E183 Ian Shepherd: Electrifying Partnerships

Ian Shepherd has 25 years commercial experience at some of the world’s leading media companies including Disney, Universal Music and WarnerMedia along with start-up experience as the founder of two leading Creator Economy businesses.

He is currently Co-CEO and Co-Founder at Electrify Video Partners. They invest in and scale established YouTube channels, enabling content creators to maximize their full potential. They have access to $85m in funding and have invested into a number of leading channels including Veritasium and Astrum.

He also hosts the Business of Creators, a leading podcast for the Creator Economy, featuring creators, managers, investors and unicorn entrepreneurs.

He previously founded The Social Store, a pioneering consumer products and events business working in partnership with globally renowned social media stars. As part he launched and sold a successful Amazon FBA business.

E182 Becky Frost: Why Executives Should Think Like Creators

Becky Frost is the founder and CEO of Frost Communications. She is a highly accomplished communications executive whose career spans over 18 years of driving strategic, integrated marketing and communications programs across the globe. Becky brings a unique blend of brand strategy, executive advisory, and messaging expertise to organizations at every stage of growth—from nimble, fast-moving startups to globally recognized, publicly traded companies.

In her awareness advisory capacity, Becky has become a trusted confidante and one-on-one advisor to senior executives, helping them build and elevate their personal brands in ways that amplify corporate impact and extend reach into new markets. Her tailored approach to executive presence and narrative development not only strengthens individual credibility, but also serves as a powerful lever for broader company visibility, media engagement, and stakeholder trust.

E181 Josh Kaplan: The Rise of Knowledge Creators

Josh Kaplan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Smooth Media, a new agency that represents the best knowledge creators on the internet. He was on the founding team at Morning Brew and is focused on helping creators educate, empower, and engage professional audiences.

E180 Mandy Hoskinson: Empowering Social Media Teams

Mandy Hoskinson is a talented digital marketer and visual artist based in Los Angeles, California. She has a passion for digital marketing and community management, which began during her time at UCLA where she co-launched the university's social media platforms.

After her successful experience at UCLA, Mandy took on various roles in the digital marketing industry, including work for LA 2028 (the Olympic and Paralympic Games), Apple, Fox TV, and CBS. Over time, her client base grew, and they began to request additional services such as photography, videography, analytics, print marketing, design, and more. This led to the establishment of Mandy's own boutique marketing agency, MediaMandy Agency, which has since rebranded as Zolay Studio.

Mandy's dedication to her industry extends beyond her work at Zolay Studio, as she is also the President of the Social Media Club of Los Angeles.

E179 Monica Khan: The Power of Long-Form Content

Monica Khan is a creator economy multi-hyphenate with 15+ years of experience helping creators build sustainable, revenue-driven businesses. As Partner and Head of Digital at Strand Entertainment, she leads creator management, representing top digital-first talent through multi-platform growth and strategic partnerships.

Earlier in her career, Monica worked directly with top creators and media companies at YouTube, helping grow channels that would go on to become some of the platform’s most popular today. At Meta, she led the product marketing team to launch monetization features for Facebook Groups. Most recently, she worked with some of the world’s biggest creators while founding and scaling the Spotter Creator Community, establishing the company as a trusted partner for creator knowledge and support.

Monica is also the co-founder of the Bay Area Creator Economy, fostering community among creators and industry leaders. Her mission is to empower creators to own their growth, expand their impact, and build lasting businesses on their own terms.

E178 Robyn Nissim: Bringing The C-Suite Up To Speed

Robyn Nissim began her career on the agency side of advertising, launching social channels for global brands like Michelin and Nissan. After five years in the Ad World and winning a Webby Award, she realized she could make waves on social platforms using zero brand dollars, which led her to launch an independent freelancing business.

During this time, Robyn built out Ulta Beauty's entire influencer marketing program, leading strategy and execution for their team. She went on to build and manage some of the largest social communities in the world, in-house on the brand side, taking Anastasia of Beverly Hills to its peak (24M Followers on Instagram) and building out Alo Yoga's entire social footprint, sprouting to +4M in less than one year.

After driving massive results at both brands and receiving acknowledgments from Instagram, Robyn founded Social Proof Agency (SPA) and began facilitating training programs designed to help individuals, teams, and organizations adopt a social-first mindset. Through interactive workshops and hands-on learning, SPA equips teams with the knowledge and tools to execute Social Media and Influencer Marketing strategies in-house.

E177 Rachel Catanach: Anchors in an Uncertain Environment

Rachel Catanach is Senior Partner and General Manager of FleishmanHillard’s New York operations, responsible for people development, cultivating existing client relationships, and securing new business.  She has held this position since November 2021.  She also spearheads the firm’s Global Executive Advisory initiative. 

A New Zealand native, Rachel started her communications career as a business journalist and at in-house public relations positions before stints at Sweeney Vesty Limited in New Zealand, and then Waggener Edstrom, as General Manager of their Hong Kong operations.   

In July 2007, she joined FleishmanHillard Hong Kong as General Manager and in 2016 was promoted to President of FleishmanHillard’s Greater China operations, responsible for growing the firm’s presence and reputation in this highly dynamic market. 

Rachel is a strong advocate for the PR industry and a regular commentator on industry issues and trends.   She has presented at Summer Davos in Dalian, moderated on the main stage at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, and was a key writer and contributor to The Page Society’s most recent thought leadership report, Beyond Communication: CCO Leadership in Navigating New Complexity.  She has received many awards and in 2024 was recognized by PR Week as a Woman of Distinction.

E176 Carolyn Pollock: Investing in Brand Messaging to Reduce Lower Funnel Costs

Carolyn Pollock is a visionary brand builder who has transformed some of the most iconic brands in North American retail. As Chief Marketing Officer at Tailored Brands (parent company of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank), Carolyn led a sweeping brand and creative relaunch, reshaping customer perceptions and driving measurable gains in awareness, consideration, and loyalty.

Known for her bold approach to social and influencer marketing, she helped Tailored Brands claim 26% of all TikTok impressions in men’s apparel and increased social ROAS by 23%, all while leading a 25% improvement in overall marketing ROI. She combines creative instinct with data-driven execution—whether it’s building campaigns that spark conversation or scaling performance strategies that deliver growth.

Carolyn previously served as Managing Partner at RevelOne, and held brand leadership roles at eBay, Thumbtack, and Timbuk2. She’s a frequent advisor to industry leaders like Google and Salesforce, and was recently named to Adweek’s AI Trailblazers Power 100.

E175 David Shelley: Striking the balance between intuition and data

David Shelley is Chief Executive Officer of the Hachette Book Group, which is home to seven publishing divisions – Basic Books Group; Grand Central Publishing; Hachette Audio; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orbit; and Workman Running Press Group. He also serves as CEO of Hachette UK, the second largest UK publisher, with 12 autonomous divisions and over 50 imprints.  

During his tenure, he published bestselling authors including Mitch Albom, Mark Billingham, Patricia Cornwell, Carl Hiaasen, Dennis Lehane, Val McDermid, and J.K Rowling. 

In 2015, he was named CEO of Orion and Little, Brown, and later appointed Group CEO of Hachette UK in 2018. In 2024, Lagardère tapped David to also oversee Hachette Book Group in the US as part of a new English-language management structure. He has since transformed the New York-based company, ushering in new imprints, high-profile hires, and boosting revenue and profit – HBG sales were up 7% over 2023—the biggest jump posted by any of the groups in Lagardère’s publishing business.  

David’s leadership is defined by the company’s four strategic business pillars: Understanding Consumers, Changing the Story, Owner Mentality and Growth Mindset. He fosters open communication with the 3,500 employees he leads across

 both sides of the Atlantic, cultivating a sense of community while aligning all business teams. David is an Officer and past President of the Publishers Association, a trustee of The Reading Agency, and a director of Tate Enterprises.

E174 Jamie McLaughlin: Skills-Based Hiring & Other Talent Trends

Jamie McLaughlin is the Founder and CEO of Monday Talent. He is regarded as an authority in Marketing, Creative and Communications recruitment and search, successfully working in the industry for nearly 20 years, across 5 continents and partnering with the world’s most regarded brands.

Jamie has an unrivaled global network and has created formidable tactical partnerships with some of the most high-profile organizations. He sits on the boards of the Institute for Public Relations, USC Annenberg School of Communication, creative agency ConCreates, influencer marketing firm Social Studies - as well as advising The Marketing Academy and Celtic Football Club