‘Jordan The Stallion,’ Jenny Hoyos, Misha Brown, V Spehar, Ziad Ahmed, Shira Lazar, and companies like Liquid Death, LTK, Boobie, Smosh, NFL all have one thing in common – It’s No Fluke they found success.
Each week, we unpack the highs, lows, and untold stories of culture and creativity with top creators, brands, agencies and thought leaders.
New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday. Stay tuned!
Got feedback or a guest idea? Reach out via email, LinkedIn or Instagram.
A Shorty Award winner and Real Time Academy member, Jeff Barrett works with major influencers and brands like Adobe, Experian, Oracle, FIS and more on communications and influencer strategy. He spent three years traveling to almost every state in the country writing about startup ecosystems for Inc and Entrepreneur. After years of talking for a living, he's ready to listen and amplify the voices of amazing people, stories and ideas.
Ashley Segura is a content marketing strategist, speaker, and operator with 15+ years of experience turning messy, disconnected marketing efforts into systems that actually work. As Director of Marketing at SearchLab Digital, she leads campaigns that connect with humans (not just algorithms) for brands across the globe. Invited to speak at industry-leading events like SMX Munich, BrightonSEO, Pubcon, Engage, and Semrush Spotlight, Ashley has also been named a Top 100 Content Marketing Influencer and featured in SEOFOMO’s Inspiring Women in SEO.
Jason Sperling brings his distinguished talent and leadership to the role of Chief Creative Officer at INNOCEAN. He has an incredible track record for creating iconic work for brands like Apple, Honda, TikTok, Amazon, Disney Pixar and UNICEF Worldwide. He was the genius behind the Apple “Mac vs. PC” campaign which was declared “Campaign of the Decade” by Adweek. He counts numerous Cannes Gold Lions, including an Emmy nomination among his many awards and has developed marketing campaigns that made a difference and have had an impact on culture and the world at large. He’s also authored two books; one on creative leadership and another on building brand attraction in an age of brand aversion.
Bridget Evans joined Spotify in August 2023 and holds the position of Global Head of Advertising Business Marketing for Spotify. Before Spotify, Bridget held the role of Head of Business Marketing for the Family of Apps at Meta, leading efforts to help brands see the full potential of Instagram, Facebook, and Threads to drive their business objectives. She has 13+ years of experience pushing brands forward with digital-first strategies. Prior to Meta, Bridget led consumer marketing, content, and affiliate for Amazon Fashion.
Previously, she served as vice president of account strategy at Vaynermedia, where she married creative and media to develop brand and DR campaigns for companies like Coach, Sour Patch Kids, Birchbox, and JP Morgan Chase.
She has correctly guessed Worldle on her first attempt at least three times, and currently lives in New York.
Zach Vallese is a creator economy reporter at CNBC, where he covers the business of creators, platforms, and digital media across the network’s digital and social platforms. His reporting explores how creators build sustainable businesses, how platforms adapt their strategies, and how monetization, regulation, and AI are reshaping the online landscape. He regularly interviews TikTokers, YouTubers, Instagram creators, and the teams behind them to understand how this industry is evolving.
In addition to his reporting, Zach is a segment producer for Squawk Box, CNBC’s flagship morning show, where he produces daily live segments on business, tech, and markets. He can also solve a Rubik’s cube in under two minutes.
At just 23, Dylan Huey has become a successful content creator, musician, entrepreneur, host, speaker, innovator, and leader in the entertainment, social media, and technology industries. As a creator, he has garnered over 6 million cumulative followers on social media under his monicker and stage name, Rodin’ Flash. In addition, he has previously managed other creators with followings over 100M, including being creator Huddy's first manager and leading his expansion from 200K - 5M followers in a year and a half. Dylan has been a featured creator on TedX, Consumer Electronic Show, and Vidcon.
Currently, he runs the first and only collegiate influencer organization, REACH, which was started at USC and now expanded to 100+ other universities, including UCLA, Penn State, and Duke. Under his leadership, REACH has expanded into four divisions beyond the student organization: a full-service marketing agency supporting 100+ brands, content production studio, talent management firm representing 50+ talent, and venture arm with equity in 25+ startups.
As an advertising creative, Ben Levy pulled all-nighters at agencies like StrawberryFrog, HAVAS, and RTO&P. His work for brands including Coca-Cola, Boost Mobile, New Balance, Jägermeister, Virgin America, and others occasionally earned him shiny things.
As a presentation coach, Ben’s taught the fine art of persuasion to everyone from creative freelancers to agency execs. He’s spoken to and coached folks at shops like Mischief, Droga5, GREY, Ogilvy, Digitas Health, FCB, VML, etc.
He’s trained in three forms of martial arts, can slow his heart rate on command, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Looney Tunes.
Don’t be too impressed though, he also managed to fail a Salsa class.
Five years after it started, Breaking and Entering Media has published over 50 episodes, built a vibrant student and professional community, and earned recognition from Ad Age, Campaign US, and The Wall Street Journal.
Geno Schellenberger was a senior at the University of Illinois. He had a job lined up at Edelman. Then the pandemic hit. The world paused. His job was delayed by nine months, and the advertising industry felt out of reach for nearly everyone trying to break in.
By 2022, the podcast had real momentum. Jack Westerkamp, another childhood friend from Lombard, joined the team to lead growth and business strategy. With Geno hosting, Buchun Jiang designing, and Jack building, the foundation was set.
The team built a full media platform. They launched the Crowbar Awards, a quarterly spec competition for aspiring creatives. Then came The Vault, a paid newsletter offering behind-the-scenes advice. Jack launched his own podcast, Creator Incorporated, focused on the creator economy. Geno introduced new series like BrandSide and Breaking with Brian Bonilla.
They added a daily video series called Whiteboard News, which quickly became a go-to source for fast-moving industry headlines. Weekly content like Ads in the Wild and seasonal coverage around the Super Bowl and Cannes Lions helped further establish Breaking and Entering’s role in creative media.
In September 2024, Geno and Jack moved to New York City to go full-time. They settled into a tiny East Village apartment, signed for office space on Madison Avenue, and haven’t looked back. They now produce content daily, run a multi-format podcast network, and reach millions of creatives each month.
But the story isn’t finished. This is just the beginning.
Carmen Boon is the Vice President of Public Affairs at Food Bank For New York City, the city’s largest hunger relief organization, empowering New Yorkers to achieve food security for good. Carmen specializes in leveraging storytelling and data narrative to drive civic engagement, shift public perception, influence policy, and generate funding for social impact. She has led successful multilingual and multicultural campaigns that have advanced significant public and nonprofit initiatives across New York City.
Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Carmen held senior positions in NYC government, where she directed outreach efforts on critical issues such as housing, social services, human rights, and public healthcare. She also contributed to managing crisis communications during key citywide, regional, and global events, including the Hurricane Sandy recovery and the COVID-19 pandemic at NYC Health and Hospitals.
A Fulbright alum with Journalism and Media Studies degrees, Carmen currently serves on the board of the Fulbright Association Greater NY Chapter. She is a Shorty Award juror and winner, and an active mentor and advocate in various national leadership networks, including CHIEF, 100 Hispanic Women, the Public Relations Society of America, and the Advocacy and Policy Engagement Committee of Feeding America.
Paula Bruno is a seasoned marketer and brand builder with nearly 25 years of experience—15 of those as CEO of Intuition Media Group.
Her expertise spans brand and integrated marketing, influencer and experiential marketing, community engagement, and even a touch of M&A. At her core, she is a connector and builder—crafting brand strategies, negotiating talent partnerships, and leading integrated campaigns, all while managing budgets and driving sustainable growth.
Intuition partners with forward-thinking brands to expand their influencer capabilities and drive growth through content and experiences that make an impact.
Recent clients include Canon USA, the FDA (anti-vaping, anti-cigarette campaigns), TikTok, AtlanticNY, Hyundai, GoDaddy, FCB NY, Washington Prime Group, Kobrand Wine, and more.
Mike Kelton has developed, created, and produced multiple award-winning TV shows and digital series for TLC, Peacock, Fusion, LogoTV, MTV, and more.
Currently, Mike is the Exec Producer for LogoTV; MTVE & Parmount’s LGBTQ brand where Mike directs/show-runs LogoTV’s yearly pride campaign along with the brands highest rated digital series, SPILL With Johnny Sibilly now with over 70M views. Most recently, Mike took home the Shorty Award for “Best Documentary” for Logo’s 2024 “Logo Legend” piece honoring the one and only, Ts Madison!
Previously, he created multiple linear formats including the award-winning DRAG ME DOWN THE AISLE and DRAGNIFICENT for TLC. Mike’s roots can be traced back to the UCB Theatre where he learned the power in true collaboration through improvisational comedy & can still be seen performing at the theatre monthly with his team, WHAT I DID FOR LOVE.
