The A-List Podcast

🎙️ Get ready for a dose of pure inspiration! 🌟 In this episode of ALP, Tom Christmann speaks with creative, hip hop artist and activist, Roshmond "Sum" Patten, Creative Director at creative agency GLOW. 🔥 Discover how his unique journey from music journalism to advertising has shaped his creative prowess and provided a fresh perspective in the industry. Sum comes from a long line of educators and graduated from Morehouse College with a Biology degree. But his passion for music and knack for writing led him to break into the advertising world through a social agency at a music magazine. 🎵 From there, he embarked on an exciting freelancing career, taking on various roles as a social media manager, deal-maker for hip-hop artists, and even training the genre AI on streaming services. Talk about versatility! 🎧 But Sum's quest for a life of experimentation and creating his own sources of revenue didn't stop there. Sum's music has made waves too, being featured in numerous TV shows and video games. 🎮 In this conversation, Sum shares his insights into crafting award-winning social media campaigns, including his work on the acclaimed Donald Glover show "Atlanta" while at Cashmere Agency. 🏆 If you're an ad student or creative professional seeking inspiration, this episode is a must-listen. Gain valuable insights from Sum's journey, his unconventional career choices, and his unique approach to creativity. 🚀 The A-List Podcast is proudly sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School, where you can unlock your creative potential and take your skills to the next level. You get 10 weeks of zoom classes with a working ad pro for just $699. Register now at adhousenyc.com! 🎓 Enjoy the episode!

This is the A-List, the podcast that asks the world's top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, our host Tom Christmann talks with Mike Manheimer, Chief Marketing Officer at Postscript.io. Mike ditched his pre-law plan to join a software startup where he learned every aspect of marketing before a random meeting on an elevator led to his CMO job at SMS company Postscript. If you want to learn how to craft an SMS campaign like Mr. Beast, this is the episode for you. The A-List is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School, where we’ve got three classes this session (starts week of June 12!), including one called PHARMA FOR NONHACKS where you’ll learn all the special pharma rules and then learn how to break them. GOT ANY BEANS?!

In this episode of the A-List podcast, sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School, Tom Christmann talks with Jaime Cabrera, Group Creative Director on Hyundai at Innocean USA in Los Angeles, California. Jaime’s focus at Innocean is what’s called “Experiential marketing”. It’s sometimes called "engagement marketing" and “event marketing". Encompassing everything from car shows to virtual in-car experiences, experiential is a marketing strategy that directly engages consumers and invites and encourages them to participate in the evolution of a brand or a brand experience. To experiential marketers, the audience isn’t just a passive receiver of messages. Rather, the audience is actively involved in the production and co-creation of marketing programs, developing a relationship with the brand. Jaime (pronounced HY’-may) was born in El Paso, Texas to Mexican immigrant parents and he went to the University of Texas Austin where he studied broadcast and film. A talented musician, Jaime headed to L.A. to record some albums. He’s got some excellent music on Spotify under the name J Cabrera. While he was pursuing his musical dreams, he started working at a small agency in El Paso called The Laster Group (now known as CultureSpan) creating 360 campaigns for car dealerships. He was even the star of his very first ad. Jaime is, at his core, a storyteller. In addition to his music and his ad work, he’s also an author and podcaster. His book is called What’s The Big Idea?: An Indispensable Guide To Becoming A Kick-Ass Creative Director and his podcast, Confessions of a Creative Director, takes the ideas in that book and uses them as discussion points with Creative Directors from all over the world, including our very own Tom Christmann. Samples of Jaime’s song about his mom, entitled “Hey Maria”, are used in this episode with permission from Jaime. Enjoy the episode. And remember… ADHOUSE SUMMER ZOOM CLASSES WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON. REGISTER NOW AT ADHOUSENYC.COM.

Another week, another A-List, the podcast that asks the world's top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. Sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School. Hosted by Tom Christmann, Executive Creative Director at Catch+Release and one of the head #adnerds at Adhouse, where zoom classes start FEBRUARY 15. <

Hello and Welcome to the A-List Podcast, the podcast that asks the world's top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. Sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School. Hosted by Tom Christmann, Executive Creative Director at Catch+Release and one of the head adnerds at Adhouse. In this episode, recorded in the fall of 2022, you’ll hear Tom's chat with Matt Vitou, Executive Creative Director at Mother in New York City. Matt and Tom talk about about: • Growing up on video games and MTV in Cleveland • Learning about advertising at Loyola New Orleans • Burning every bridge in New Orleans with one email • Discovering the Creative Circus in Atlanta • Why every ad-hopeful should be on LinkedIn • How he wound up losing his shirt at Wuhan prison in China • Creativity diets We'll also hear some great tips on staying inspired, including the Criterion Collection and the practice of wandering cities known as Dérive. If you are curious about breaking into the ad business or want to be inspired to do your best work, you’re in the right place. Music: Ross Hopman of Duotone Audio Group.

SPONSORED BY ADHOUSE ADVERTISING SCHOOL. AD CLASSES TAUGHT BY WORKING AD PROS ON ZOOM. ADHOUSENYC.COM ----- Hello and welcome to The A-List, the podcast that asks the world's top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. This episode is a conversation between host Tom Christmann and Micöl Rankin, ACD and very first creative hire at Majority, an agency co-founded by Shaquille O'Neill, Omid Farhang, Asmirh Davis and Jorge Hernandez. Micöl is the creator of #YouAreDopeShow on LinkedIN. He's also been named an Adweek Top Creative 100. And his "Vax That Thing Up" for the BLK dating app just won a lion at Cannes. But Micöl did not always dream of ad stardom. In fact, he is still working on a music career even as he pursues ad excellence at Majority. In this episode, you'll hear how he followed his passions from Pittsburgh Technical Institute to the Disney College Program in Orlando to working on his performance chops in Atlanta as a contemporary of Wiz Khalifa. Until a job at iHeart Radio changed his life forever. This is a story about breaking templates by being yourself. This is a story about doing what you feel. This is a story about vibing and letting success find you. And we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did making it. And if you do, please like and subscribe and share and talk us up. Or don't. Either way, we're vibing. Thanks to Micöl Rankin.

Lisa Topol is a big believer in kindness. As she likes to say, “Good things follow it.” So it’s not surprising that she recently took the job of Managing Partner, Executive Creative Director at Oberland, the industry’s leading purpose-driven ad agency founded by Bill Oberlander and Drew Train. In this episode of The A-List Podcast, Tom Christmann talks with Lisa about her over 20 years in advertising, which started when the late Chris Wall hired her out of his Adhouse class (oh, hello!) to work on IBM at Ogilvy. Lisa has been a copywriter, a CD and a CCO. She’s worked on Nike at Wieden + Kennedy and changed the way tampons a marketed at JWT. She managed teams with upwards of 200 people. She was named one of the 30 most creative women in advertising by Business Insider and was listed as one of the top 27 creative leaders in the country by Adweek. Her work won nearly every major industry award. In her spare time, Lisa has taken her dogs to the highest levels of international competition in the sport of dog agility, becoming the 2 time Westminster Agility Champion and representing the United States team at the World Agility Championships. She’s also a board member of Time's Up Advertising, runs a Facebook group for progressive activists and cherishes being a mentor to women in advertising and seeing them rise up the ranks. Oh, and her grandmother was a stand-up comic in the mold of Ms. Maisel, who worked with an accordion player on the temple circuit in Long Island. This episode is full of famous names and funny stories. Thanks for listening. Please rate, share and subscribe wherever you get podcasts.

------ What are you doing this summer? Why not up your ad game by taking a class at Adhouse Advertising School? Classes are taught by working ad pros live on zoom so you can take them from anywhere. You get ten weeks of classes for just seven hundred ninety nine dollars. You’ll practice turning briefs into brilliance every week and you’ll meet some new friends along the way, including special A-List guests that can help you break into your dream agency. Adhouse students have gotten jobs at some of the top agencies in the world, including Wieden & Kennedy, Mischief, BBDO and McCann. Classes are first-come-first-served, so register today at adhousenyc.com. That’s adhousenyc.com. Adhouse Advertising School. Classes for Adnerds. Taught by Adnerds. —— Hello adnerds. And welcome to The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. Today we’ll head to the Great White North and you’ll hear our host Tom Christmann in conversation with Dan Nelken, a freelance creative who lives in Vancouver Canada. Dan is the author of a fabulous new book called A Self-Help Guide For Copywriters. You can buy a copy, and subscribe to his excellent free newsletter, at nelkencreative.com. Tom was surprised to hear that Dan started his career at 28 after he had had it with driving a forklift for a living. Eventually, Dan found himself at Chiat Day Vancouver, then went off on his own. Now he wants to help others find their confidence. This is a story about relentlessly doing what you love. And keeping at it until you win. Oh and Dan is coming out with an online course, too. You can find more information at Nelkencreative.com. So let’s listen in on this conversation with the very friendly Dan Nelken. —— This has been the A-List, sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School where summer zoom classes will be starting the week of June 13. You get ten weeks for just seven hundred and ninety nine dollars. Classes fill up fast and it’s first come first served, so register early at adhousenyc.com.

What are you doing this summer? Why not up your ad game by taking a class at Adhouse Advertising School? Classes are taught by working ad pros live on zoom so you can take them from anywhere. You get ten weeks of classes for just seven hundred ninety nine dollars. You’ll practice turning briefs into brilliance every week and you’ll meet some new friends along the way, including special A-List guests that can help you break into your dream agency. Adhouse students have gotten jobs at some of the top agencies in the world, including Wieden & Kennedy, Mischief, BBDO and McCann. Classes are first-come-first-served, so register today at adhousenyc.com. That’s adhousenyc.com. Adhouse Advertising School. Classes for Adnerds. Taught by Adnerds. —— Hello adnerds. And welcome to The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, Tom Christmann talks with Matt MacDonald, who was just promoted to Chief Creative Officer of BBDO New York. His story starts in Peoria Illinois, where he was the first generation of his family NOT to work at the Caterpillar factory making tractors. His journey went from the high school speech team to working at a local Peoria ad agency to UT Austin and eventually New York City, where he arrived just in time for 9/11 and all the havoc it brought to the city. This is a story about adaptation, loving the process and doing whatever it takes to live your dream. With plenty of practical advice and funny stories along the way. The A-List is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School, where summer zoom classes will be starting the week of June 13. You get ten weeks for just $799 USD. Classes fill up fast and it’s first come first served, so register early at adhousenyc.com. You can find Tom Christmann at tomchristmann.net and on most social platforms @ mongoindustries. Thanks for listening. And, as always, thanks to Ross Hopman at Duotone Audio for the music.

Hello adnerds! And welcome to another episode of The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, Tom Christmann -- ECD at Vayner Media and co-dean at Adhouse Advertising School -- speaks with Analisa Goodin, Founder and CEO of Catch & Release. After art school, Analisa started taking on side gigs to fund her art. One of those gigs was helping Goodby Silverstein & Partners source found content for a Sprint campaign. That side job led her to starting her own company to help agencies and brands source, clear, and license found content from across the internet for their campaigns. This episode of The A-List podcast is all about being nimble, curious, and saying YES. So let’s say YES… to Analisa Goodin. ---- The A-List is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School. You get 10 weeks of classes for just $699. Our latest class starts March 17, 2022 on zoom with our newest ad pro: creative director Rich Wakefield. Sign up now at adhousenyc.com.

Hey #adnerds! Welcome to another episode of The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, our host Tom Christmann talks with Jason Bagley, a freelance creative who spent 16 years working at Wieden & Kennedy in Portland. Jason's origin story is full of insight and humor. You'll hear how he landed his dream job (replacing Jeff Kling who had written the Miller High Life ads that Jason loved so much). You'll hear how he then rose in the ranks, despite a deep case of imposter syndrome. You'll hear how he learned to have 400 ideas at a time (imposter syndrome helps). And you'll hear why Jason has now opened The Audacious School of Astonishing Pursuits (schoolofastonishingpursuits.com), where he runs an 8-week coaching course called Creative Megamachine, teaching things like how to find your voice, how to take your ideas to the edge of madness and more. This is a great episode full of awesome advice. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jason Bagley. ----- The A-List is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School. New zoom classes start Feb. 15, 16 and 17. Register NOW at adhousenyc.com. Host/editor: tomchristmann.net Music: duotoneaudio.com © 2022 Adhouse Industries LLC

Hello, #adnerds and welcome to another episode of The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. Tom Christmann has been busy starting his new job as ECD at Vayner Media and being co-dean at Adhouse Advertising School. (And getting COVID) (he's okay now). But he promises to start dropping episodes more regularly, starting with this conversation with Cameron Day, author of the new book Chew With Your Mind Open. Cameron is a second-generation advertising man. His dad, Guy Day, co-founded Chiat Day. And he’s spent the last quarter-century working at agencies big and small, practicing what his dad taught him. The way Cameron tells it: “I’ve had a hand in building some damn fine brands, contributed a few nice ads along the way, and made a handful of treasured friends.” Listen as Cameron and Tom discuss Cameron's story including a fascinating deep dive into how one award-winning Rolling Stone campaign came to life. IMPORTANT: Cameron's book is great and you can get a signed copy with some neat swag at iamcameronday.com. -------- ADHOUSE CLASSES START IN FEBRUARY. THERE'S STILL SPACE. RESERVE YOUR SPOT AT ADHOUSENYC.COM Host/Editor/Engineer: tomchristmann.net Music: Duotoneaudio.com

Hey Adnerds! It's time for another episode of The A-List Podcast, sponsored by adhousenyc.com. This episode, host Tom Christmann talks to Pete Favat, Creative Chairman at Deutsch LA, which describes itself as "a data-inspired, culturally shaped creative studio." Pete started at Wunderman in New York, but really fell in love with advertising on a trip to LA for his first TV shoot, which ended up winning awards. Today, he works at an agency that sits at the intersection of entertainment, technology and culture. Clients include Walmart, Taco Bell, Dr Pepper, Georgia-Pacific, Lowe's, Bayer, Nintendo, PetSmart and Snapple. Tom and Pete talk about the importance of craft, the difference between the New York, Boston and Los Angeles ad scenes, and the integrated, multi-disciplinary approach Deutsch is using at the agency's in-house production studio, Steelhead. Thanks for listening. And please share our show with an #adnerd friend. Thanks.

Hello, fellow #adnerds and welcome to The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, Host Tom Christmann talks with Hannes Ciatti, former founder of JohnXHannes and current founder and Chief Creative Officer of Alto New York, a creative company for courageous brands. Hannes has made some iconic work over his career. He made Misty Copeland go viral for Under Armour. He helped Jon Makovich start a menswear line with Squarespace. And he dropped the world’s first expensible music video for Expensify with 2Chainz. But Hannes’ story begins in a little town in a tiny village in Northern Italy. From there, he would make his way to Germany, then Australia and finally New York, where he and his partner, John McKelvey would be hired by none other than David Droga before going on to start JohnxHannes. This is an epic story that goes from the Dolomites to Droga5. And there’s plenty to learn along the way. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to start your own agency. You can check out all the work and reach out to Hannes at altony.co. The A-List is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School, where we’ve got new classes starting at the end of September. You get ten weeks of classes with an ad pro for way less than the big ad schools charge. Apply today at adhousenyc.com and we’ll get you in. All classes are on zoom so you can take them from anywhere. Even the Dolomites. Contact Tom Christmann at tomchristmann.net. Thanks for listening. Please rate and subscribe to the a-list wherever you listen to podcasts. And thanks to Ross Hopman over at Duotone Audio Group for the music. Get vaccinated if you can. See you soon!

This is The A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, Tom Christmann, freelance copywriter at tomchristmann.net and co-dean at Adhouse Advertising School, speaks with David Esrati of The Next Wave in Dayton Ohio. David is a true #Adnerd in every sense of the word. He’s also a disabled veteran, a politician, and an activist and self-described truth teller who has gotten in trouble more than once for it. David is also a digital pioneer. He started The Next Wave way back in 1988 and was one of the first people to understand the power of the internet for advertising. He even went on to create Luke Sullivan’s website for Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, a gig he got by volunteering to drive Sullivan to the airport from a speaking engagement. David and Tom geek out on the importance of establishing trust in sales, how to find a great agency in a small city and the importance of figuring out who the HMFIC is. They delve into the manipulation of information and how to do a political campaign that makes people think. There’s lots of advice in this one, and some really inspiring stuff for adnerds who happen to be in smaller markets. Enjoy! And please rate and subscribe! Or at least share the A-List with an adnerd friend. The A-List Podcast is sponsored by Adhousenyc.com. Music by Duotone Audio Group.

Tom Christmann talks with Gavin Lester, CCO of Zambezi (zmbz.com) n independent agency in Culver City, California. Tom and Gavin discuss going from art to advertising, Goodby vs. BBH, the making of Levi's "Odyssey" (directed by Jonathan Glazer) and so much more. Tom can be reached at tomchristmann.net. Gavin can be reached at gavin.lester@zmbz.com. And the whole thing is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School (adhousenyc.com) where we are now shipping decks of our newest product Adhouse Of Cards - 35 techniques that will expand your thinking and improve your campaigns. And the best part is that all the proceeds go to the Adhouse Scholarship Program. Get your deck for just $20 (plus $3 shipping) at Adhousenyc.com/store. Music by Ross Hopman at Duotone Audio Group.

Hello and welcome to the A-List, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, host Tom Christmann talks with Danny Gregory. Danny is the founder of Sketchbook Skool and the best-selling author of several books on creativity. But before all that he was in advertising. They talk about how Danny got in, but also how he got out to start his own business teaching people to get back to making art with Sketchbook Skool. Danny’s story will take us from Pakistan to Pittsburgh to Princeton to Jimmy Carter’s White House and finally to the offices of trendspotter Faith Popcorn, where Danny got his start in the business. He would go on to work as a Group Creative Director at Ogilvy, Chief Creative Officer at Doremus and finally as an ecd and partner at McGarryBowen. But then a tragic accident would change his life forever and cause him to rediscover the power of art for finding meaning in life. This episode is all about trusting in the universe to show you the way. So get out your sketchbook and doodle while you listen to a very illuminating conversation with Danny Gregory. A-LIST LISTENER OFFER: 14-day free trial of Spark from Sketchbook Skool - click sketchbookskool.com/spark/?alist Check out Danny's blog at dannygregory.com ---------------------- This episode brought to you by Adhouse Advertising School ADHOUSE CLASSES START IN JUNE. APPLY BY MAY 15 AND GET $199 OFF. adhousenyc.com

In this episode of the A-List Podcast, Tom Christmann, creative for hire at tomchristmann.net and one of the Head Adnerds at Adhouse Advertising School, talks with one of the baddest women in advertising, Eva McCloskey. Eva didn’t go to college, but that didn’t stop her from finding herself as a VIP media liaison for John Hancock at the Salt Lake City Olympics at the ripe old age of 21. Or becoming one of the founders of The Barbarian Group and a key part of Co:Collective in the early days. Oh, She also may or may not have been in the CIA at one point. Today, Eva is the Managing Director at The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invite-only assembly of leading visual arts professionals from design, advertising and PR. You can request a membership or enter one of three award shows at AIVA.org. Among the lessons in this one: - Read a lot. It will teach you to write and think. - Whatever you are doing, focus on doing good work and then talk passionately about it. - Don't be afraid to mess up. Mistakes are never as big a deal as they seem at the time. But you can learn a lot from them. - Go to the award shows and industry parties (virtual or otherwise) and mingle. Be nice to everyone. Have fun. An inspiring story. Thanks for coming on Eva!

Hello Adnerd. This is the A-List Podcast. The podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. Your host is Tom Christmann, creative for hire at tomchristmann.net. And one of the Head Adnerds at Adhouse Advertising School. Today you’ll hear Tom's conversation with Sariah Dorbin, Executive Creative Director at Quigley-Simpson, an independent, female-owned agency in Los Angeles that unites brand and demand for results that matter. Sariah found photography in high school, a passion that led to her becoming an adnerd pretty early on. She worked at some great agencies from back in the day. Adnerds will recognize Dancer Fitzgerald San Francisco and Della Femina LA. She finally got her dream job at Chiat Day Mojo, but sometimes achieving yourdreams isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (There’s a reason they called it "Chiat Day and Night" back then.) Sariah and Tom talk about interpreting feedback, the importance of guidance when you’re just starting out. And the three keys to a great book: (Be yourself. Have an attitude. And say something interesting.) Oh and there’s a very funny story from Sariah’s Della Femina days involving a stripper. (The Mad Men era lasted well into the 80s and 90s.) The A-List is brought to you by Adhouse Advertising School, where you get 10 weeks of Zoom instruction from a working creative pro for one low price. To apply, go to adhousenyc.com. Music by Ross Hopman at Duotoneaudio.com

Welcome to another episode of The A-List Podcast, the podcast that asks the world’s top advertising professionals how they got started in the business. In this episode, Tom Christmann chats with Bianca Guimaraes, Executive Creative Director at Mischief. Bianca was born and raised in Brazil and started her career in advertising in São Paulo at age 18. At 22, she bought her first pair of winter boots and moved to New York without a job, eventually finding a spot at JWT. Bianca has been featured in Business Insider’s list of the ‘30 Most Creative People in Advertising Under 30’ as well as AdWeek's Creative 100. She's been named among the 10 'Next Creative Leaders' by the One Show and the 3% Conference, as one of Shots Rising Stars. She was most recently featured on the AdAge 40 Under 40 list. Her work has been nominated as Outstanding Commercial at the Emmys twice. Tom and Bianca talk about creating your own brand, taking chances and the future of independent agencies. The A-List podcast is sponsored by Adhouse Advertising School. Apply today at Adhousenyc.com. Please subscribe to our show wherever you listen and if you could leave a review, it would really help us reach more #adnerds. Music by Ross Hopman at duotoneaudio.com.