‘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.
Marissa Kiersch is a seasoned event marketing and brand strategy leader with more than 20 years of experience creating high-impact experiential campaigns for Fortune 500 brands. As SVP & Head of Brand + Creative Strategy at 15|40 Productions, she leads the agency’s positioning, creative vision, and strategic growth, helping clients deliver culturally relevant, unforgettable brand experiences.
Her work spans large-scale immersive activations and tentpole events for brands including Paramount+, Hulu, ESPN, Disney, and Nickelodeon, with recent highlights such as Disney’s Percy Jackson Experience at San Diego Comic-Con and ESPN’s Party at the Playoff. Known for blending storytelling, innovation, and operational excellence, Marissa thrives on turning bold ideas into moments audiences can see and feel. She is passionate about pushing creative boundaries, mentoring teams, and building experiences that resonate long after the event ends.
Curtis Diggins is a cultural brand marketer who has worked with global companies like Nike and TikTok, as well as leading creative agencies, to build timeless campaigns and experiences. Beyond the work, Curtis is a proud husband and father of two.
As careers evolve and our relationship with work continues to shift, Curtis finds himself in a moment of transformation, searching for a role that aligns with his values and reignites his creative spark. In a world where it often feels like everyone has it figured out, this is a conversation about embracing the search, and finding meaning in the answers uncovered along the way.
Lotte Jones is Chief Commercial Officer of Caliber, a multi-platform parent company defining a new era of journalism. Its portfolio of socially native, creator-led brands reaches more than 100 million users each month and includes The News Movement (TNM), delivering Gen Z-focused news; The Recount, covering U.S. politics; and Capsule, spotlighting lifestyle and cultural trends.
Under her commercial leadership, Lotte oversees all partnerships, marketing and communications across the organization, as well as The Caliber Collective, a creative studio that produces digital campaigns for more than 25 major brands, including Amazon, KFC, Planned Parenthood, and Snap. Lotte brings over 20 years’ experience leading and advising some of the world’s biggest brands during moments of transformation and reputational scrutiny.
She was also the first No. 1 female Creative Director in PR Week Powerbook. With a background spanning communications, corporate affairs, digital innovation and marketing, Lotte sits at the heart of our changing media landscape and is passionate about anything that has an impact on society and modern culture. Lotte has founded and sold her own communications agency in London, thrived building a start-up in New York and led global media companies.
Josh Horowitz is the creator and host of the long-running Happy Sad Confused podcast, which has become the destination for actors and filmmakers to speak openly about their craft. The show has broken entertainment news, gone viral, and drawn guests ranging from Jennifer Lawrence to Christopher Nolan. In the past two years, Happy Sad Confused has amassed over 200 million views and 750 million impressions across audio, YouTube, and social media.
With Who’s A Good Guest?, Horowitz – a devoted dog dad to the adorable Lucy, partners with BARK and brings that same mix of deep curiosity and joyful fandom to the dog world.
Season one features a star-studded lineup of dog parents, including Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Johnny Knoxville, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Patrick Wilson.
Each episode invites a celebrity and their dog into a conversation that’s funny, honest, and a little chaotic. From balancing careers with dog care, to the challenges of training, to the unbreakable bond they share with their furry friend, guests reveal a side of themselves usually reserved for living rooms and dog parks.
Philip Pirkovic is a brand architect who bridges the gap between creative ambition and business reality. Having led teams both in-house and within the agency world, he possesses a unique ability to marry creative vision with operational excellence. He has worked with global icons, high-growth startups, and heritage brands, helping them navigate the complexities of modern brand building.
During his recent tenure at Shinola, he oversaw Brand & Partnerships, spearheading the brand’s cultural resurgence. Philip specializes in building brand platforms and strategic partnerships that transcend traditional advertising, turning brand moments into genuine cultural touchpoints. His work and insights have been featured in premier publications including GQ, Business of Fashion, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Adweek, and Complex.
There was a lot of buzz coming out 1 Billion Followers Summit. Leslie Morgan helped develop 75 sessions across 154 speakers and three stages led by Creators HQ and Nizar Salman. We talk about what went into this, what went right and what to expect next year and beyond.
Christina Ziroli-Leaman is a social media strategist who got her start in social by manipulating HTML on Myspace to make her profile pink and sparkly. Fast forward 20 years, and now she gets to do what she loves for a living, every single day, which she’s eternally grateful for.
Her experience spans edtech, higher education, and manufacturing - proving that great storytelling works anywhere there’s a human on the other side of the screen. Christina believes that in a world that can feel heavy, social media should be a place for light and joy, where humor, empathy, and the occasional meme remind us we’re all still connected.
She lives in Birmingham, AL, with her husband Matt, their 7 month old daughter Naomi, their crazy dog Zelda and their sweet parrot Juju. When she’s offline, you can find her reading and sipping coffee while snuggling her daughter. Her favorite pizza topping is pepperoni, her favorite thing in life is family and her fun fact? She once wrote Harry Potter fanfiction on Quizilla and honestly, the storytelling hasn’t stopped since.
Kacy Ray is a Director of Sports and Brand Partnerships at Salesforce, where she leads high-impact collaborations across sports, media, and entertainment. She has partnered with some of the most recognizable names in sports and media, including the Indiana Fever, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, United Football League, Tottenham Hotspur, Fox Sports, and NBC to name a few.
Her experience spans global brand campaigns, Olympic storytelling, athlete and celebrity partnerships, and multi-million-dollar media strategies that connect brand to demand across the funnel. Known for her data-driven approach, cultural fluency, and ability to navigate complex organizations, Kacy is passionate about helping brands tell authentic stories that resonate across generations and communities.
Originally from Arizona, Kacy began her career in New York City in journalism and digital media before transitioning into brand strategy and partnerships. She’s now based in the Midwest and is proud to call Indianapolis home. As a mother to two young kids, Kacy loves to teach and take Pilates and barre classes in her free time to keep her sane.
Oksana Kravchenko is the Head of Creator Partnerships at Manychat, where she leads global influencer and creator strategy across the US, Europe, and Brazil. She focuses on building scalable, creator-first partnership programs that drive real business results — from always-on creator ecosystems to product-led storytelling and long-term relationships. Over the past year, Oksana has scaled Manychat’s creator partnerships 7x, built and led cross-regional teams, and worked with hundreds of creators across marketing, lifestyle, business, and education.
With over 10 years of experience in creator partnerships, influencer marketing, and growth strategy, Oksana’s background spans PR and show business to modern creator-led SaaS growth. She’s dedicated to helping creators turn influence into opportunity — blending relationships, technology, and strategy to build programs that scale without losing the human touch.
Manychat is a leading Instagram automation platform used by over 1.5 million creators and businesses across 140+ countries. Officially approved by Meta, Manychat automations are user-friendly ways to automatically reply to users' Comments+DM, Collect Emails, and Request your Commenters to Follow you. With this new solution, Manychat helps users maximize the value of their DM automations, significantly improving their ability to convert conversations into actionable outcomes. Manychat is also available on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and has recently become officially available for TikTok.
Miles Sellyn is the VP of Partnerships and Partner at Rare Days, a multi-disciplinary digital product agency. Elite creators partner with Rare Days to uncover and then capitalize on the innovative product opportunities that deliver value, create impact, and grow wealth.
In his role, Miles oversees the platform and technology partnerships that are core to the agency's delivery, as well as being accountable for business development, sales and marketing, and initial stages of client strategy.
