The Ad Podcast

Hosted by Dylan Conroy

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382

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Jun 2026

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About the show

a podcast where host Dylan Conroy interviews the c suite of media companies, agencies, brands and thought leaders on his quest to build the worlds greatest sales culture

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June 12, 202612 min

Kamran Asghar - co-founder - Crossmedia

Kamran AsgharKamran began his advertising career in 1997 at Ogilvy & Mather during an era when creative directors and media planners still worked side-by-side. It was here that he helped pioneer integrated communications planning, a holistic approach that defined his breakthrough launch of American Express Blue—the most successful card debut in that company's history. When the advertising industry went through the "unbundling era"—where holding companies began aggressively tearing media buying and creative strategy into entirely separate, siloed businesses—Kamran openly rebelled against the trend. Viewing the forced separation of creative and media as the "original sin of advertising," he co-founded Crossmedia in October 2000 to keep the disciplines unified, accountable, and entirely neutral. Under his vision, Crossmedia has rejected the non-transparent, kickback-laden media practices common among legacy holding companies. Instead, he structured the agency as a certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprise built on three core, transparent pillars: Trust, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Over the last decade, Kamran has more than tripled Crossmedia's footprint. The agency consistently achieves double-digit growth and has been recognized as a multi-time Ad Age Best Place to Work and Small Agency of the Year winner. To meet the demands of an AI-driven marketing landscape, he officially unified the company’s worldwide operations under a single brand standard. A graduate of the College of William & Mary and a diehard Washington Commanders fan, Kamran was named an Adweek Media All-Star in 2014 and Adweek’s Media Executive of the Year in 2022.

June 11, 202611 min

Taylor Guglielmo - President - Chemistry

Taylor Guglielmo is an award-winning advertising executive, culture builder, and growth strategist who currently serves as the President of Chemistry, an independent, full-service creative advertising and technology agency. Leadership at Chemistry: Guglielmo was promoted to President of Chemistry in late 2025. Prior to taking the helm, she served as the agency's Chief Growth Officer, where she led seven consecutive years of growth and helped more than double the firm's size. The "Agility Premium": She champions an integrated, modern agency model rooted in continuous creative experimentation. Guglielmo heavily advocates for real-time data tracking, combining brand health metrics with performance marketing, and eliminating traditional process friction or handoffs within account teams. Pre-Chemistry Experience: Her extensive tenure in the advertising industry includes foundational roles at major agencies such as Grey Worldwide, McCann Erickson, Fallon NY, and TGM. Early in her career path, she also completed an internship at the Pentagon. Guglielmo is widely recognized as a trailblazer in the marketing and media landscape: Named one of Campaign US' Inspiring Women in 2026. Honored as an Advertising Week Future Is Female recipient. Serves on the Executive Leadership Board of the Ad Council. Driven by personal experiences, Guglielmo is a dedicated social advocate. She expands the agency’s pro-bono commitments and helped co-found Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to advancing gun safety legislation and bipartisan reform. She holds a bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

June 11, 202640 min

⁠Lindsey McFadden⁠ - Chief Marketing Officer - ⁠Stretch Zone⁠

Lindsey McFadden is a premier franchise marketing executive and the Chief Marketing Officer of Stretch Zone, the world's leading franchise network specializing in practitioner-assisted stretching. Transitioning from a successful career as an independent corporate marketing consultant, Lindsey stepped into corporate leadership to help guide Stretch Zone’s monumental scale. Under her strategic marketing direction, the brand experienced incredible hyper-growth, opening over 250 units in a brief three-year window while maintaining a perfect record of zero studio closures.An advocate for unit-level economics, Lindsey treats marketing not as a simple corporate cost center, but as a driving force directly tied to local operator profitability. She is a leading voice on balancing localized customization with global brand consistency and has positioned Stretch Zone at the absolute forefront of the modern wellness boom.

June 10, 202649 min

Tatiana Chamorro⁠ - Chief Marketing Officer - ⁠Toucan Cocktails⁠

Tatiana Chamorro is an award-winning brand architect, entrepreneur, and the Chief Marketing Officer of Shaken Beverage Co., the innovative parent company behind Toucan Cocktails. Originally from Nicaragua, Tatiana has built a stellar reputation for translating complex business visions into highly impactful, market-dominating visual identities. Prior to breaking into the beverage space, she co-founded and successfully scaled a premier digital and creative marketing agency. Her profound impact on the Texas business landscape earned her a spot on D Magazine’s prestigious Dallas 500 list, honoring her as one of the region's most influential business leaders.

June 10, 202639 min

⁠Jared Harman⁠ - CEO and Co-Founder - ⁠The One Group (OG) Agency

Jared Harman is an entrepreneur, digital strategist, and the CEO and Co-Founder of The One Group Agency, an elite full-suite creative collective and digital marketing firm based in the Fraser Valley. Under his leadership, The One Group Agency has positioned itself as a "social-first by design" powerhouse, building custom brand identities, high-converting digital funnels, and scroll-stopping visual content across social media, Connected TV, and e-commerce platforms. Jared recently made major waves in the regional marketing landscape by orchestrating the successful acquisition of Bowerhouse, a highly respected boutique marketing firm. The merger significantly expanded his agency's footprint, scaling the collective's capabilities and talent pool. Deeply committed to an ethos where "strategy equals execution," Jared treats his agency not as an outside vendor, but as a seamless, high-touch extension of a brand’s internal team.

June 9, 202611 min

Kerry Tucker - Co-President - Virtue Worldwide

Kerry Tucker is a highly accomplished C-suite media executive, corporate strategist, and board director with over 25 years of experience scaling operations at the intersection of entertainment, high-growth startups, and Fortune 500 retail. Widely recognized for her ability to build global franchises from early-stage concepts, Kerry is the Co-President of VIRTUE Worldwide, the globally celebrated, full-service creative agency of VICE Media. Prior to joining VIRTUE, she served as one of VICE Media's Strategic Advisors guiding the corporate strategy and market positioning of their branded entertainment divisions.Before navigating the complex media landscape at Vice, Kerry carved out a legendary track record in the creator economy and entertainment sectors. She was the inaugural CEO of Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon's media and production company, where she built the foundational business model and infrastructure that directly led to its eventual $900 million sale. She then spent five years as the Chief Marketing and Franchise Officer at pocket.watch, transforming massive YouTube creator talent (like Ryan’s World) into multi-million dollar, global consumer product franchises across brick-and-mortar retail. Prior to her startup runs, Kerry managed a $600 million budget as the EVP and CMO of Victoria’s Secret, and served as the SVP of Media and Merchandising at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She has been named to the Forbes CMO Next list and Variety's Entertainment Impact Report.

June 9, 202648 min

⁠Shannon Gabor⁠ - Founder, CEO - ⁠Clever Creative⁠

Shannon Gabor is the Founder, CEO, and driving entrepreneurial force behind Clever Creative, a premier, woman-owned and operated brand strategy and creative agency based in Los Angeles. Cut from the cloth of a fine artist but wired with a sharp business mind, Shannon graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Fine Arts and a minor in Communications. She built her early career working in fast-paced entertainment promotions for giants like Burger King and 7-Eleven, before spending five years at Mattel, Inc. leading global packaging design and worldwide licensing for major franchise properties, including the Barbie product line.

June 6, 202630 min

⁠David Meltzer⁠ - Co-Founder - ⁠Sports 1 Marketing⁠

David Meltzer - Co-Founder - Sports 1 Marketing Executive Profile: David MeltzerCurrent Roles: Co-Founder of Sports 1 Marketing | Chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute (Corporate Division) | Host of The Playbook PodcastKey Achievements: Former CEO of Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Holdings, LP (the inspiration for Jerry Maguire), Variety’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year, 3x International Best-Selling Author.BiographyDavid Meltzer is a globally recognized entrepreneur, top business coach, and technology pioneer who has spent over three decades operating at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and digital media. Early in his career, Meltzer proved himself a visionary in tech, serving as an executive for Westlaw and later as the CEO of Samsung Electronics’s first smartphone division, orchestrating the global release of the PC-E Phone.

May 29, 202649 min

⁠Sherí Barros⁠ - Marketing and Communications Officer - ⁠ZERO Prostate Cancer⁠

Sherí Barros, a seasoned marketing and brand executive who currently serves as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at ZERO Prostate Cancer.She joined the executive team in October 2024, bringing an extensive background in "purpose-driven" marketing and sports brand partnerships.Professional BackgroundSherí has over 20 years of experience across the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, with a particular specialty in engaging male audiences through high-visibility sports and community brands.ZERO Prostate Cancer (2024–Present): As CMCO, she leads the organization’s national marketing, communications, and brand-amplification strategies. Her focus is on the "mission-first" strategy to reduce late-stage diagnoses and address health disparities in the prostate cancer community.American Cancer Society: Before joining ZERO, she was the VP of Sports Brand Partnerships.

May 29, 202612 min

Melissa Levy - President - Sparks

Melissa Levy (Advertising & Experiential Marketing Executive)Current Role: President of Sparks (a leading global brand experience and live events agency) Former Role: President and Chief Client Officer at Digitas North America Bio: Melissa Levy is a powerhouse executive in the advertising, digital, and experiential marketing industries. She began her career in finance and transitioned into e-commerce marketing during the dot-com era before finding her true calling in the agency world. Levy spent 15 years at the Publicis-owned digital agency Digitas, rising through the ranks to become the President and Chief Client Officer. During her tenure, she oversaw a team of hundreds across multiple U.S. offices, managing high-stakes accounts for Fortune 10 giants and major consumer brands like Microsoft, HP, and PayPal. In early 2026, she made a high-profile move to become the President of Sparks (a subsidiary of Freeman), where she now steers the agency's creative, strategy, and live-event production operations. A fierce advocate for diversity and leadership development, Levy is a founding member of the Boston chapter of Chief (a network for executive women) and serves on the board of directors for the AdClub. Her work has earned top industry accolades, including Cannes Lions, Effies, and the Ad Club's Women We Admire award.