I Thought I Knew Everything Until Amazon Humbled Me

What I Learned After Leaving the Holding Companies | Lisa Topol, CCO, Oberland

Lisa Topol spent decades building her career at some of advertising's biggest agencies, eventually becoming Co-Chief Creative Officer at DDB. Then she left. In this episode, Lisa shares why she walked away from the holding company world, what she found at independent agency Oberland, and why having a stake in the decisions you make can completely change your relationship with work. We also discuss mentorship, creative leadership, purpose-driven advertising, the making of Elf Beauty's award-winning "So Many Dicks" campaign, and how young creatives can stand out in a world increasingly shaped by AI. If you're trying to build a creative career, navigate agency life, or figure out where you belong in this industry, this episode is packed with honest advice from one of advertising's most respected creative leaders.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

What MTV Understood About Culture | Antonio McDonald, Founder & CEO, KUAMP

Antonio McDonald has spent more than two decades building content for brands, audiences, and culture. After starting his career at MTV during its peak, Antonio went on to found KUAMP, an independent creative production agency helping brands connect with audiences through content that people actually want to watch. In this episode, we discuss why most branded content misses the mark, what MTV understood about culture before everyone else, the power of independence, building a business over 24 years, and the advice he'd give to anyone trying to break into advertising today. If you're interested in creativity, media, production, brand storytelling, or building something from the ground up, this episode is packed with lessons from someone who has seen the industry evolve firsthand. More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

How Three Students From Vietnam Created a Lollapalooza Idea That Impressed Highdive's Mark Gross

Every quarter, Breaking and Entering Media hosts the Crowbar Awards, a $1 global student advertising competition designed to help aspiring creatives build their portfolios, solve real-world briefs, and get their work reviewed by some of the industry's top creative leaders. The highest honor awarded each quarter is the Blue Crowbar, given to the single best submission across all entries. This quarter's Blue Crowbar winners came from RMIT University Vietnam. In this episode, Geno Schellenberger sits down with Vy Tran, Nguyen Minh Ngoc, and My Phung, alongside Highdive Co-Chief Creative Officer Mark Gross, to break down the campaign that earned them Best in Show. The brief challenged students to help Lollapalooza differentiate itself from Coachella by showcasing a deeper and more authentic music experience. The team's solution was a custom Monster Energy can capable of capturing festivalgoers' heartbeats and transforming those heartbeats into music, creating a soundtrack generated by the crowd itself. Mark explains why the idea immediately stood out, how creative leaders evaluate student work, and what aspiring creatives can learn from the campaign. View the winning campaign deck here: https://www.crowbarawards.com/previous-winners [https://www.crowbarawards.com/previous-winners] 💼 Follow on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-media [https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-media]  📖 Read our Publications https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog [https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog] 💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei [https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei] ✉️ Subscribe to The Vault https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/ [https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/] 📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/ [https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/] 🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising https://www.crowbarawards.com/ https://www.crowbarawards.com/ [https://www.crowbarawards.com/] 🤝 Work With Us - Email: breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co [breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co]

I Thought I Knew Everything Until Amazon Humbled Me

Anthony Reeves grew up in the Australian Outback, built a career across agencies, Amazon, WPP, and now serves as VP of Global Brand & Creative at Kohler.In this episode, Anthony shares the moment he walked into Amazon believing he had all the answers and left with one of the most important lessons of his career.We discuss discomfort, career growth, mentorship, specialization, breaking into advertising, and why the best opportunities often come from putting yourself in situations where failure is possible.If you're trying to break into the industry or level up your career, this episode is packed with lessons that only come from decades of experience.More from Breaking and Entering Media:💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠📖 Read our Publications⁠ https://www.breaking-entering.com/blog⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/⁠📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠

What This Agency Founder Wishes He Knew Earlier | Sam Slaughter, Founder of Lighthouse Creative

Sam Slaughter is the Founder of Lighthouse Creative Group. After getting fired from his previous job, Sam and his co-founder decided to build the kind of company they actually wanted to work for. Today, Lighthouse is a 40-person employee-owned agency working with brands like Amazon, Fanatics, and more. In this episode, Sam shares the lessons he's learned building an independent business, why relationships matter more than titles, how young people can stand out in the age of AI, and the advice he wishes more people heard early in their careers. If you're a student, recent graduate, young creative, strategist, account person, or aspiring founder, this episode is packed with practical career advice and honest reflections from someone who has built a company his own way. More from Breaking and Entering Media: 💼 Follow on LinkedIn⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-entering-podcast/⁠ ⁠💬 Join our Unlocked GroupMe⁠ https://groupme.com/join_group/102437585/xg5Z5tei⁠ ✉️ Subscribe to The Vault⁠ https://breakingandenteringadv.substack.com/ 📹 Subscribe to our :60 Advertising News Videos⁠ https://breakingandentering.beehiiv.com/⁠ 🏆 Check out the Crowbar Awards to break into advertising⁠ https://www.crowbarawards.com/⁠ 🤝 Work With Us - Email: ⁠breakingandentering@smoothmedia.co⁠