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam Fanning is the director of Mim Design, one of Melbourne's leading architecture and interior design practices.In this episode, Mim and I discussed: Her process for interviewing new clients during the briefing stage to learn as much as possible about their likes, dislikes, and daily rituals; and why she believes these discoveries help the studio to develop more authentic design concepts. How the studio has developed new offerings in furniture selection and art curation, looking at the details of managing budgets and logistics, to the marketing benefits of highly resolved projects and the potential for repeat business. How Mim communicates the overall design process to new clients by giving them a look inside the drawings and documentation of real projects so they that can more easily grasp the deliverables the studio provides, and outcomes of each stage. The campaign Mim is taking on with the Design Institute of Australia to push for better recognition and protection of interior designer's professional expertise and titles. A quick look at how Mim approaches the studio's photoshoots, marketing and public relations; with a focus on heavy investment in key projects, exploring new opportunities for media exposure, and her experiences working with a PR agency. If you'd like to learn more about Mim Design, you can visit mimdesign.com.au. You can also follow the studio on Instagram @mimdesignstudio. Office Talk is hosted by Dave Sharp, M.Arch—an architectural marketing expert and the director of Office D.SHARP, a practice providing specialised consultancy, marketing and PR services tailored to meet the particular needs of architects. Working as a sole practitioner, Dave employs a collaborative, conversational approach to his work, fostering long-standing relationships that yield tangible results for clients.Visit officedavesharp.com to learn more, or email info@officedavesharp.com if you would like to get in touch.This episode was supported by our legendary sponsors.  ArchiPro showcases the best and latest in the architecture and building industry, and connects people with trusted trade professionals and products to suit their needs. Visit ArchiPro.com.au to learn more. Mast Furniture is an established furniture design and manufacturing company based in Brisbane. In operation for 10+ years, Mast has built a national and international reputation for producing high quality, technically challenging furniture. Visit mastfurniture.com.au to learn more. Learn Business Strategy, Finance, and Leadership from Spotify, Wolff Olins, Monzo, Pentagram, AKQA, and others with Future London Academy's MBA for Design Leaders. Five 2-week modules in London and California. Only 30 spots available, so learn more and apply at bit.ly/chiefdesigner.

In this episode, our guest is Eric L Hu, who is on a mission to help Americans ‘Save Money Live Better'. Currently serving as Principal, Group Strategy Lead at Walmart, Hu stewards a $100B portfolio for digital and in-store products across financial services, health & wellness, and consumer identity. Prior to the Fortune One, Eric spent the better part of a decade architecting customer experiences in highly regulated industries like automotive, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare. Hu's stochastic career path is aptly articulated by his mentor as a "musician turned marketer, forever a passionate performer." From an early age, he remembers his mom always saying something about an inability to sit still. Eric transitioned from a 13-year-long run in classical violin performance to the then-burgeoning NY startup scene, then to commercial photography for brands like Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover, and finally to the design agency world where he earned his pseudo-MBA at shops like AKQA, Havas, R/GA, Code & Theory, and Deloitte Digital. Today, Eric is dedicated to nurturing a community of troublemakers – strategic thinkers and creative dreamers who choose never to sit still. You will likely find him nursing chrysanthemum tea, obsessing over a vintage print-ad collection in his east village studio. E-mail Us: asiansinadvertising@gmail.com Shop: asiansinadvertising.com/shop Learn More: asiansinadvertising.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/asiansinadvertising/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/asiansinadvertising/support

Ajaz Ahmed, leader of the world's most decorated design agency, AKQA, returns to Monocle to tell us how the business has grown in the five years since his last visit. Plus: We head to Los Angeles to meet the CEO of L-Acoustics. He tells Monocle's US editor about the company's latest innovations in immersive sound design.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toby Barnes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobybarnes/) is a design strategist with a range of experiences and interests, including at AKQA, Nike, and now Amazon. Toby and I have been longing for a revival of the kinds of creative community experiences, gatherings, retreats, and workshops that flourished around the turn of the century, and that is what motivates the conversations we've been having over the last several months, including looking at the Near Future Laboratory community as an experiment in Hypercollaboration. Please support the Podcast by either becoming a Patron (https://patreon.com/nearfuturelaboratory) and rating and writing a review of the podcast over here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/near-future-laboratory-podcast/id1546452193 Want to know more? Have a listen, and get in touch: https://linktr.ee/bleeckerj -Julian

Patrick Holly has worked for agencies like R/GA and brands like Apple, Uber, and Harley Davidson, where he served as brand director. Currently, he's Upwork's Executive Creative Director leading a team of writers, art directors, designers, and strategists who are changing the way the world thinks about work. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Patrick Holly Patrick Holly is a multidisciplinary creative whose career has run the gamut from agencies like R/GA and AKQA, to brands like Apple and Uber, to building a content platform with Steph Curry. He currently serves as Upwork's Executive Creative Director leading a team of writers, art directors, designers, and strategists who are changing the way the world thinks about work. Prior to joining Upwork, Patrick was the brand director at Harley Davidson, overseeing content, PR, social, and brand partnerships. When Patrick is not working, he spends most of his time on two wheels or watching Sex and the City reruns with his wife and dogs in Austin, Texas. Episode Highlights Working for a brand as “effortlessly cool” as Harley Davidson. What was that like? “It was stressful!” Patrick laughed, noting that the pandemic created challenges in connecting these rabid fans without motorcycle shows. “We ended up holding a No Show on Instagram—an All-Show, No Go.” Redefining how work works. In the wake of the pandemic, Upwork launched its latest brand campaign to address one of the biggest changes in how we work since the invention of the assembly line: the shift away from full-time, in-person work to hybrid workforce models that leverage remote talent. Patrick called this “Hollywood model” while I joked that it's like building a heist team. “A brand is only as strong as the team building it,” Patrick notes. “As advertisers and marketers, our job is to stand out in a way that feels honest to the brand.” That's why the Upwork launch included a zombie musical to communicate that the old ways of work are dead. “Who better to tell you something's dead than a zombie?” What brand has made Patrick smile recently? “I'm gonna share a local Austin brand—Tito's.” The vodka brand recently captured Patrick's attention with a campaign on why they weren't creating a seltzer as other spirit brands have. Sometimes you can stand out by zipping where others zag. To learn more, check out the Upwork website and connect with Patrick on LinkedIn. As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart, YouTube, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you're hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you'd like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I'll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Holly, Executive Creative Director at Upwork, is a multidisciplinary creative whose career has run the gamut from agencies like R/GA and AKQA, to brands like Apple and Uber and Harley Davidson.  Patrick joins us to talk about the new Upwork campaign, brand-side vs agency life, what it takes to be a capable leader and high-functioning creative team in a remote world and more. See the new Upwork campaign at https://www.youtube.com/c/UpworkThanks for ad'ing a little Bad to your day ;) now follow us on Twitter dammit More Links: Pod SiteBrian's BookEric's InstagramAmelia's Book

More than likely, the majority of you have had experience working remotely over the past couple of years. While there are many benefits to a remote work environment, there are challenges to overcome when it comes to creating a more cohesive and collaborative team in a remote setting. This week's episode 67 of Female Founders Breaking Boundaries is about building team culture in a remote workplace!Have you ever felt like you were WAY too busy, stressed out, burnt out, and overwhelmed, so you were advised to delegate some tasks to take things off your plate and free up some time? Except, maybe it didn't work. If getting out of the day-to-day in your business was as simple as hiring more people, then why are you still feeling overwhelmed and burned out? You are not alone! Sometimes, simply delegating tasks doesn't work and instead shifts your workload from “doing” to “managing.”I invite you to use the exercise that our own C-Suite clients use to take the first step in turning your team into a well-oiled, self-managed machine- and get you out of the delegation catch-22. Download the exercise here to get started!In this episode of Female Founders Breaking Boundaries, I'm sharing what team & company culture really mean and actionable steps you can take right now to create a remote work environment that fosters effective communication and collaboration. Some of the things I cover in this episode are:Celebrating Sarah Cunningham, director of client services at AKQA who, as an amature boxing athlete herself, is speaking out about the importance of women having their own lives outside of their work identity. Distinguishing between online businesses and remote teams. The challenges to overcome when creating and working in a remote environment. How a remote workplace impacts team culture.The tools that our client's teams are using to foster a culture of remote employees who are working together cohesively. The pros (that outweigh the cons) of having a remote team. My deep thoughts on this competition over community mindset that is stunting our growth as entrepreneurs. Although remote work comes with its own unique challenges, in most instances, the positives far outweigh the negatives.Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of tools, advice, resources, support, and encouragement that resonates with the modern businesswoman and to hear even more about the points outlined above.If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to share and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Female Founders Breaking Boundaries and Casey at https://she-suiteboutique.com/podcast/ CONNECT WITH CASEY GROMER:LinkedInCompany PersonaWork with Casey Gromer! Book an Advisory Call LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Sarah Cunningham- LinkedInSarah Cunningham- InstagramFFBB: What is the Difference Between a Visionary and a CEO?FFBB: Creating a Profitable Team with Ashley CoxFFBB: No More Team Meetings That Could Have Been Emails

If you want to capitalize on an opportunity that you think could change the world, you need to drive full speed toward it. Back in 1994, when Ajaz Ahmed dropped out of college to start one of the first digital ad agencies, AKQA, he knew he was at the cusp of the next revolution in tech. And if he wanted to be part of it, he'd have to move fast. Ahmed shares stories about how a band of 21-year-old dropouts built the agency from ground up, winning over early clients by building prototypes ahead of the competition. He dives into how his inner voice demanding him to “get big or die trying” led him to transform AKQA into a global agency with thousands of employees and the biggest clients in the world, like Nike, Virgin, and Usher.Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.comSubscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtXSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Atlanta is a city known for many things: the food, the music, the culture. The traffic! But I don't know if Atlanta's really ever been seen as a design city like one would see New York or Chicago. That reputation is rapidly changing though, and that's thanks to Chip Gross. Chip is the managing director for Work & Co's newest office in Atlanta, and with over 20 years of experience under his belt, he's helping the city be recognized as a destination for design talent. We started off talking about his new position, including how it differs from his past roles, as well as the challenges of setting up a new office during a pandemic. Chip also spoke about growing up throughout New England and attending UPenn, starting his career in Chicago, and then moving to Atlanta for grad school. We also talked about Chip's experiences at IBM, iXL, Brighthouse, and AKQA, and how those prepared him for what he's doing now. Chip has put in the work and now it's time for him to take center stage!LinksWork & Co Atlanta OfficeChip Gross on LinkedInFor extended show notes, including a full transcript of this interview, visit revisionpath.com.==========Take our 2022 audience survey! We want to hear from you and learn what you think about Revision Path. The survey will be open until midnight on May 31! Take the survey at revisionpath.com/survey.==========Sponsored by HoverBuilding your online brand has never been more important and that begins with your domain name. Show the online community who you are and what you're passionate about with Hover. With over 400+ domain name extensions to choose from, including all the classics and fun niche extensions, Hover is the only domain provider we use and trust.Ready to get started? Go to hover.com/revisionpath and get 10% off your first purchase.==========Follow and SubscribeLike this episode? Then subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite shows.Follow us there, and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us!You can also follow Revision Path on Instagram and Twitter.==========CreditsRevision Path is brought to you by Lunch, a multidisciplinary creative studio in Atlanta, GA.It is produced by Maurice Cherry and engineered and edited by RJ Basilio. Our intro voiceover is by Music Man Dre, with intro and outro music by Yellow Speaker. Transcripts provided by Brevity & Wit.Thank you for listening!

Based in the Netherlands, Nick Bailey is a highly decorated creative strategist and digital marketing expert. Named by Adweek in 2011 as one of the world's top 10 creative minds in digital, Nick has held strategic and creative leadership positions at AKQA, Isobar, and DigitasLBi, and picked up over 100 international awards along the way. In 2018, Nick became the creative partner & CEO of “futurefactor” a global communications consultancy that helps creative innovators and ambitious brands identify, articulate, and amplify a leadership position. Through communications strategy, content, and PR; the 20-strong business has achieved a twelve-year long legacy of helping creative companies, tech innovators, and ambitious brands like Airbnb, General Mills, and Uber be the best version of themselves, and be future-proofed for the coming era. IN THIS EPISODE The future of creativity and access to essential creative tools, the social climate of comedy, the risks and requirements of creativity, things creative people should avoid, companies and how they affect diversity and overall cultural impact, social media and mass communication. ABOUT VIP MARKETING VIP Marketing is a digital advertising agency based in Charleston, SC. Our mission is to separate our clients from the crowd. We commit to serve and deliver their marketing and creative needs on time and within scope. So then, our goal is to partner with businesses to market to the right people, capture their attention. In brief, we get results with premium video production, social media marketing, graphic design, media planning, and media buying. Ultimately, we believe every business deserves Very Important Placement. The VIP Marketing team understands that all media plans are not created equal. So much great creative work is sabotaged by their placement. What good is an awesome video if no one sees it? Or, what if it's served to the wrong audience? Generally speaking, you're wasting dollars. VIP Marketing uses some of the best tools on the market to find your audience. Then, after building awareness, we aim to keep their attention. Finally, our strategies help turn these leads into conversions and revenue for your business. MARKETING STRATEGY + PLANNING Digital Media | Social Publishing & Listening | Company Branding | Copyright | Inbound Marketing | Content | Social Media Marketing Experts DIGITAL MARKETING SEO | SEM | Online Display | Site Analytics | Conversion Models | Reviews Management | CPM, CPC, CPA Models | Online Video | Video Pre-Roll SOCIAL PUBLISHING & LISTENING Strategy & Planning | Content Production | Social Monitoring | Measurement | Paid Social Campaigns MEDIA Planning | Research | Consulting | TV Buying | Radio Buying | Print Buying | Digital Media Buying | Mobile | Social Media Marketing Visit www.VIPMarketing.com to learn more. Call: 843-760-0707 VIP ON FACEBOOK Message: https://www.facebook.com/VIPMarketingUSA Produced by Craft Creative, Charleston's premium video production, design, and creative agency. Craft Creative video production and animation services businesses for all of their creative needs. Chiefly, they are experts in auto, legal and medical videos. Visit www.wecraftcreative.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning-in today for a new episode of Entrepreneur Mindset-Reset. In today's episode, I'm speaking with the deep and wonderfully vulnerable Seven Jacobs, a social entrepreneur, mental health awareness advocate, and host of “Lost and Searching” podcast. I've got to tell you, our conversation today is exactly why I wanted to start this podcast. I wanted to create an equitable space where anyone can listen and learn about the entrepreneurial journey, and feel seen, heard and understood. Seven and I talked about our internal dialogue, language we use, the thoughts we think, and habits we can practice to support us in our quest for success on our own terms as entrepreneurs. We didn't hold back, as you'll hear, and this episode is so rich in mindset-reset opportunities and support, that I'm sure you'll want to listen more than once and take notes. Seven's journey from spending the first 12 years of his life in L.A. to coming of age and kind of “really” growing up in London, while struggling with his mental health, anger, anxiety, feeling lost, scared, and depressed, is something we all need to hear and talk about. Everyone struggles, and we all have something we need to work on to learn to work with or overcome, and Seven's story is a reminder that we are all humans, living our experiences, and that we get to choose what to do with our experiences and choose the direction we want to take our lives.  A pivotal moment came for him when he spent three months in Nepal living in a village, WAY out of his comfort zone. That experience helped shift his thinking and dig deep spiritually to change his life forever. During his time in Nepal, he was introduced to a book called “WEconomy: You Can Find Meaning, Make a Living and Change the World,” and suddenly everything began to make sense to him about his potential to have a career that sustained him while changing the world. This is when he realized he wanted to become a social entrepreneur.  As you listen, you'll notice we didn't talk shop much because we spent so much time discussing the mindset necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. Pay close attention to how we distinguish the difference between manager versus leader, and and self-employed versus entrepreneur. One of his mentors taught him that in order to be an entrepreneur, one must be a leader, which, in my mind, presents a fantastic challenge: do we want to be self-employed, or are we looking to be a leader in our space? There's no wrong answer, but answering this question can change everything about how you choose to do your business, and can set you free to achieve what you really want. I tell you, I am excited to listen back to this episode many times to keep learning from this incredible human's insights and wisdom. You want to know and remember Seven. So, grab a beverage or a snack and settle-in to listen to Seven and his amazing journey. Seven's Bio: Seven is a young social entrepreneur, speaker, and advocate for mental health. As well as being the Founder and CEO of an entrepreneurship education start-up called StartrHub and the host of a mental health podcast for young leaders called Lost and Searching, he has helped build startups in music, tech, and consulting, and is training as a coach. Seven was born in Los Angeles (USA) but moved to London (UK) at the age of 12 to live with his family there, after experiencing various financial, mental, and emotional difficulties in his childhood that impacted his opportunities and his mental health. He now highly values the power of listening and empathy to solve problems and make the world a better place. Seven is at his happiest when he's with other people who are truly, deeply happy, and through social entrepreneurship he strives to create meaningful change in the world through great work. He very much follows what excites him, and wants to encourage joy and discovery through positive work and a positive attitude! Seven began his career by coaching young people and being a youth consultant for some of the biggest UK brands, from AKQA to Nando's. He worked on community projects, became an experienced facilitator, and developed entrepreneurial skills and a love for social entrepreneurship. In 2019 he was brought on board to help build a fashion tech organisation called The House of TAG in which he is now a director, and in 2020 he was asked to help build a new record label in London called Just Entertainment. All of Seven's work now aims to support that mission of creating opportunities for discovery, and Seven uses his social enterprises, mental health content, and speaking to help achieve that aim! Find Seven: Instagram: @seven.jacobs Podcast: lostandsearching.simplecast.com Free Startup Resources: startrhub.com

Over the last two years, a collective of composers, musicians, computer programmers, scientists and activists has set out to reinterpret Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" for a transformed world, restituting Vivaldi's score in expected climate scenarios for the year 2050. The project, titled "The [Uncertain] Four Seasons," launches November 5, 2021, which will be Youth Day at the UN climate conference COP26, with fifteen orchestras from around the world performing a localized variation during a global live-streaming event.

Guy Wieynk is the global CEO of digital agency, AnalogFolk and he shares his thoughts and ideas of working in digital agencies for the past three decades including AKQA, Publicis and now AnalogFolk on the opportunities for technology to be used in a positive way for marketers and their customers. This is the same philosophy that led to AnalogFolk Group developing With Robots, a platform for building with robots and automating with robots to eliminate the drudge in the advertising process and free agency people to focus more on the high-value parts including problem-solving and creativity. https://www.trinityp3.com/2021/10/deploying-robots-to-make-advertising/

Matthias Matternich is the co-founder and CEO of Art of Sport. We discuss growing up as the son of a German ambassador, starting his first company at 14, when Brexit devalued his investment capital, selling women's smimwear, pitching Kobe Bryant, his 500 mile trek in the Alps, and redefining body and skincare for athletes. Subscribe to our newsletter. We explore the intersection of media, technology, and commerce: sign-up linkLearn more about our market research and executive advisory: RockWater websiteFollow The Come Up on Twitter: @TCUpodEmail us: tcupod@wearerockwater.com---EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:Chris Erwin:Hi, I'm Chris Erwin. Welcome to The Come Up. A podcast that interviews entrepreneurs and leaders. Matthias Metternich:I remember Brian and I thinking, well, who represents the kind of tenacity, and focus, and mental and physical commitment to being the best version of yourself possible. Done so successfully that they've transcended their sport. And it really took us almost no time to say, well, that's Kobe Bryant. And we asked ourselves, "Do we think we could get him involved?" And our path took us to his door. Chris Erwin:This week's episode features Matthias Metternich, the co-founder and CEO of Art of Sport. Matthias was born in Germany. And because his father was an ambassador, he had lived in nearly 10 different countries by his teens. And he began coding at age seven, and began pursuing it seriously a couple of years later while living in Mongolia, as it helped him pass the time during the harsh winters. Soon after Matthias' entrepreneurial streak kicked off. He started his first company at 14, and since then started over five businesses, ranging from women's swimwear and enterprise software to his current company, Art of Sport, where he's redefining body and skincare products for athletes. Chris Erwin:So this interview is a bit on the long side and covers more topics than most. It's because Matthias' intellect and passion is far reaching. We discuss why he's not a good video game developer. How the founder of MySpace became his mentor during undergrad, how Brexit devalued one of his companies, and what it was like to recruit basketball legend Kobe Bryant as a co-founder. All right, let's get into it. Let's rewind a bit. You had told me that you originally grew up in Germany. Tell me about that and your household. Matthias Metternich:I grew up in Germany until about the age of eight months. So it wasn't my whole life. It was a very short moment. I was born there and then my dad was in the foreign service. So every three years we would get posted somewhere else. And so, from the age of eight months onward until really, I mean, even to this point, I've been moving around the world every two to three years. So we moved to the Soviet Union and I lived in Leningrad, then we moved to Los Angeles, then we moved to Mongolia, then we moved to the Middle East. And so there's been a lot of transition in my life. So that was a very interesting experience, that was quite formative for me. Matthias Metternich:But went back to Germany for high school for about two or three years for boarding school. And then I continue to... I went back for college for a very brief period, and then always go back whenever I have time to see friends and family, but I'm a bit of a nomad. Chris Erwin:What was your father doing in the foreign service? Matthias Metternich:My dad was an ambassador. He represented the German government in different countries. So that meant that he would often be the man in charge to present German interests, build relationships politically, economically, drive through cultural agendas. And it was an interesting time because that was really... His formative years in the service were deep within the cold war era. So there was a lot of really exciting espionage, nuclear proliferation, all kinds of stuff like that is what I grew up with. And I do remember it was even a period where if your listeners remember their history, there was an east and west Germany for about 40 years. Matthias Metternich:And so east Germany had embassies in countries that west Germany didn't. But when the wall fell and east and west Germany came back together, my dad was responsible for actually going to these places in these countries that west Germany didn't have a political presence and taking over those embassies. So I remember a lot of the places I lived was right next to the "access of evil" types of Eastern Soviet bloc embassies, like North Korea and whatnot. And if I kicked the ball over the fence in the wrong way, there would be a military procession where they'd pass the soccer ball back to us. Chris Erwin:What a unique childhood. Now, did that peak your interest, and did you think about going into government or the foreign service? Matthias Metternich:So my family has been in the political arena for several hundred years, and there's a lot of tradition there that I think my father [inaudible 00:04:25] spouse. But I think he was actually quite remarkably aware of how the role was changing in a more and more connected world. And what does a public servant, government figure head do in a foreign country where now you have video conferencing, you're on a jet, you're there in a couple hours. So there's diminishing opportunities over time as we become more and more connected. And because of his role, he was also always interfacing with and exposing me to really remarkable walks of life, business people who are sometimes coming to China for the first time, like large industrialists, well-known household names who would be coming and stopping through the house and having dinner with us. Matthias Metternich:And you'd hear their stories about this global world that was changing and forming. And in that context of the diplomats role diminishing over time or sunsetting a little bit on golden era of what that diplomat would do. And I don't want to take anything away from those folks doing that. It's still a very important part of the civil society and political arena. But with that sunsetting and this coming online of this connected industrial world, for me as a kid, I saw very clearly the writing on the wall that committing my time to something that was sunsetting versus something I was actually passionate about, which was shaping the planet or trying to shape the planet in some way, that's where my future was. Chris Erwin:And so speaking to that theme, which I think also relates to the compression and changing of information cycles and dynamics, you mentioned that at a pretty early age you had bought your first computer or connected to the internet and you were coding very young? Matthias Metternich:Yes. Chris Erwin:When did that first happen? Did that start in Mongolia or another country? Matthias Metternich:It started in Los Angeles. My parents bought it, and I was about seven but really I appropriated it fully when I was nine. And we moved to Mongolia, and Mongolia as a really pretty horrible.... Really beautiful country, but it has a very harsh winter, which can last upwards of six months. And so when you're in a place like that, there's only so much your parents are willing to entertain you. I found a lot of entertainment from the computer, and folks in the embassy who knew their way around this. And there was one guy in particular who was a bit of a hacker gadgets guy. And so, he gave me a running start at it, but I taught myself how to code because I wanted to make games for myself. I had exhausted the two games that I had. Matthias Metternich:And that took me on a journey into figuring out how to connect to the internet, talking to people all over the world at a time when very few adults knew how to do this. I felt incredibly empowered. And then I had the tools to come up with ideas and articulate those using code and using design. And I realized very quickly that my video games were pretty shitty because I was actually not a very good storyteller, but I was good at some of the code. And that's where I started to lose myself in the world of storytelling, and design, and empathy, and understanding what connects with people and why people get inspired or sad or happy or excited. And I tried to weave that into my games. Matthias Metternich:So in a way it was a little bit of a workshop for me. I was a craftsman honing my own craft at my own pace with the world's information, gradually coming online and being available online for me to learn from other people. It was a really powerful period for me. Chris Erwin:This reminds me of another interview that we did on the show with Christian Baesler, who is the president of Complex Networks. He was born, I think, in the late '80s in Germany. So there must be something in the water there, because he also began coding at a very young age himself, or his uncle had bought him a computer. I think he was born within a month of the Berlin Wall coming down. And he was in a small town, and he felt the need that through his computer he can express himself through coding, developing games, and also through the internet, connecting with people that were outside of his community, craving that need for connection and new information and exposure. Matthias Metternich:Yeah. Very similar stories. Chris Erwin:After this, you then go and you do your undergrad, and that's at... Did you say UCLA? Matthias Metternich:Yes, that's right. Chris Erwin:You do your undergrad at UCLA. And what's going through your mind while you're there in terms of fast forward, you clearly have a very impressive entrepreneurial career, which leads to founding Art of Sport a few years back. Was this in your mindset when you were going through undergrad as well? Matthias Metternich:Yeah. So I started my first company when I was about 14 years old, and it was out of necessity. It was really not necessarily... I mean, I always had an entrepreneurial bent. I was intrigued by money, but it wasn't a means to an end for me. But the idea of having something that someone wanted and being able to charge for it, was an interesting idea to me. And I remember, I mean, my first businesses were trying to sell my video games, and then it was actually building out a bigger video game library, where back in the day, it was fairly easy to just copy CD ROMs and sell those. And that was illegal obviously. But buying a video game for $35 and then selling a piecemeal for $5 a pop to a 100 kids was pretty lucrative. Matthias Metternich:It then snowballed into my first formal business, where I refurbished and sold computers in bulk to schools and to small businesses. And I would have ongoing service contracts where I would keep them updated, and fix those computers. And it was a really, actually pretty easy job for a kid in high school. And the pocket money was really good. Chris Erwin:Wait, so I have to pause there. So did you have a team that was helping you to do this or was it all by yourself? Matthias Metternich:It was all by myself. I didn't have a driver's license. So I would have to ask older friend in high school if they could drive the computers around in bands and stuff like that to get places. But I never employed anybody. It was just myself. And then I was part of the Computer Lab Society and whatnot. And there were folks there that were just excited to help. And I also was on the basketball team. So I sold these computers to the schools I was playing against. And so, sometimes I'll try to put the computers on the team basketball bus and transport them that way. But no, it was a great to work. It was a great way to learn. And then that's snowballed into one day walking down to my local staples and I needed business cards. Matthias Metternich:I realized I needed to have some way for people to call me. And so my parents were kind enough to have set up a dedicated line in my room. And so I went down to staples and had these business cards printed, and I didn't have that much money. And there was this offer, I think, for small businesses for 10,000 business cards or whatever for $100. It was a special or something like that. But you had to let them put the staples logo on the back of the card. And it was essentially their version of us know co-marketing that day. And I took it because it was the cheaper route. But then when I started putting those through mailboxes and small businesses to help them build websites and stuff, people thought I worked for staples and they actually called me back. They called me back probably at a higher rate than if I didn't have the staples logo on the card. Chris Erwin:That logo gave you legitimacy. Matthias Metternich:Gave me a legitimacy. And because I was doing so much of this remotely, they very rarely... Fortunately puberty hit me when I was about 14. So I had a voice that occasionally cracked, but sounded a little older, and they had no idea who they were working with. So I then started building websites. And by the time I got to college long way of telling you... Long story here, but by the time I got to college, I had a few businesses under my belt that I was running. I felt it was the most empowering and exhilarating experience. I had done lots of mixed media things, where I tried to make music, and produce music, and made websites, and build computers, and tried build apps. Matthias Metternich:And so, for me, it was very strange to think of studying something to go within into a function, into a single domain, or expertise, or functional expertise, or focus, when I was already relatively fluent. I'll be amateurish across all these different buckets that I felt were... When you paired my experience back to how that manifested within academia, those were all separate degrees and people were studying those things separately. So, I fell out of water. I felt weird about what I was doing in college. I felt like a complete fish out of water also just culturally. It was tough for me to connect with kids who had probably mostly grown up in the same town or same city, and were going to college in their same city. And I started another company while I was in college. So to answer your question, yeah, the intention was always to build businesses, but never just to build businesses. It was because I loved the process of making things and seeing opportunities, and asking myself questions about where the world was going, and then try and articulate those. Chris Erwin:Wow! So when you say that you had fluency in a lot of different, call it the capacities and how you build a business and how you run a business, and that you felt that those were modularized when you were in undergrad and that's not how you looked at it. What did you perceive as those core competencies that you had already figured out by your undergrad years? Matthias Metternich:I don't want to overstate it. I mean, I still knew nothing about very much of anything, and probably still don't know anything about anything. Chris Erwin:Beginner's mind is a good place to be. Matthias Metternich:Yeah, absolutely. But look, this was still a time in an era where somebody who could use Photoshop fluently and design something leaks ahead of entire digital agencies that were just starting to become proficient in digital stuff. I mean, this was 2004. And so, I don't want to overstate my skills, but by that point I was fluent in Excel, and basic financial modeling, building up PnL, and managing that, and forecasting and that sort of stuff, pretty rudimentary arithmetic. I was fluent in designing things, both physical and not structural design, but physical media billboards, or postcards, or whatever else. I was packaging and so on. Matthias Metternich:I was pretty fluent in designing digital products, whether those were app style products or just informational websites. I've had experience copywriting and telling stories that I thought could lead to consumers clicking on things, and seeing things. So I had some proximity to search and search optimization. I was fluent a little bit in having talked to people who were open to putting some money into my projects, which at the time I wasn't really familiar with institutional capital, institutional investors, or even angel investors, but I understood what that- Chris Erwin:You had bootstrapped everything yourself to dig, right? Matthias Metternich:... totally. Yeah. Bootstrapped, but also with the luxury of safety net for my parents. I wasn't paying rent. So, it was the best time to be trying things, because I still was fed at the end of the day. And so, when I looked at college, it was a case of saying, okay. Well, there's, there's an accounting degree, there's an economics degree, there's a bit poly-psy, which I felt like I had from home. There's the design school. Okay. That seems pretty limited. And where does that lead from a career perspective? And then none of those things had really tentacles that led out of the institution into the real world. Matthias Metternich:So all these kids were studying this thing within this echo chamber and then going to a job fair. And I just thought that seems so backwards. You'd want to accelerate your craft and accelerate your learning into something actually relevant in the real world. Those things shouldn't be distinct, where there's a learning center and then there's the real world. Those things are probably the same space. And there's no reason why you can't learn on the job. Chris Erwin:And speaking of reaching your tentacles out into the real world, is this around the same time when you sneak into, I think a speaking event of the founder of MySpace, Brett Brewer? Matthias Metternich:Yeah, it was. It was actually my... I want to say it was my sophomore year. And UCLA business school, these are young executives or corporate leaders coming back to get their MBAs. And here is this 19 year old kid who's loitering around their departments and walking into the buildings, and just walking into different classes. And there was a business plan competition for its students. I think the best business plan was going to get $10,000 or something like that. And I went around asking different MBA students if they'd be willing to let me join their team, because I personally couldn't really apply myself to this. I wasn't a bit in the business school. So I could be part of a team, but I couldn't be leading it. And two guys were kind enough to take me on. Matthias Metternich:And basically then I worked with them to come up with a business plan and design the deck, and do the financials, and do it all with them. And during one of the mentor classes, Brett Brewer was speaking. I'd snuck in to attend this. Again, I'm never really allowed to be present in these spaces as an undergrad. And Brett Brewer was standing on stage and he was being interviewed, and he went to UCLA as an undergrad. And the moderator said, "Tell us about your college experience." And he said, "I snuck into the business school as an undergrad. I met somebody who was talking on stage and that person was able to help me enter into the internet space as I was running a company from my dorm room." And of course that spoke to me perfectly, because that was me. Matthias Metternich:And I felt almost like he was talking to me and inviting me to come talk to him, which I did afterwards. And I walked up to him and I told him this, and he was incredibly gracious. And I bumped into him since a few times and I never let him forget it. But he was my first real person that had built internet companies, built successful internet companies, embodied in a person, and was willing to talk about the inner workings of the tech industry. And at a time when very few people were trying to be tech entrepreneurs. Now every day there's a new startup. But then it was really hard to get an understanding of, how do I enter this space? Who are the players? What are the rules of the game? How does it actually work? Matthias Metternich:And at least what he did was, he looked at my business plan and I showed him the products, and he saw talent and he made introductions. And he made some introductions to some very interesting people who have become tech Titans and were tech Titans then, and have continued to be tech Titans now. But that was one of the most formative moments for me, where it was really a validation of, okay, someone great things that I can play ball. And I felt like I had been basically recruited onto a team. I wasn't a starter, but I had at least made it into the NBA. And the question was like, what do I do with this? Chris Erwin:My next question is, so you graduate from UCLA. And in terms of your next step, was it directly inspired or related to your relationship with Brett or something else? Matthias Metternich:I wouldn't say it was directly inspired. What I was doing in college, my company was essentially a creative digital agency. But I only did that so that it could cash flow into my real passion, which was to incubate our own products. And I did that because I didn't really want to be dependent on outside capital and raising capital. And I wanted to actually have good bread and butter work coming in, people getting paid, and then use whatever leftover cash to come up with our own products that we owned entirely and can scale maybe into an internet company. And that was the real business model. And in a way, because of my proximity or at least my exposure to Brett and his way of thinking, and then all these other folks. I don't want to overstate the relationship at the time, but definitely he was an inspiring figure locally. I continued to build this agency with an aim to try and launch new products. Matthias Metternich:And right at the time I was graduating, there was an opportune time for me to exit the agency and sell it to my partners. But also I had heard of a couple of agencies in London that were really remarkable working with really big clients, and were the ideas of the digital arena. These think tanks that were also creative. They knew about marketing, but they were also about creating valuable products and services. And these were bigger agencies. And I hadn't really realized there were big agencies doing this. And so I decided to move to London and joined those firms, and then start firms like that with them. And so that gave me exposure to a ton of global brands and really big brands and exciting big projects that I would have never ever done in my small studio. But I was serving global clients very quickly at a young age, working on some very challenging and complicated platforms and services and products across insurance, across consumer goods, across whatever it was. And so I had some really remarkable opportunities in that context. Chris Erwin:I think that your agency/incubator was called Popsicle Vision. Matthias Metternich:That's right. Chris Erwin:And so did you end up selling it to a London-based incubator? Matthias Metternich:No, I didn't. I sold it to my local partners in California, and then I moved to London to join this firm. Chris Erwin:You move to London, you kick off this journey. Is this your first career moment where you're actually working for someone else? Matthias Metternich:Yeah. Chris Erwin:It's not a business that you had founded? Matthias Metternich:Yes. That was the first time working for someone else. And I had the opportunity to sit down with the partners of this firm, and they had no idea what to do with me. And I had no idea what I was going to do there. And credit to them they said, "Well, why don't you just hop a board and see what happens? And you can help us with the business and help us think about building the business because we're also stuck serving all these clients. Maybe you can pull out to [inaudible 00:21:24] and help us understand what services we're offering, what should we should be doing more of, whether it's intellectual property that we could maybe build out." And I was thinking very much from Silicon valley startups, building tech companies, building products and services. And these guys didn't really have proximity to that in London. Matthias Metternich:I was put in a role that was very fluid and they gave me a lot of runway to do whatever I wanted. To the extent that one day I got a call, and I could barely understand. It was a very thick accent. And I hung up a few times, and they kept calling back, until they finally said, "Hey, we're a publicly listed $10 plus billion telecoms company based in Istanbul. And we'd like to fly you out to Istanbul." And I looked over at one of the partners and I said, "I think I'm going to go down in Istanbul and talk to these guys. I have no idea who they are, what they want, but it sounds fun." And I got on a plane and I went down there. And sure enough, it was the biggest company in Turkey, 90 million plus subscribers. Matthias Metternich:It's Turkcell, it's the largest telco company down there, huge offices, beautiful offices, huge budgets, massive projects, total desire to transform their organization, build all these new products and services, and no real domestic talents, no real Turkey based agencies, able to pull any of this stuff off. And so there I was feeling like a kid in a candy shop, and also feeling really comfortable in that environment, having lived in all these different countries, where I basically called the partners back in London and I said, "I'd like to build the agency here. We'll share the business. And I'll drive business back into London. I'll use the portfolio and we'll see where it takes us." That was a chapter that moved me from London to Istanbul. Chris Erwin:So I have to ask Matthias, if I'm following your timeline right, you're right out of undergrad call in your early 20s, maybe mid 20s max? Matthias Metternich:Yeah. Chris Erwin:I assume that in the London office, looking around the different cubicles, you have people that are right out of undergrad analysts, junior level, and you're getting calls from major executives in Turkey that are then flying you out. So it feels like your role is more like that of a partner. Is that what it felt like to you and did that felt natural? Matthias Metternich:100%. Totally felt national. It wasn't pretentious on my part. It was just that I also wasn't... In some cases I was noticing these junior staffers or mid-level staffers were vastly more proficient in the one skill they'd been honing for years. So I wasn't going to compete with them. And also I didn't want to compete with them because I wasn't wanting to work within that silo. And I didn't see myself progressing from a junior level person to a mid-level person, to a senior level person within that function. And then maybe get into graduate into the executive suite that never really made sense for me, because I was perfectly proficient by that point to speak relatively fluently with partners about some of the actual business challenges and some of the business logic, and what we should be going after or not going after. Matthias Metternich:And so, when you're in that growth mindset of making things and creating things that isn't limited by the bread and butter of what you already do, then you'd just by definition, get to live at a more fluid state. And by the way, it wasn't just me being exceptional or anything like that. Consultants have the same privilege. There are a lot of second or third year analysts out of college who work at McKinsey or Boston Consulting Group who have exactly the same experience. Because that's what they do. They get to parachute into an organization and work with the senior leadership on what the future should look like. So it was unique to me, but I was doing it within a function that wasn't necessarily the big four cost and consulting or McKinsey type places. Chris Erwin:I think you assumed this consultant advisory role for around five years after undergrad, before you returned to the US. Is it true that you bounced around to a few different companies? And I'm probably pronouncing this wrong, but Poke MEA and a global partner at Aqua. Matthias Metternich:Yeah. AKQA. Chris Erwin:Okay. AKQA. Matthias Metternich:Yeah. So these are two of the sort of leading digital transformation agencies. And I worked with clients across the gamut of industries. But when I was sort of tired of doing that because we sold the agency to publicists and then AKQA had been sold to WPP, I wanted to go back to building products cause that's what I was doing, advising clients, that's what I was helping them think about. So I wanted to go back to building my own company. So I started an enterprise software company that was backed by a bunch of venture capital funds in London, and spent three years building that. And that was an enterprise software business in the FinTech and marketing automation space. Chris Erwin:And what was the name of that company? Was that Believe.in? Matthias Metternich:Yeah, that's Believe.in. Chris Erwin:I look at what you're doing now at Art of Sport, which is you're disrupting the body and skincare industry. And there's also a major intersection of media around the talent network that you're building out, very different from enterprise software. So was your heart in this product that you had created back then or, hey, you perceived opportunity, you had a unique set of skills. There was a moment in time.? Or was it something that you were generally very passionate and interested in as well? Matthias Metternich:I can be very quick to fall in love with opportunities that don't exist in the white space. And so because I think the world of having built different things in the fluid nature of digital businesses and products and servicing all these different clients, and some might have been banks, or insurance companies, or race teams, or Skype, or [inaudible 00:26:37], seeing all these different types of companies, I think you come away with an appreciation for different types of businesses, at least a fidelity of understanding what the rules of the game are within those different verticals. Matthias Metternich:So when you see, hey, I can bring this design thinking, or this distribution differentiation, or this ability to scale to something that hasn't been done before, I tend to fall madly in love with those. So I love B2B businesses, I love B2C businesses. But with Art of Sport, it was a very clear white space to go after, creating the first sports brand to define application what you put on your skin every day. And so I took inspiration from Nike, and Nike did that for decades with what you wear. Gatorade did that for decades with what you drink and defined what that should look like. And really built a team that was focused on the athlete and creating real cultural residence, but no one had ever done it in the skincare space. Matthias Metternich:And I felt that was a huge opportunity having played sports my whole life, and knowing the category, knowing very well that consumer who chooses a brand tends to stick with that brand for decades. And that to me, was a very powerful opportunity to not just define what the Nike of skincare should look like, but also have that proximity to a consumer who applies this to their skin every day for the rest of their lives. Chris Erwin:And before we go deeper into art of sport, actually want to go back to when I think it was the early days when you were actually really interested in the intersection of culture and commerce. You had founded, I think a digitally native brand called COCODUNE back in 2014. What's the story behind that? Because I felt like that kicked off your artist sport journey in a way. Matthias Metternich:It did. I mean, it transitioned me back to the United States and I saw an opportunity where I want him to get in on the e-commerce game. And what I liked about e-commerce compared to software was, I liked the idea of a physical asset. And I liked understanding the balance sheet from the perspective of future earnings and lifetime value of consumers to individual one-off orders, where you're selling a product, and you're making it for X and you're selling it for Y, and you have the potential to scale that business off of that model. And so I was very intrigued by the fundamentals of e-commerce. I was very intrigued by what I was seeing in the social media space. And I was interested about every product having its own set of variables that expresses what I call the physics of that opportunity. Matthias Metternich:So certain products weigh a certain amount, certain products you can sell for a certain amount, because there's ambiguity about the actual cost of making them. Certain products are hard to shop for in the real world, therefore they're more suited to online. Certain products haven't seen a lot of innovation. So there's a lot of really interesting questions to be asked about a category. And I honed in on what I thought was a very interesting one, which was swimwear for women. And it sounds crazy. And I certainly had a lot of people in my world who thought I was crazy going from all the things I was doing before to bikini's. But there was something really interesting in the fact that, okay, this is a product that weighs almost nothing. It's a product that sold for 350, sometimes, dollars. It costs about between six and $10 to make. Matthias Metternich:And paradoxically, the less fabric there is the more expensive these products are. There were all these friction points that I saw, plus all of these variables within swimwear that I thought, "Hey, this might lend itself very well to be commerce, especially if we can predict the integrate, especially if we can create a really seamless experience for the consumer trying this product on at home, free shipping and free returns. Maybe we send them a several sizes so that they can find their size without friction, and they could send back what they don't like, because there's that lower weight." And so therefore the shipping rates aren't going to necessarily be arbitrarily that much higher or lower, depending on if we send them actually more inventory, we can always bill them retroactively. In some cases. Chris Erwin:That's like the Warby Parker model in a bit. Matthias Metternich:Exactly like the Warby Parker model, except with eyewear you choose one model and you stick with that. You don't really explore things. But with fashion, you might go with the polka dot one, you might want the black top, and you might also want the striped one, and you might want this color, and so on. So there was a lot of opportunity for cross and lateral selling. We also were making silhouettes that were sometimes very fashioned bourbon. And then sometimes we were making them a little bit more sporty. And people who are swimming or going on holiday, in some cases, were buying four or five, six, seven, eight, nine pairs of swimwear, and then those fade, and then you buy them again for the next season. Matthias Metternich:And so, there was a very rationalized construct behind why I did this. And one thing that I had learned from that business that was so interesting was, one, people buying things online and what triggers them. But two, we had a, surprisingly, very successful offline business through wholesale. And I remembered we had these two young women who were hosting a pop-up in Nantucket of all places. And they have this tiny little store, and they asked if we could send some product. We sent product, and the next day it was gone, sold out. And then we sold more and it sold out. We sold more, it sold out. And we were doing tens of thousands of dollars for this one, tiny little pop-up in Nantucket. Matthias Metternich:And I remember thinking to myself, this is actually putting some burden on our inventories, it's annoying actually. I mean, it's great that we're getting this revenue, but we're trying to build an e-commerce business. And I remember ignoring the wholesale business. And I remember thinking to myself, the offline business is not what I want to be building because I was buying into this mantra that it was all about pixels and not bricks. And have everything centralized in the warehouse, low cost of operations, warehouse vertically integrated and ship it. Have those DTC metrics really prove out because you can scale it into a unicorn. Matthias Metternich:And I was never delusional enough to think that I was going to be as big as Warby Parker, but I did remember hearing that Victoria secret had a $500 million swimsuit business, and they were discontinuing swimwear. And I thought to myself, there's a big of an opportunity to get something like this to 100 or 200 million revenue, except I can't get distracted by wholesale. And so I remember as we started to try and rationalize the business and figure this business out, we neglected the wholesale business. We also found that the cost of acquisition was creeping up because social channels are really saturated and becoming more and more saturated. And so we ended up leaving that business where we were selling it for... We sold it for parts. We had different types of attributes and assets that were interesting to a different parties in different ways. Matthias Metternich:And that's how we moved off of that business. And it was also an interesting time not to get too lost in the weeds here, but I raised a bunch of capital from fashion and tech investors in London because I had been in London and I was operating out of California. And my capital was partly held up in pounds, in British pounds, Sterling. And when Brexit happened, the pound massively devalued against the dollar. Part of the reason we ended up selling it for parts is because we were in a position where an enormous amount of our runway basically disappeared overnight with the de-valuing of the British pound when Brexit happened. Chris Erwin:It's one of those things that you can never anticipate. Matthias Metternich:Never anticipate. Chris Erwin:It's like you're building a startup. You know you're going to have many headwinds. And this is, as they say, the unknown unknowns. Matthias Metternich:I've always said this, everything that could possibly go wrong doesn't help describe enough how many things can go wrong when you're building a startup. And that was one of them where I just was thinking to myself, "This just can't be possible. How are we going to position where the future of the business is dependent on currency exchange?" That's insane. Chris Erwin:So I'm curious, because looking back when you were growing up, Matthias, you had bootstrapped companies that were cashflow positive, recurring revenues through these amazing service contracts with the schools that you had structured in your teen years, which is very impressive. Then you go into raising capital from other investors for enterprise software at Believe.in, and then for COCODUNE. And then you have... These aren't material exits for you they're challenges. And so does this start to dissuade you from, "Hey, the next company I built, I'm going to do differently?" What was going through your head? Matthias Metternich:That's a great question. Because I think that that's really fundamental to, I think, of a lot of entrepreneurs journey is when they think about the venture capital versus self-funding and profitability. And I had this conversation just last night with someone, where... I mean, look, it depends partially on your risk profile and what you're in the game for. I'm motivated by money. No question. I mean, we all are in some ways. But I'm also motivated to make something of my time and I want to make sure that I'm doing stuff that's exciting to me. And as much as I can. And the idea of spending 15 years building a cashflow positive business slowly, but surely it doesn't necessarily appeal to me. Matthias Metternich:I mean, I like the idea, but that's slow going. That's a lot of risk that you're taking on yourself. And this is the really, the big point of discussion me, is if you look back historically... And I like to think of myself as somebody who studies this a little bit and you look back to the 17th century, 16th century around businesses, most of these were family run, small operations that had a really tough time getting loans, really tough time having any liquidity whatsoever, really tough time being able to fund inventory. Matthias Metternich:And so we've migrated over hundreds of years to a place where access to capital is not only available in the form of these really great debt instruments, but we're also talking about a new frontier in asset class, which is called venture capital. And venture capital provides capital to entrepreneurs with ideas at stages of their development, where they have no idea how it's going to shake out. And it's right at the beginning. And not only that, the capital's available at prices that are very, very effective and accommodating for entrepreneurs to own. Most of their intellectual property that in into itself is an enormous privilege, that we live in an era where theoretically, you could raise a million dollars or more for 20% of your business. And there you are with 80% of your business and a million dollars, and hopefully a good plan to go and execute this, but you have the whole world ahead of you to go after. Matthias Metternich:And depending on the type of business, it might be 5 million, it might be 100 million, it might be a billion dollars. But we are in this very unique period in our world, in our lives, where we get to articulate ideas, we get to get funding for them, and we get to own meaningful stakes in those endeavors. And typically, you get to do that with relatively limited downside of personal risk in the way of liability. And that, to me, fundamentally from just a historical perspective, the time that we live in a generational perspective is one of the greatest, most remarkable things that I'm privileged to experience in this era. And so, to that end, it's a case of all... I mean, excuse my French, and you might have to bleep this out, but why wouldn't I fuck with that? Why wouldn't I go after that? Even if the risks are such that you lose everything at least on paper. You fail the endeavor. Okay, fine. Get up again and try it again. Chris Erwin:I'll poke one part of that, because this has come up something that I think about for myself and also from some of my peers is, Matthias, the argument that you just made in terms of the financial opportunity, the risk profile and ownership is very compelling. A potential counterpoint though, is that if you're doing, say, a 15 year cashflow business versus a venture funded business, the pressure from investors, the feeling of a bit of lack of control, and that you have to grind, and this word hustle, which is increasingly going out of fashion, could be very unappealing to entrepreneurs that are like, "Look, I want to work hard, but the classic venture hustle maybe is not and I don't want to burn out early." Matthias Metternich:100%. Chris Erwin:There's certain operators, maybe like you who have more grit resilience, and are actually better at finding the balance with a venture business. Matthias Metternich:Yeah. I think those are valid points. I don't think those things are mutually exclusive. And I think you have to ask yourself, who am I, and what do I want? I think that if you're going to take venture capital, then you can't delude yourself to think that you can somehow not play the game. You're entering into a contract that is just like any pro athlete. The expectation is that, "Okay. If I'm going to go sign for the NFL and play for a franchise team, or the NBA, or MLB, then I'm expected to put my life into this thing," because it's an opportunity. That's an enormous privilege. But it also in the case of the startup world, the upside could potentially be enormous. Matthias Metternich:And so from that perspective, I think it's a mindset. And I think it's really about asking oneself, "Am I that person," or does that just really sound cool and sound fun? Because you'll very quickly realize that, "Hey, if you're not willing to put that time in and willing to orchestrate or structure your life to prioritize that as the number one, because you've entered into this contract, then maybe you shouldn't play in the professional sports," at least if venture is... We're calling professional sports for this analogy sake. I 100% here you. Look, I think amongst entrepreneurs and most of my friends are entrepreneurs and they're venture backed, and many of them are also self-funded, there's always that discussion. Matthias Metternich:And I think some of them that are funding it themselves can really stand there and point to having built something slowly, being able to control their own destiny, being able to pay themselves what they want to pay. And they've gone through that ringer in the wars in ways that venture capital folks or venture funded people might not have gone through. And I think a lot of venture-funded startup entrepreneurs look at people who own their whole businesses and are, let's say cashflowing positively with massive admiration, because they know what tip to get there. But the stresses within venture capital are very different, and turning something from zero value into 100 plus million valuation in three or four years is also extraordinary. Matthias Metternich:From my perspective, it's all good. But still it's a privilege and it's an opportunity, and it's a flexibility that the entrepreneur, the operator has never had historically. All of those instruments that are available to us, all come with different conditions, different expectations. And I think one thing that I think entrepreneurs also get wrong is they point often at venture funded businesses and look at those boards. And they say, "By definition, the pressures are going to be crazy. Expectations are going to be out of saying, everyone's going to expect to make a shit load of money really quickly. I don't want to do that." But that is a trope. Matthias Metternich:Because I've only had experiences where my board is aligned, where my investors understand the business we're in, they understand the challenges, they understand not exerting too much pressure onto something and doing something that's super inorganic or unhealthy. And so, I think it's on the entrepreneur and on the partners to all find alignment and understand the physics of the game that they're in. And that alignment will create solid expectations and solid foundations for running something that is hot pressure cooker, but it's within reason and it's within rationale. Chris Erwin:In a way to sum it up, I think it's important to know thyself. Know who you are and also know the people around you that you're getting into business with. Hey, listeners. This is Chris Erwin, your host of the Come Up. I have a quick ask for you. If you dig what we're putting down, if you like the show, if you like our guests, it would really mean a lot if you can give us a rating wherever you listen to our show. It helps other people discover our work. And it also really supports what we do here. All right, that's it, everybody. Let's get back to the interview. So look, speaking of sports analogies, I think this is a great transition point to talk about the founding of Art of Sport. After COCODUNE, you ended up founding Art of Sport. How did that come to be? Matthias Metternich:Well, it came to be because I was coming out of that pressure cooker, and I was looking for my next one. But I also was looking to roll my experience, building products into something where I would avoid the same pitfalls. I'd be able to do certain things a little bit better. And really, it was just a matter of time before landing on a big idea that I saw real passion for and excitement for. Only this one, Art of Sport, was one that was very, very deep to my heart. I was introduced to Brian Lee, who's my co-founder in Art of Sport. And he's had an incredible career and someone I really look up to. He founded LegalZoom in his 20s. The defacto online legal platform in the country, is just remarkable. Chris Erwin:The trademark for RockWater I think was done through LegalZoom. Matthias Metternich:Very good. And then he went on to found on his company with Jessica Alba, which was the first player probably since Pampers to go into the children's baby early family stage arena with products that were better for you, made more natural, under the banner of trying to create a safe, happy world for children and young families. And it was a very exciting trajectory that he, took going from a D to C to an omni-channel brand. And I think north of a billion valuation. And so Brian and I have over the years, shared a number of venture capital investors who've invested in our businesses respectively. And there was a lot of good connective tissue there that facilitated our meeting and facilitated, our both as entrepreneurs, just rolling our sleeves up and starting to share notes on what we've learned in the past and what we want to do in the future. Matthias Metternich:And we landed on the very early innings of a rough idea around Artist of Sport when Brian visited Target and saw a bunch of copper tones sport sunscreens on the end of the aisle, and just, I think, probably being in the Headspace of having looked at brands and looked at formulas and wondering what makes a good formula [inaudible 00:44:54]. I think he asked himself, "Well, why is this sport formula? What makes it sport?" When he shared that idea with me, we walked the aisles together. We looked at the sunscreen aisle, and then we walked over to the deodorant aisle, and then we walked into the body wash aisle, and then we walked into all the other aisles of application and products and formulas. And we saw sport being used by a number of these legacy brands. And we asked ourselves, well, do we think of Coppertone or [inaudible 00:45:21] when we think of a sports brand? Matthias Metternich:Do we think of a sports brand when you see Axe sport blast or Old Spice, [inaudible 00:45:30], probably not. You really think of the Nike's, the Addidases, the Gatorades, the Powerades, brands that were born on the field with the athlete, and developed by athletes and made for athletes, and that's your north star. And everyone in the organization is serving that one unique mission. And we thought to ourselves, no one has touched the application. Nike, and Adidas, and Puma, and Under Armour, and you name it, they've touched what we wear, [inaudible 00:45:57]. We've got the Gatorades of this world and the Powerades, and the body armors, and the Vegas, and the RX Stars and whatever it is, and power bars that touch nutrition, and you put in your body. How is it possible that no one's touched what you put on your skin? Matthias Metternich:And we intuitively knew that that was a huge market. And we intuitively also knew that application spans a lot of different types of categories and a lot of different types of products, and then there's a lot of really interesting connective tissue into that athletic world through sunscreen. But there's also interesting applications in pain and recovery, showering when you've been taking multiple showers in a week or a day, even because you work out so much and dry skin. The way you smell, the way you feel in your skin, feeling confident, feeling fresh, feeling ready to go challenge the day. We knew in our bones that there was something very big here if it could be executed correctly, and that was the Genesis of Arts of Sports family. Chris Erwin:And it's interesting to hear you describe the story. So personally as a surfer, I look at different types of skincare and sunscreen. I would go down to the aisle like the CVS, and I would look at, okay, Neutrogena skincare and the Neutrogena sport, and then other brands are regular and then sport. And then I would look at the ingredients on the back and then be like, wait a minute, literally the exact same ingredients, it's just branded differently. And I've found that very frustrating and also very confusing. What am I missing here? And then I think about, I use right guard deodorants. The one that I ended up using is Right Guard Surf. Now, is there anything related to surf? Not at all. It's just the branding that I like, but it does resonate with me. Matthias Metternich:Yeah. Well, I remember when we were exploring the idea, we happened, I think quite serendipitously, to meet the guy who at Gillette, was the guy who created Gillette sport. And he was describing that he had no budget for any innovation. And there was nothing that was new about the product. It was the same product. And he had to figure out a path to creating something meaningful. So he slapped sport on the label. And I think it three X the business, and he was chuckling at that. And I was, on the one hand amused by it, and the other one, I was completely agas, that this is a proxy for that entire arena where sports been used as a marketing device, less as an actual purpose, and mission, and focus, and design with intention, and the same way that these other sports brands that we love have devoted all their resources to doing this. Matthias Metternich:And so, when we started the business, we knew we needed to be as authentic to the process and deliberate the process as Adi Dassler, who was literally cobbling shoes together for Jesse Owens at the Olympics, and Phil Knight at the University of Oregon, with people on the track and field. And we knew we needed to have deep proximity to the athletic community and have them deeply involved in our business. And I remember Brian and I thinking, well, who represents the kind of tenacity, and focus, and mental, and physical commitment to being the best version of yourself possible in the sports space, that has done so successfully that they've transcended their sports? And it really took us almost no time to say, "Well, that's Kobe Bryant." Matthias Metternich:And we asked ourselves, well, what would that look like if we got him involved? Do we think we could get him involved? And our paths took us to his door and we presented what we had, which was very rough at the time. Chris Erwin:How did you actually get to Kobe, did you go through his management or an agency? Matthias Metternich:Brian, had some, I think distant connective tissue there. They'd come across each other, of course, over the years. Brian's been an entrepreneur in LA for 25 plus years. So, he's made a name for himself. He has a great reputation. He's got the Midas touch. And so doors open whenever Brian wants to talk to folks. But we also had really one of Brian's old friends and somebody who was deeply involved with LegalZoom as well later in the business, was a guy named Jeff Stibel. And Jeff Stibel founded the Bryant Stibel fund when Kobe retired. And it was essentially one of his investment arms. And so we went to Jeff and we spoke to Jeff about the opportunity, and Jeff facilitated a conversation. And we went down to Newport and that's how we ended up sharing the idea with Kobe. Chris Erwin:What was his reaction in the room? Did he immediately get it, or did it take a few sessions to explain how big this could be? Matthias Metternich:I mean, he just had this incredible beaming, natural charisma, incredibly handsome, charismatic, sharp, fun person, and walked into the meeting room and instantly commands the space he's in, and sat down. And I had a bunch of samples from my factories that I'd been working with for several months on early iterations, new fragrances, and oils, information about the ingredients and why things were being constructed. We'd been working with some scientists that were some of the leading skincare scientists in the world to really cement the innovation and cement the formula standards around athletes. We have tested some of these with young athletes. So we had a body of work. It was really not a sketch on a napkin, hoping that he'd see the vision. We showed him the vision and we showed him our focus on how we would execute it. Matthias Metternich:And he sat there very quietly. You could tell he was very absorbed in the information. Instantly grabbed all the samples and played with them, and smelled them, and looked at them from all different angles. And then the first thing he said was, "How does this not exist yet?" That was a relief. Chris Erwin:It's exactly what you'd want to hear. Matthias Metternich:That's exactly what you want. That's exactly what you want. But it was almost like this is too obvious. Am I missing something here? This is so obvious that maybe it's not even an idea. Or is it such a big idea that it's... It's so obvious that it's such a big idea. And fortunately for us, I think he had gone through the experience of building Body Armor. And Body Armor massively successful competitor in the drinks space, going after Gatorade, $6 billion business. Matthias Metternich:And he always had lots of proximity to that in the early stages, was an investor in the business. And they had, I think, just sold part of it for a billion plus to Coca-Cola. I mean, the timing was quite fortuitous, in that, you have to remember Kobe helped build the Nike brand, so what you wear, for 20 plus years. He was involved with them in China and everywhere else. Then he was involved in a beverage player and what you put in your body. And so it was only natural for him to see that sequence, and say, "Hey, I think I have a role to play in defining what applications look like." Chris Erwin:Did he challenged you in any areas where he said, "Hey, this about the product design, the packaging, the ingredients, the perfume," anything like that, where he had a pretty strong differing opinion from the start? Matthias Metternich:Immediately. So one of the areas that is always an interesting talking point is how do you design a sports brand that doesn't just appeal to gym rats and hardcore athletes? How do you build one that transcends time? How do you build one that connects with all walks of life? How do you build a culturally resonant brand in the same way that Nike has done it, or Adidas has done it, because these are brands that people are wearing. Nine times out of 10 they're not going for a run. Nine times out of 10, they're wearing it because they connect with the lifestyle. They like the brand, they like the vibe, they like the aesthetics, and they feel it represents them and their values. And it's cool. And so you have to have a very careful balance between those two things. And one of the areas that he was very adamant on and wanting to speak about in detail was, how do you stay resolutely focused on performance? Matthias Metternich:How do you stay resolutely committed to the athlete, and how do you not get too caught up in trends? And how do you not get too caught up with what Adidas is doing with all of its fashion labs, the stuff that takes it out of the lane of sport, versus Nike that remains deeply wedded to sport constantly and stays focused on that and still manages to create a cultural halo around it? So we were operating, I think, at quite a high level when it came to just general strategy and brands. That was an area he had a lot of passion for. And then he wanted to go away with the products and use those products a lot and pass them around to his network of athletes so that he could gather his own data rather than just assume that our data was accurate. Chris Erwin:And it feels like everything that we read about and that we talk about with our clients is, when you look at the chance to partner up with talent, that could have not only just incredible insights into unique product or unique audience, but the exposure, the audience that they can bring, their brand awareness. But if you solely rely on the latter of that relationship, you're not getting the full force of everything they could bring to that company, that startup, that idea, that vision. And so it seems that you approach this with Kobe from the start thinking in a much broader way. Does this conversation happen... Because I think the company was founded around 2018 when you first had your seed. When was the Kobe conversation? Matthias Metternich:The conversation with Kobe was in 2018, and we launched the business in 2019. Chris Erwin:Fast forwarding a bit here, but him being a key integral thought partner to the business and an ambassador, and then the unfortunate circumstances and Kobe's passing in early 2020, how did you manage around that? What was the direct impact of the business? Matthias Metternich:Obviously an enormous loss. And I think we were just shellshocked for months, and just trying to process the information was hard enough. We didn't rush to just define the business, and define the impact on the business, and define what it would do to our bottom line, and these sorts of things. I think we were pretty deliberate. Not even deliberate knowingly, but just really prioritizing the loss of a partner and a friend, and someone we respected deeply. So that's where our hearts were for a long time. And then when we started to come up for air, what we saw were athletes rushing to us. We saw the community come to us. We didn't see people running away. And we saw people wanting to support us more, then we saw that the permanence, let's say of his legacy, was even deeper in a way that is unfortunate when you see brilliant people, brilliant minds, brilliant artists, brilliant athletes pass away in their prime, they pass away too prematurely. Matthias Metternich:And so, the outpouring of love and support that we saw was enormous. We were a couple of weeks away from launching the biggest partnership of its kind with Target nationally in the skincare space. It was a huge, huge partnership. We'd spent over a year, quietly and carefully crafting. And Kobe and I were going to do a media tour to promote the brands. And, of course, the first folks that we ended up calling to let them know what had transpired and what we were going to be doing, and how things were going to continue to work was with Target. And Target were very supportive. Matthias Metternich:They were very keen to make sure that we didn't actually heavily promote the brand when we launched, because we were all cautious of not wanting to be commercializing the passing of one of our founders, which was a pro and a con, because we were doing the right thing and we all felt very good about it. But it was also launching a new brand at that scale nationally and not being able to talk about it was a scary idea, because that's the moment you really want to be talking about it. Matthias Metternich:And then we rolled from that into peak lockdown with COVID, which was also incredibly challenging for everyone. And so, a really tough time to launch a consumer brand offline, especially for us. That was one of the sort of unfortunate sequences of events that had the potential to put a really dark cloud over the organization, a really dark cloud over the team. But we came together as a team and just like in sports, you have to overcome some pretty devastating losses. And I think we really banded together to try and continue on with our mission, and things were looking very bright now. That was a testing time for everyone. Chris Erwin:So it raises the question in that moment where you had this outpouring of love and support for the passing of one of your co-founders. Did that also cause you to think about the business and say, "Wow, look at all these different relationships, personalities, potential partners that we can maybe think differently about how we're building off of this magnetism and this energy that Kobe had created around his whole life. And there's a way to actually take that energy and propel it forward in thinking about your talent network differently?" Matthias Metternich:Yeah. I think what we did was, when we started the business, we started with Kobe and we had seven other athletes. So we had a round table of athletes that we felt represented a cross section of America. We did that very purposely and intentionally because we believe sport is one of the great equalizers in this world. It's one of the great ways for everyone to access it and participate. It's inclusive by design and it's diverse by design. And so, there's something really special in that. So when we brought seven of the athletes around the table, we chose people from different sports, different ages, different ethnicities, different genders. And we gave them all platforms to participate in communicating what our brand represents, and why their followers should care. So my point is this, we were always believing that the brand and the story was never going to be told by one athlete alone. Matthias Metternich:It was going to be told by, and was going to incorporate lots of different perspectives. So our storytelling was as it was before. And to an extent, because we looked at Kobe as our business partner, only as our business partner, rather than an endorser of our deodorant sticks, we captured the mantras, we captured the guidance that he's given us over the years, we captured that north star, we codify that mission and that purpose even more. We've retained, I think, the spirit of why we started this