‘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!
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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.
The brain behind billions of views at Crocs, Duolingo, Smosh, TV and more. Sarah Whittle is an award-winning Director, Producer and Strategist that's worked across television, entertainment, tech, and CPG brands. In 2024, she was honored on AdAge's 40 Under 40 list and is currently building her own empire (Unicorn Social) consulting, directing and creating… You can see her (and her cats) on the internet @rudeunicorns and her internet expert musings on LinkedIn and her newsletter.
Bryan Smiley is CEO of Hard Carry Media (HCM), a digital-first media company dedicated to building multi-platform brands and IP specifically for Gen Z men. Under Smiley's leadership, HCM bridges the content gap for this demographic with plans to create and acquire a portfolio of digitally native brands for every stage of Gen Z male life across verticals, including sports, entertainment, comedy, and lifestyle.
A veteran Hollywood executive with nearly two decades of experience spanning content development, production, and studio leadership, Smiley has a proven track record of scaling global media powerhouses. At HCM, Smiley oversees a seasoned team responsible for the company’s core offerings in development, sales, audience analytics, and in-house production out of its 20,000 SF studio in Los Angeles. HCM’s flagship entertainment brand, Full Squad, is one of YouTube’s leading variety and social entertainment channels for Gen Z with more than 11 million followers and 260 million monthly views.
Prior to HCM, Smiley served as President & Chief Content Officer of Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, where he oversaw more than $500 million in production and helped grow the company into a global studio with hits across TV, film, audio and digital for partners including Netflix, Peacock, Audible, and SiriusXM. Prior to that, he held an executive role at Columbia Pictures, where he led talent-driven deals including Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media and a multi-picture pact with Issa Rae. He has also consulted for Fox Digital Studio, 20th Century Fox’s digital arm for early web-first series and films with social influencers.
Joseph Marchese is Executive Vice President of Creator Partnerships at Studio71 a Fixated Company, where he leads the company's creator partnerships, podcast, and strategic growth initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience across digital media, creator economy, and entertainment, Joseph has helped hundreds of creators, brands, and media companies grow their audiences, expand revenue streams, and build sustainable businesses.
Throughout his career, he has worked at the intersection of content, technology, and monetization, leading partnerships across YouTube, podcasting, connected TV, and emerging digital platforms. He is passionate about helping creators navigate the evolving media landscape while developing innovative strategies that drive long-term success.
Melanie Love makes tools so pain relief doesn't have to hurt.
Love is the founder of unwind body works. Out of necessity, she created the (un)Block™, a stable, no-roll alternative to foam rollers and massage balls. And developed the unwind body works method, which uses four at a time to balance the body left to right, top to bottom, protecting the spine while giving Type A multi-tasking efficiency.
The necessity? Nerve damage in her low back from Bertolotti Syndrome, an unfused S1 vertebrae, combined with hypermobility. She went from walking 18 holes of golf to crawling out of bed in pain in under 6 months. She built the tool she needed but couldn't find.
Unwind integrates neurobiology for a fresh, self-directed, cringe-free approach to tight, sore muscles that works for practitioners and their patients. Better mobility work at home makes for better stability work at the clinic. Unwind offers (un)Blocks, group and 1:1 sessions, practitioner PD training, and at-home video content.
Love writes about trauma recovery on her Substack, which is how she learned about the nervous system and how much more it influences than most people realize, including pain relief.
Learn more at unwindbody.works or reach out on socials at @innatelymelanie
John Mathieu serves as Vice President and Creative Director at Pearpop, leading the company's creative and strategic direction across its portfolio of global brand partners. With nearly 13 years of experience spanning advertising and creator marketing, he partners with brands including Microsoft and Progressive to modernize how brands approach creator marketing.
Prior to joining Pearpop, John developed integrated campaigns across broadcast, digital and social for brands including the CDC's national anti-smoking campaign, Ocean Spray, Jack Daniel's, Hasbro and Sallie Mae. Among his work, he created Hacked, a YouTube series for Sallie Mae that earned the 2023 Shorty Award for Best Video Series.
Joy Osinloye is the Vice President of Customer Success, North America at CreatorIQ, where she leads Customer Success across enterprise, mid-market, and agency segments. She oversees retention, expansion, and long-term value creation and realization for a diverse portfolio of high-growth global brands. Partnering closely with revenue, marketing, and executive stakeholders, Joy equips the CreatorIQ customers with the necessary tools and insights to ensure their creator programs drive true measurable business impact.
Before joining CreatorIQ, Joy led influencer and integrated marketing initiatives for global brands including Airbnb, Huggies, L’Oréal, Adobe, and Kellogg’s. That brand-side experience now informs her approach to customer success by helping organizations operationalize creator marketing as a scalable, revenue-aligned growth channel rather than a series of one-off campaigns.
Joy is particularly focused on building resilient customer relationships, strengthening adoption at scale, and aligning creator investments to durable revenue outcomes. She is also a passionate advocate for people-first leadership and mentors emerging leaders across the marketing and technology ecosystem.
Jacob Wallach is a creator and strategist with a background in social media, creator marketing, and consumer insights. He previously worked at TikTok, advising Fortune 500 brands including Mars, Hershey’s, and Campbell’s on creator-led and social campaigns, and began his career at Nielsen, where he developed a foundation in consumer analytics and data-driven storytelling.
He later founded Social4TheWin, a creator and brand community that connected hundreds of creators with marketers, agencies, and companies through events and partnerships. Across his work, Jacob blends creative judgment, cultural fluency, and analytical thinking to understand how brands earn attention in modern media.
Sam Nebel is the Co-Founder and King of All Wipes of goodwipes, a bold and eco-conscious hygiene company revolutionizing how people wipe their butts. With a mission to break taboos and elevate the toilet paper aisle,
Goodwipes offers flushable wipes that empower people to feel fresh, clean, and GOOD. Prior to launching the company, he was a franchisee at Complete Nutrition, the fastest-growing wellness retail chain in the U.S. He also co-founded Party Degree, a collegiate nightlife agency that brought marquee EDM and hip-hop talent to campuses across the Southeast. A graduate of Florida State University with degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship, Sam has scaled goodwipes from a grassroots idea into a nationally distributed brand, now on shelves in Target, Walmart, Kroger, and many more.
He is also an active industry advocate, serving on the board of the Responsible Flushing Alliance, where he champions sustainability and product standards for flushable wipes.
Beyond the brand: Sam is an award-winning ceramist, occasional trail runner, and spearfisherman. He’s a proud FUNCLE to his nephew Noah and niece Lila, an enthusiastic home cook (beta), and a lifelong learner who brings energy and curiosity to everything he does.
Ant Cousins began his journey 25 years ago in technology roles for the British Ministry of Defence but quickly moved to Public Relations where he provided media advice to UK Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan countering Taliban propaganda. This experience led him to roles in Counter-Terrorism for the UK Home Office, where he focused on combatting Al-Qaeda's propaganda, and later to the Middle East during the Arab Spring or ‘Social Media Revolution’. In 2014 Ant started working exclusively in leadership roles in AI-focused startups, resulting most recently in him leading Factmata, an AI startup focused on detecting misinformation, through to an acquisition by the global Comms & PR tech provider, Cision. In May Ant joined Meltwater as VP of Product in charge of AI and Data.
Ant is an accredited PR practitioner, member of the UK All Party Parliamentary group on AI, Chair of the Associated for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC) Tech-Hub and featured in PRWeek's 'Dashboard 25' in ‘23, ‘24 and ‘26. Quoted in The Times, Forbes, BBC, TechRound, PRWeek, PRMoment and others on the topic of AI, communications and misinformation.
Steph Lager is the co-founder, CEO, and Executive Creative Director of Mango Creative Co, an award-winning creative agency that helps brands find the sweet spot between powerful, authentic brand storytelling and high-impact performance.
Steph has worked as a copywriter, creative director, brand and creative strategist for over 13 years, defining brand voice and leading creative work for some of the world’s most loved startups and billion-dollar brands. Her work has shaped brands like hims & hers, Milk Bar, Yelp, Kindred, Dame, End Well, Hey Jane, Aspen Dental, and Lovet.
She also owns an LA-based hat brand, We’ve Hat It, is a Real Time Academy Judge for the Shorty Awards and Shorty Impact Awards, as well as 8x Shorty Award Finalist, Shorty Impact Award winner, and Vetty Award Winner.
