The Truth About Social Ads

From Portraits to Corporate Campaigns: A 20-Year Creative Journey with Jason Gilmore

Strong client relationships don’t happen by accident. In this episode, Jason Gilmore shares why consistent follow-ups and proactive communication are essential for winning repeat creative work. ABOUT THE EPISODE ⸻In this episode, Jason Gilmore shares practical lessons from years of working behind the camera in photo and video production. He discusses one of the most overlooked truths in creative services: strong vendor relationships don’t happen by accident—they require consistent follow-up, proactive communication, and genuine interest in a client’s evolving needs. Jason explains why many marketing teams struggle with vendor communication and how creatives can stand out by taking initiative. From regularly checking in with past clients to positioning yourself as a long-term partner rather than a one-time service provider, this conversation highlights simple but powerful habits that help creatives stay top of mind and secure repeat work. ABOUT THE GUEST ⸻Jason Gilmore is a professional photographer and videographer with extensive experience working with marketing teams and brands to produce high-quality visual content. Throughout his career, he has built lasting relationships with clients by focusing on proactive communication and consistent follow-up practices. His expertise spans vendor collaboration, client relationship management, and maintaining long-term partnerships that support ongoing content creation and brand development.

Mission-Driven Product Design: Creating Safer Baby Essentials Through Hands-On Innovation with John Westerhaus

Children’s nutrition is evolving fast as parents question plastics, processed foods, and gut health risks—this episode explores practical solutions for safer, smarter baby feeding. Children’s nutrition and early gut health are becoming major concerns for modern families, and this episode explores how one parent turned frustration into innovation. John Westerhaus shares how his personal experience with his son’s feeding challenges led to the creation of safer, non-toxic baby mealtime solutions designed to support healthier development. Listeners will learn how plastic packaging, processed baby foods, and convenience-driven habits can impact early gut development, and why the first five years are critical to long-term health. John also breaks down how thoughtful product design, patented innovations, and mission-driven entrepreneurship helped launch a growing children’s wellness brand built around real-world parenting needs. John Westerhaus is the founder of Low Country Littles, a children’s wellness brand focused on non-toxic baby mealtime products and gut-friendly nutrition solutions. He launched the company in 2023 alongside his wife, Anna, after their son experienced feeding challenges that led them to research early childhood nutrition and gut microbiome health. Through hands-on product innovation, John developed patented reusable baby food pouches and complementary products made from premium platinum silicone, designed to support whole nutrition while reducing exposure to harmful materials. His work centers on improving early childhood wellness through smarter product design and education around gut health development.

Math as a Creative Force: Transforming Mindsets and Expanding Career Possibilities with Dr. Berkopes

Applied mathematics and apprenticeship learning are reshaping education, proving that creativity—not computation—drives real mastery. This episode explores how mindset shifts unlock new learning pathways. In this episode, host Jason Smith sits down with Dr. Kevin Berkopes, CEO and Co-Founder of MathTrack Institute, to explore how applied mathematics, apprenticeships, and mindset shifts are transforming education. The conversation challenges the common belief that math ability is fixed, highlighting how creativity, interest, and exposure shape learning success. Dr. Berkopes explains how MathTrack Institute builds apprenticeship-based degree pathways that lower costs while maintaining high-quality teacher preparation. He also shares how trust-driven marketing—through speaking, community building, and LinkedIn content—can fuel growth without relying on paid ads. This episode offers valuable insights for educators, entrepreneurs, and innovators interested in education technology, workforce development, and scalable learning systems. Dr. Kevin Berkopes is the CEO and Co-Founder of MathTrack Institute, an organization focused on apprenticeship-based degree pathways that rethink teacher preparation and professional development. A former mathematics professor with a background in applied mathematics, Dr. Berkopes partners with universities and school districts to advance mathematics as a creative force. He also authored The Age of Storytellers and leads initiatives that integrate research-driven learning models into real-world education and workforce pathways.

Al-First Marketing: Scaling Seasonal Mobility with Denis Elkin

AI-first companies are redefining how teams operate, replacing slow manual workflows with automation, shared knowledge systems, and intelligent agents that scale output without increasing headcount. In this episode of Truth About Social Ads, host Jason Smith sits down with Denis Elkin, CMO at Alps2Alps, to explore how AI is transforming real-world operations inside a high-load transportation business. From managing seasonal demand across hundreds of ski resorts to scaling content production across multiple social channels, Denis shares how AI-first thinking is reshaping how teams work. The conversation covers practical applications of AI across marketing, analytics, operations, and decision-making. Denis explains how his team uses AI agents for competitor research, UX testing, trend analysis, and campaign planning—all while maintaining flexibility in a seasonal business environment. He also shares how internal AI collaboration systems drive innovation across both technical and non-technical roles. Denis Elkin is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Alps2Alps, a tech-driven mobility company operating across the Alpine region and serving more than 350,000 passengers annually. He leads performance marketing and growth initiatives across multiple companies within the holding structure, managing distributed teams and scaling operations under extreme seasonal demand. Denis specializes in building AI-first systems that support marketing execution, automation, analytics, and operational efficiency across large-scale transportation services.

Emerging Technology Marketing: Growing Demand Through Education and Transparency with Ashlee Fritz

Wall printing technology is reshaping how businesses market their spaces, blending creativity with digital strategy to create high-impact visuals that attract customers and drive engagement. In this episode of Truth About Social Ads, host Jason Smith sits down with Ashlee Fritz, Chief Marketing Officer at The Wall Printer, to explore how emerging technology and strategic marketing are fueling rapid business growth. From scaling social media audiences to over 300,000 followers to running targeted digital campaigns, Ashlee shares how combining organic content with paid media creates consistent demand—even for high-ticket products. The conversation also dives into the real-world side of entrepreneurship, including launching a wall printing business, testing marketing systems in live environments, and refining audience targeting strategies. Listeners will gain practical insights into customer journeys, retargeting, content strategy, and why consistent marketing remains essential—especially for new businesses entering competitive markets. Ashlee Fritz is the Chief Marketing Officer at The Wall Printer, where she leads digital marketing strategy, brand development, and campaign execution across multiple platforms. With 16 years of marketing experience and a background in military service as a helicopter mechanic, she brings disciplined strategy and operational precision to growing emerging technologies. At The Wall Printer, Ashlee has rebuilt marketing systems from the ground up, optimized SEO and paid advertising efforts, and helped scale social media audiences into a major growth channel. She is also an entrepreneur, operating her own wall printing business and testing marketing systems designed to help new business owners succeed.