The Snarketing Podcast

Hosted by Matt Wurst, Valerie Vespa

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

The marketing and advertising ecosystem is ripe for disruption. But co-hosts Valerie Vespa and Matt Wurst aren't going to do that. Instead, these longtime industry veterans will highlight some of the fun, interesting, weird, and ridiculous things happening in the space. Presented by PointSymmetry, the podcast welcomes special guests -- a veritable "who's who" of celebrated executives, creatives, leaders & friends -- whose combination of snark and smarts makes every episode a must-listen. Or at least a should-listen.

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60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 6648 min

Ep 68: Amit Sharan - SVP, Marketing at Tatari

Connected TV took over the living room. Amit Sharan, SVP Marketing at Tatari, joins Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa to break down how brands plan, buy, and measure TV across linear and streaming, and where AI actually helps versus where it's still hype.Amit built marketing at LiveRail, took it through the Facebook acquisition, ran product marketing inside Meta for four-plus years, and has spent nearly eight years at Tatari. He gets into convergent TV, why programmatic is an access point and not a strategy, performance TV versus brand building, competing against The Trade Desk and MNTN and Simulmedia, the SEO bet he skipped early, and the advice every first marketing hire needs: it's your job to teach the founder what marketing is for. Plus a lightning round, a sub-$40 wine worth writing down, and a wine-party game worth stealing.Topics: Why the line between linear and streaming is fake (your YouTube TV sports feed is technically linear)Selling LiveRail to Facebook, and the "winter's coming" logic that drove the dealWhat marketing actually looks like at Meta scaleWhere AI helps in TV today (media planning) versus where it's still theater (creative)"Programmatic is an access point, not a strategy," and why 90% of CTV impressions go to 10 publishersPerformance TV versus brand building, and the ceiling every in-market strategy hitsAdvice for the first marketing hire: your real job is educating the founder on what marketing is forThe one bet Amit skipped early (SEO) and why AEO changes the math now

May 18, 2026Episode 6447 min

Ep 67: Brooks Miller- EVP, Creators at Edelman

Brooks Miller helped invent creator marketing at Twitter, then landed at Edelman after Elon's takeover. Now she runs three jobs at once across Edelman and UEG, shaping global creator strategy for one of the most trusted communications firms in the world. Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa sit down with Brooks for a wide-ranging conversation on trust, humanity, AI, NIL, and what creator marketing actually looks like in 2026.In this episode:The Creator Trust Score: Edelman's proprietary vetting protocolWhy creators and influencers are not the same thingAI in advertising — the unsexy wins and the generative dreadInventing creator marketing at Twitter post-Niche acquisitionGetting laid off by the richest man in the world (three weeks postpartum)Running three jobs at once across Edelman and UEGNIL, Arch Manning, and localized creator marketing through sportsWhy only 7% of a creator's followers actually see their posts"They're not billboards, they're people" — creator burnout and agency responsibilityBrooks's origin story: Texas, child actor, pageants, 72andSunnyWhy she started posting on TikTok like she means itLightning round: the most overused word in a creator brief, the best brands on TikTok right now, and which pageant skills translate to the C-suiteChapters: The snarkiest thing in Brooks's life right nowAI in advertising: the unsexy wins Creators vs. influencers and the trust hierarchyOrigin story: Texas, child actor, 72andSunnyBuilding creator marketing at TwitterGetting laid off by ElonThree jobs at Edelman and UEGNIL, Arch Manning, and sports marketingCreators aren't billboards: the 7% reach problemThe Creator Trust ScoreCreator burnout & agency responsibilityBrooks as creator: practicing what she preachesLightning roundHosted by Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa. Featuring Brooks Miller, EVP of Creators at Edelman and UEG.🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with the marketers shaping the industry.🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

May 5, 2026Episode 6646 min

Ep 66: Megan Lindstrand - VP, Global Marketing at Combe

Megan Lindstrand, VP of Global Marketing at Combe, joins Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa on the Snarketing Podcast to unpack her "Mad Men + Data" approach to modern brand building. Megan leads marketing for storied legacy brands including Vagisil, Astroglide, and Just For Men, and brings two decades of experience spanning top creative agencies (BBH, Strawberry Frog, 360i) and a transformative ten-year run at Cole Haan, where she built strategic partnerships, scaled global e-commerce, and stewarded the brand through its IPO prep.In this episode, Megan breaks down what agency-side marketers misunderstand about the brand side, why creative presentation is a skill at risk of being lost in the Zoom era, and how she decides when data enhances a creative idea versus when it dilutes one. She also shares her philosophy on hiring in 2026 — arguing that hunger and curiosity now matter more than category experience — and gets candid about the real work of destigmatizing personal care categories for Gen Z and younger millennial consumers.The conversation covers AI's current limits in creative work, why influence is the underrated skill of senior marketing leadership, what it takes to position a company for IPO from a marketing perspective, and Megan's admiration for LEGO as a masterclass in brand extension. Plus a lightning round featuring creative director vs. data analyst, the one product category Megan couldn't market, and Valerie's mysterious "butt blaster."Hosted by Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa.

April 14, 2026Episode 6546 min

Ep 65: Dan Buttling - General Manager, Feast

Dan Buttling started his career counting inventory. 30+ years later, he's built brands for some of the biggest spirits companies on the planet — and now runs an agency from scratch. Dan Buttling, General Manager of Feast Agency, joins Matt Wurst for a wide-ranging conversation that spans three decades of brand building, a pandemic-era pivot, and a brutally honest look at where the alcohol industry is headed.Dan traces his arc from accounting to Schieffelin & Somerset to Diageo executive to Stoli North America CEO — and explains why COVID was the catalyst that finally pushed him to scratch the entrepreneurial itch he'd been carrying for years. He and Matt dig into what "brand experience" actually means beyond the buzzword, why the social mandate to drink alcohol is structurally gone (not cyclical), how the rise of RTDs, sober-curious consumers, and cannabis are reshaping the BevAlc landscape, and what brands — big and small — need to do to stay relevant.Along the way: war stories from Captain Morgan, Smirnoff Ice, and Cîroc; a masterclass on building a Scotch renaissance in the '80s; and Dan's honest take on AI, agency partnerships, and what it means to build something you're proud of.Hosted by Matt Wurst, watch the full episode for more on:— The death of the social mandate to drink— Brand experience vs. experience with a brand— How to brief an agency like a real partner— What Feast Agency is building — and why

March 30, 2026Episode 6426 min

Ep 64: Dustin Callif - President, Tool of North America

What does it actually look like to build AI into creative production — not as a buzzword, but as a decade-long practice? Dustin Callif has been doing exactly that.Recorded live at SxSW 2026 in Austin, host Matt Wurst sits down with Dustin Callif, President of Tool North America, a 31-year-old creative studio behind branded content and experiential work for Amazon, P&G, AWS, Miro, and more. Tool also runs one of the most forward-leaning AI studios in commercial advertising — and Dustin has the receipts.In this episode: why most brands are still in AI pilot mode and haven't built a real strategy, why Dustin refuses to call AI a "tool" (and what he calls it instead), how Tool built a fully AI-generated brand campaign for Miro — synthetic actors included — that would have otherwise been shelved, what skills up-and-coming creatives actually need to thrive right now, the real reason experiential marketing is pulling back from events like SxSW, and when the right move with a difficult client is simply to drop the mic.If you work in marketing, creative production, or brand strategy — and you're trying to figure out where AI fits into your actual work — this one's worth your time.This epiosde of the Snarketing Podcast was hosted and produced by Matt Wurst. New episodes drop regularly wherever you listen.

March 24, 2026Episode 6326 min

Ep 63: Isobell Roberts - BrandComms.AI: Co‑Founder & Chief AI Officer

Is Brand Dead? BrandComms.ai's Isobel Roberts on AI, Speed, and the Future of AdvertisingRecorded live at SXSW 2026 from La Condesa in Austin, Matt Wurst sits down with Isobell Roberts — co-founder and Chief AI Officer at BrandComms.ai — to dig into one of the most provocative questions in marketing right now: Is brand actually dead?Isobel brings a grounded, science-backed perspective to the AI hype cycle. BrandComms.ai is built on 30 years of marketing science research from Forethought, and their agentic AI platform helps brands create effective advertising 75% faster and 80% cheaper — with a pre-market effectiveness guarantee. No joke.They get into: what agentic AI actually means in practice, why brand codes and category codes are the real moat in an AI-saturated world, how synthetic consumer screening works before a dollar hits media, and why bad AI-generated creative isn't a new problem — it's just bad creative with a new face.Plus: the SNL framework for content, Terry Black's BBQ, and a shoutout to Romania.

March 10, 2026Episode 6248 min

Ep 62: Mita Mallick - Bestselling Author

What makes a great leader today? And how do we avoid becoming the bad boss everyone complains about?In this episode of the Snarketing Podcast, host Matt Wurst sits down with Mita Mallick — corporate changemaker, marketing executive, and bestselling author of Reimagine Inclusion and The Devil Emails at Midnight.Mita has spent decades inside some of the world’s biggest companies including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Unilever, and now advises leaders and organizations on how to build better workplaces, stronger cultures, and more inclusive brands.This conversation goes far beyond marketing tactics. Matt and Mita explore the real human challenges shaping today’s workplace: leadership pressure, burnout, representation in marketing, AI’s impact on work, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the biggest leadership problem… might be us.They discuss:- Why inclusion is not charity — it’s smart business- The real reason bad bosses are made, not born- How leaders accidentally cap the potential of their teams- Why midnight emails quietly reinforce burnout culture- The promotion trap: why companies reward top performers with leadership roles they’re not trained for- How AI could free leaders to coach, mentor, and develop teams- Why human storytelling matters more than ever in the age of AI contentAlong the way, Mita shares candid reflections on her own leadership mistakes, the lessons behind her latest book, and why self-awareness may be the most important leadership skill of all.If you’re a marketer, manager, founder, or anyone trying to build better teams in a fast-changing world, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership.

February 18, 2026Episode 6151 min

Ep 61: Kristin Wozniak - Cosmo5: Chief Growth & Data Officer

Kristin Wozniak (Chief Growth and Data Officer at Cosmo5) has a hot take for 2026: she’s over our obsession with data. Not data itself. The way we use it. In Episode 61 of the Snarketing Podcast, Kristin challenges one of corporate culture’s biggest myths: that emotions don’t belong at work. From asking “Are you an asshole?” in a job interview to reframing data as just one voice at the table, this conversation explores what modern leadership really looks like.We dive into:- Data-informed vs data-based decision making- Gut instinct vs analytics- Why AI shouldn’t solve every problem- The danger of $500 solutions to $5 problems- Burnout and the myth of emotionless performance- Cosmo5’s “Five Intelligences”: artificial, operational, strategic, emotional, and ethicalIf you care about marketing leadership, AI strategy, workplace culture, or building businesses that are both intelligent and human, this episode is for you.Because maybe the future of marketing isn’t colder. Maybe it’s more human.

February 4, 2026Episode 600 min

Ep 60: Jeanniey Walden Returns To Drop Big News

Trust is the invisible line between momentum and stagnation. Cross it, and teams move faster. Miss it, and nothing works the way it should.In this episode of the Snarketing Podcast, hosts Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa welcome back their first-ever repeat guest, Jeanniey Walden, for a wide-ranging, candid conversation about trust, leadership, attention, and growth in an AI-shaped world.Jeanniey introduces her new book, The Trust Threshold: Crossing the Line Between Stuck and Unstoppable, and breaks down how her AIR Method (Authenticity, Inspiration, Relatability) applies far beyond business strategy. The discussion spans everything from why attention has collapsed to a three-second window, to how leaders unintentionally create “checklist workers,” to why relatability is a revenue and survival skill, not a soft one.The episode also explores how AI can be used as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, the danger of performative leadership, and why trust signals show up long before revenue drops. With real-world stories from Fortune 250 brands, startups, and personal leadership moments, this conversation blends practical insight with humor and honesty.If you lead people, build brands, or feel like effort isn’t producing the results it should, this episode will reframe how you think about trust and what it takes to become truly unstoppable.

January 20, 2026Episode 5951 min

Ep 59: Jason Acker - Diageo: VP of Media & Digital

Season 4 of Snarketing kicks off with a big one: Jason Acker, Vice President of Media & Digital for North America at Diageo, joins Matt Wurst and Valerie Vespa for a wide-ranging conversation on how modern media leaders actually drive growth at scale.Jason breaks down how Diageo uses AI to improve productivity, content, and decision-making, why cultural relevance must be earned over time, and how measurement has become a true competitive advantage. The conversation covers everything from last-minute marketing wins and long-range planning to building resilient teams and preparing the next generation of media leaders.If you care about AI without hype, culture that drives business, and leadership in a fast-moving marketing world, this episode delivers.