Good Company with Michael Kassan

Today in the UK, it’s Red Nose Day – the beloved annual fundraising campaign to end child poverty – and we’re all smiles to be joined by its legendary organizer, Richard Curtis, the co-founder and vice chair of Comic Relief. Many will know him for his screenwriting and directing credits on some of the most memorable comedies of our time, like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary and Love Actually. But Curtis’ superpower isn’t just generating laughs – it’s convening the most brilliant minds in entertainment and business around a movement. We talk to him about how he’s made the campaign so successful and the iconic red nose’s new look.

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If there’s anyone who deeply understood the power of bringing together brand and performance marketing well before its time, it’s Howard Draft. We talk to the visionary entrepreneur about building DraftFCB (today known as the powerhouse global advertising agency FCB), lessons he’s learned from the highs and lows of running a company, and how he’s betting on democratizing access to experiences using the metaverse through his newest venture, Vysical. We also talk about the art of changing behavior and how that’s played out at companies like Peloton and HBO.

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As the automobile industry increasingly works towards greater adoption of electric vehicles, Steven Majoros has an important piece of advice: consumers don’t want EVs to be science projects. We talk to the CMO of Chevrolet about how the storied brand is getting closer to a zero-emissions future and how it’s building on decades of consumer trust and brand love to offer a broad line-up of vehicles that resonate with Americans’ daily lives. We also touch on how the brand navigated the challenges of the supply chain crisis and the importance of nostalgia and emotion in marketing.

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At a time when technology is often in the headlines for the grip it has on consumers, Jen Wong offers a sign of hope: technology can, in fact, be additive, not addictive. We chat with the COO of Reddit about the rules of engagement in the platform’s communities and why brands should be paying more attention to context. She also fills us in on her favorite subreddits.

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Linda Ong and Sarah Unger are on a mission to help brands become “insiders” to subcultures and audiences—and according to them, it all starts with empathy and meeting people halfway. We chat with the co-founders of cultural insights and strategy venture CULTIQUE on everything from the elusive goal of understanding Gen Z to purpose “BS detectors” to where the metaverse can really shine when it comes to fandom.

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As the co-founder of Hotwire and Zillow and a prolific entrepreneur for companies like Pacaso, Recon Food, dot.LA, Supernova and 75 and Sunny, Spencer Rascoff clearly has a knack for following his instincts when it comes to making bets on big ideas. We talk to him about what it takes to find the white space that could kick-start a successful company. Plus, he fills us in on Queue—his latest project to tackle the problem of keeping up with streaming’s golden age—and why having a personal connection to a problem is so important for founders.

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Ahead of the Upwardly Global Gala Equity in Action: Beyond Welcome on October 12th, we sit down with the organization’s CEO & President Jina Krause-Vilmar and Board Member Tony Goncalves to talk about their mission of eliminating employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals and advancing the inclusion of their skills in the U.S. economy. The two also share personal stories of their families’ journeys and talk about the importance of diversity of background and experience in the workplace.

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According to Mark Zagorski, the death of the cookie is so 2021. Instead, marketers have a new digital advertising challenge to obsess over – the value of attention as the metric du jour. We chat with the DoubleVerify CEO about the importance of captivating consumers at a moment when time is at a premium and data is ubiquitous, the rise of the “math people,” and fostering trust and transparency in Adland. He also fills us in on DoubleVerify’s recent acquisition of OpenSlate and the ambition to give marketers a better solution for measuring and targeting in the fragmented world of social video and connected TV.  

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The digital media landscape is ripe for disruption by diversification – and Kristi Argyilan is betting big on retail media networks to fill the void. We sit down with the Albertsons vice president of retail media to discuss why retailers sit in a unique position to understand their customers and provide high quality data; how the medium has evolved since the early days of in-store marketing; and how marketers and agencies are capitalizing on the benefits and working to understand the nascent space. She also touches on how retailers are managing the current challenge of delicately balancing inventory, pricing and promotion.

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KLUTCH Sports Group Founder & CEO Rich Paul is on a rocket ship, growing a powerhouse sports agency with over $1 billion in negotiated contracts and star clients including the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and John Wall. We chat with the entrepreneur about the upbringing that’s shaping his current success and his partnership with UTA. Plus, he talks about driving the reversal of the NCAA’s so-called “Rich Paul Rule” and what he really looks for in talent.

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