To wrap the year, we could think of no one better than industry power broker, consigliere, and founder now of 3C Ventures: Michael Kassan, to give us his uniquely insider take on the headlines that are rewriting the rules of the media business in real time. From the blockbuster Omnicom–IPG merger to Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the tectonic plates underneath the entire ecosystem are shifting, propelled of course by technology and AI. Michael is always in the room where it happens, and with his storytelling flair we know you’ll appreciate hearing what these mega-moves actually mean: who gains power, who loses leverage, what it means for agency folks, for clients and for consumers. We loved this conversation, we learned from it and hope you will too.

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It’s holiday shopping prime time, which means for many retailers and brands, this is business prime time too. (There’s a reason the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday.) To give perspective to what’s going on out there and what we might expect, there is no one better than Marni Shapiro, the outspoken, in-the-trenches retail analyst behind The Retail Tracker. In this episode, Marni breaks down how the current macroeconomic environment is impacting American consumers (picture: a lot more shoppers standing in the aisles doing math), while sharing her belief that the American consumer has a way of making Christmas happen.
From cautionary tales to unexpected bright spots, this is a fresh, fascinating conversation on the holiday retail season and more.

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Terence Kawaja has mapped (literally) the chaos of media and marketing tech for decades. As many in the industry know he is somehow part investment banker, part prognosticator and part comedic showman (his musical parodies about Cannes and more are rather iconic). In this episode, Marisa and Steven get Terry’s take and where it’s all actually going from here. If the business of brands was once a combination of “real estate and religion” what is it now becoming? You might be surprised where this banker nets out, but here’s a hint: how about tech as the ultimate megaphone for… creativity? Join us!

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