Podcast
Agency Business
Hosted by Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley · EN
Agency Business is a podcast about ad agencies, from media industry analysts Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley. In our interviews with marketing agency CEOs and ad industry business experts, we explain the week's agency news and provide the context you need to navigate the business. Check it out on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#74: Kin’s Kwame Taylor-Hayford on specificity over scale
1w ago00:30:31Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Kwame Taylor-Hayford, co-founder of Kin, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss what it means to build an independent agency around specificity rather than scale.Kwame discusses how his global upbringing shaped his approach to advertising and design, and how Kin’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, culture and community. He explains why the agency is focused on helping brands become meaningful participants in communities — whether those communities are defined by demographics, interests or geography — through original ideas and intellectual property that can take many different forms.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →#73: How Viral Nation is building social at enterprise scale, with Joe Gagliese
2w ago00:38:00Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Joe Gagliese, co-founder and co-CEO of Viral Nation, joins Brian Wieser this week to discuss how the company grew from representing creators into a social-first business working with enterprise brands.Joe discussed Viral Nation’s early days in influencer marketing, why the company raised capital to build AI, data infrastructure and measurement tools, and how it is trying to make social operate more like a mature marketing channel. He also talked about creator pricing, global social strategy, working alongside holding companies and why Viral Nation remains focused on services as it builds more technology into its model. The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →#72: How DEPT built a global agency around marketing and technology, with Dimi Albers
3w ago00:37:01Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Dimi Albers, CEO of DEPT, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the marketing and technology company has scaled globally while operating as one agency.Dimi discussed DEPT’s expansion across Europe, the Americas and APAC, why the company sees cultural alignment as central to successful acquisitions, and how its independent structure shapes its competition with holding companies, consultancies and systems integrators. He also discussed DEPT’s technology platform, its private equity backing and why the company remains focused on managed services rather than a pure SaaS model.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →#71: How Conscious Minds built production into its agency model, with Blake Heal
May 2500:36:57Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Blake Heal, founder and CEO of Conscious Minds, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley this week to discuss how the agency built production into its model from the beginning.Blake shares how Conscious Minds evolved from the viral video era into a social and culture-focused agency working with large brands including Nike, Starbucks, Yahoo and Google. He also describes:How the agency’s production capabilities shape its workHow faster social timelines differ from traditional TV productionHow AI is affecting content costs, internal operations and future billing conversations.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
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#70: Adweek's Alison Weissbrot on agency business trends and coverage
May 1800:26:27Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Alison Weissbrot, executive editor at Adweek, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the agency business from her vantage point covering the industry.Alison talks about the pressure holding company CEOs face around growth and AI transformation, why independent agencies continue to generate industry attention, and how private equity is shaping parts of the indie agency market.She also discusses what makes agency AI claims credible, where agencies are investing beyond AI, and why Cannes Lions remains central to the industry even as its role continues to evolve.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →
#69: Crispin’s next chapter, with Maggie Malek
May 1100:39:24Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Maggie Malek, CEO of Crispin, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the Stagwell agency’s next chapter. She discusses the agency's history, and the 2023 combination of MMI, Crispin (then CPB), and Observatory. Maggie also discusses how Crispin is building around creative, media and social under one P&L, and how Crispin is balancing its creative roots with client demand for integrated media, social, and creator capabilities.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →
#68: Scaling Mediaplus in North America, with Tamara Alesi
May 400:29:44Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Tamara Alesi, CEO of Mediaplus North America, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss how the Serviceplan-owned media agency is building its presence in the U.S. and Canada. Tamara explains how Mediaplus is approaching growth in North America, including its reliance on global client relationships, local market development, and a measured, profitability-focused expansion strategy.She also outlines the agency’s “house of communication” model, integrating media, creative, and technology, and shares her perspective on talent, AI, and the trade-offs between independent and holding company structures as agencies navigate industry-wide change.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →
#67: Growing a media agency into creative and global services, with Kepler's Remy Stiles
Apr 2700:29:39Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Remy Stiles, global CEO of Kepler, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss the agency’s evolution from its programmatic roots into a full-service, data-driven business. Founded out of MediaMath, Kepler was built around audience-first, technology-led thinking at a time when those approaches were still emerging, and has since expanded into creative, global operations and new business growth.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →#66: Running an agency built on retail performance, with Michael Magnusson
Apr 1300:30:09Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Michael Magnusson, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising, joins Brian Wieser and Olivia Morley to discuss what it means to run an agency built on retail performance and measurable outcomes.Michael explains how that focus shapes team structure, client relationships, and day-to-day decision-making, as well as how the agency operates in a market defined by consolidation and evolving client demands.The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →
#65: The opportunity for independent agencies in the mid-market, with Scott Shamberg
Apr 600:31:17Tap to summarizeWelcome to Agency Business.Scott Shamberg, president and CEO of independent media agency Mile Marker, joins Brian to discuss the growing opportunity for independent agencies serving mid-market and private equity-backed brands. Shamberg explains how Mile Marker is positioning itself between small media boutiques and holding companies, why its clients prioritize flexible, “human in the loop” service models, and how the agency is using automation and AI to enhance — not replace — talent. The Agency Business podcast is part of the Marketecture Media podcast network.Reach Out:Subscribe for free to the Agency Business newsletter.Interested in joining Agency Business as a guest? Submit a pitch.Listen to 📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast: Brian and Luke Stillman open up about Madison and Wall's latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.Listen to 🎬 Screen & Sponsor: Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.
Transcribe →