Agency Business

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Olivia and Brian talk with Tombras president Dooley Tombras, who leads one of the industry’s few scaled, family-owned independent agencies. Dooley explains why Tombras built its full-service model by zigging against industry convention, how independence enables long-term investment in AI and first-party data, and why today’s consolidation cycle is pushing top talent toward indies.He also discusses the agency’s hub-and-spoke staffing strategy, what “independence with scale” looks like across Knoxville, New York, Atlanta, and Buenos Aires, and why cultural stability at the top helps Tombras maintain an 83% new-business win rate.In News of the Week:Majority of R&CPMK staff exit IPG to join Michael Nyman’s ACCAlex Lubar leaves DDB amid broader Omnicom consolidation.FutureBrand’s global leadership departs as the agency is folded into McCann.WPP Media wins the Henkel account across roughly 30 European markets.The episode also features a brief mention of Olivia's new subscription PR model offering agencies a weekly hour of senior strategic thinking. For details, email olivia@fusionfrontmedia.com.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Olivia and Brian sit down with consultant and author Michael Farmer, who has spent three decades diagnosing the economic pressures inside agencies. Farmer explains why agencies still struggle to measure work, how rework distorts staffing needs, and how digital and social accelerated the long-running pattern of falling fees and rising workloads. He also outlines what AI will mean for both creative and media agencies, including major productivity gains that could compress fees unless leaders reinvest efficiencies into senior talent and reconnect creativity, media and brand strategy.Michael shares insights from his early consulting work at Ogilvy, his analysis of media agency staffing models and his belief that MMM tools like Mutinex can help clients and agencies better understand where growth is actually coming from. He closes with what is ahead for him as he completes his new book Madison Avenue Media Madness and shifts his focus toward teaching and training.In News of the Week:IPG, Dentsu, and Globant report financial results.Publicis publicly challenges Omnicom’s accounting approach.Paramount Skydance discloses that Publicis and Interpublic won its business with media sales agreements.The episode also features a brief mention of Olivia's new subscription PR model offering agencies a weekly hour of senior strategic thinking. For details, email olivia@fusionfrontmedia.com.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Olivia and Brian record in person for the first time with Doug Zanger, founder of Indie Agency News, a growing platform built to help independent agencies increase visibility and confidence. A former radio producer and trade journalist, Doug shares how his background shaped the creation of Indie Agency News, which is now more than 300 members strong. Doug explains why confidence should be every agency’s most important KPI.Doug explains how the platform supports agencies with tools like First Pass, which helps optimize press, awards, and messaging, and why language rooted in solutions rather than services can change how marketers perceive value. The group also discusses the rise of partnerships among indie shops, how AI fits into Doug’s workflow, and why he says technology should always serve people—not replace them.In News of the Week:S4 Capital reports weak earnings and ongoing client concentration issues.Stagwell reports stronger-than-expected results despite confusing organic growth definitions.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, Olivia and Brian interview Josh Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of Day One Agency, the creative shop founded 11 years ago to bridge the gap between earned media and brand storytelling. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Day One works with clients including American Express, Chipotle, Nike, Converse, and e.l.f. Beauty.Josh shares how Day One was built around what he calls “earned creativity”—an approach that pairs editorial thinking with culturally relevant storytelling. He explains why curiosity has become the most essential trait in the age of AI, how the agency’s apprenticeship program helps identify emerging talent, and why Day One created its Learning Fund, a $30,000 internal grant program for employees to pursue continued education.The group discusses how Day One resists adding a media practice in favor of deeper creative partnerships, how editorial projects like Ask Gen Z and a new Gen Alpha research report inform client work, and why investing in in-house content such as podcasts and newsletters fuels both learning and new business. Josh also details how the agency’s structure—organized around its Shape, Share, and Fuel teams—keeps it nimble and “built for change.”In News of the Week:WPP’s disappointing results and CEO Cindy Rose’s remarks on simplification.The continued consolidation of DDB under Omnicom and what it signals about holding-company structure.Globant consolidates marketing-related activity under Gut.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, Brian interviews Mark Sherman, founder of Media Experts, Canada's largest independent media agency prior to its sale to Interpublic. Mark provides a wide range of perspectives on independent media agencies, how to make the most of selling an agency and how to make the most of buying one, too.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, Olivia and Brian interview Paul Venables, founder and chairman of Venables Bell & Partners, the independent San Francisco agency known for its work with Audi, Chipotle, and Intel.Paul shares how “doing right by people” became both a cultural mantra and a competitive business strategy that’s guided VB&P’s decisions for nearly 25 years of independence. He explains how the team evaluates client fit, and why growth for its own sake is a “false choice.”The group also explores San Francisco’s creative scene, VB&P’s approach to AI-driven production, and how the agency is training every art director to work fluently with generative tools. In News of the Week:Stagwell takes a 35% stake in Real Clear Politics and 12 other media sites, raising questions about ad agencies investing in news. Havas’ Q3 growth and hints at a potential Dentsu collaborationPublicis' Q3 growth.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, Olivia and Brian interview Robin Bonn, founder of Co:definery and host of The Immortal Life of Agencies. Robin advises agency leaders on positioning, growth strategy, and differentiation to help them define what makes their business truly distinct in a changing market.Robin explains why so many agencies confuse positioning with packaging, how differentiation goes deeper than branding, and what it really means to specialize in today’s post-capability world. Robin discusses why “being different” can’t just be a tagline, how independents can leverage scale through precision, and why culture — not just creativity — determines an agency’s staying power.We hit on the dangers of sameness, the tension between consolidation and client-centricity, and how artificial intelligence is accelerating long-needed shifts in pricing, productization, and agency business models.In News of the Week:WPP Media’s North America CEO departs.General Motors shifts its marketing org, combining communications and marketing under one leader.Omnicom–IPG to consolidate creative agencies and create a conflict agency to manage client overlaps.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and analysis. It’s free and drops every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. Olivia and Brian interview Andrew Graff, CEO of Boston-based independent agency Allen & Gerritsen (A&G). Under Andrew’s leadership, A&G has built a behavioral-science approach to creativity, focused on what drives human decision-making.Andrew explains why curiosity is essential to leadership, and why he calls himself a “chief executive intern.” He discusses A&G’s collaborative model for independence, its balance between data and behavioral insight, and how hiring talent from psychology, social sciences, and data helps fuel creative thinking.We hit on why curiosity keeps independents competitive, how culture sustains long-term growth, and what it means to “zag” toward consumer brands while borrowing lessons from tech.In News of the Week:Havas and Horizon form Horizon Global to achieve international reach.Madison and Wall data show independents growing faster than holding companies, perhaps driven by in-housing and selective partnerships.Pharma and healthcare reviews surge.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. Olivia and Brian interview Rachel Huff, founder of Victoire & Co. and a leading agency search consultant. Rachel works with CMOs and brand leaders to run agency reviews and has a clear view of what clients actually value when choosing partners.She explains how brand marketers approach agency search and compensation models, and why many are leaning toward specialist partners rather than 'one-stop-shops'. Rachel also unpacks how AI is showing up in creative scopes of work, how client budgets are shifting, and why clarity and transparency in positioning matter more than ever for agencies.We hit on the tension between doing more for less, the pitfalls of agencies claiming they can do everything, and what differentiates firms that win reviews. Rachel also shares how client needs vary across sectors, from Fortune 100 companies to nonprofits, and why business problem-solving — not splashy creative alone — is what CMOs demand.In News of the Week:Publicis’ latest acquisition in Dubai and what it signals about regional growth strategiesCOMvergence data showing Publicis on top in media new business and GroupM on the other endAccenture Song’s earnings update, decelerating growth, and a sharper focus on AISubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

On this episode of Agency Business, Olivia and Brian interview Luz Corona, editor of Campaign US. Luz leads coverage of advertising agencies across the U.S., shaping how the industry understands shifts in creativity, media, and marketing.She explains how Campaign US covers the ad agency beat with depth and context, including its signature “100 days” follow-ups on leadership appointments. Luz outlines the biggest stories she is tracking now: the Omnicom–IPG acquisition, WPP’s consolidation under new leadership, and the wave of talent leaving holding companies to launch independent advertising agencies.We hit on why independent agencies continue to gain ground, how clients balance cost and value, and how AI is reshaping staffing and creative work inside advertising agencies. Luz also points to sports marketing as the next major growth area—an arena where both indie agencies and holding companies compete for ad spend.In News of the Week:S4 Capital’s challenges and the risks of over reliance on tech clientsM&C Saatchi’s resultsStagwell’s decision to divest government contracts and what it signals for agency reputation managementSubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.📬 Pitch a guest or inquire about sponsorships:📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia Morley and Brian Wieser speak with Geoff Northcott, CEO of AKQA in EMEA. Geoff's been there 18 years, building a career at the intersection of creativity and technology. From launching Nike+ campaigns to opening offices around the world, his path reflects AKQA’s dual commitment to craft and innovation.Now leading one of AKQA’s three global P&Ls, Geoff describes how the agency is evolving after a period of major change. Its founder stepped down, WPP reorganized AKQA into three regional structures, and a new global CEO arrived with a consulting background. Geoff explains what this new model means in practice, how AKQA is integrating more tightly with WPP platforms like WPP Open, and why the role of AI is reshaping both client work and staffing models.He also reflects on the enduring tension between autonomy and scale in creative agencies. While AKQA has moved away from its studio-level P&L system, he argues that the new structure maintains entrepreneurial energy at the local level while giving clients access to the full depth of the network.Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:A raid at Hyundai and LG’s battery plant in Georgia and its potential impact on cross-border talentStagwell canceling a London event amid scrutiny of its work for the Israeli governmentThe Trump administration’s reported plans to ban pharmaceutical advertising on televisionSubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, James Dale, CEO and founder of Sine Group and Sine Digital, joins Olivia on the show.Dale’s path into agency life was anything but conventional. A former musician whose band once played at Glastonbury and toured with Band of Horses, he saw his career collapse when streaming upended the music business and data slipped away from artists. That experience led him to build an agency rooted in performance marketing, conviction-based media, and data ownership.Sine Digital began advising musicians and grew quickly into a 50-person agency serving Broadway and West End productions, music artists, and major arts institutions. Dale explains how the company scaled by building out its own programmatic desk and data warehouse, expanding into connected TV and digital out-of-home, and developing deep relationships with producers and venues. He also reflects on the volatility of project-based work in theater, how the agency manages staffing when shows suddenly close, and why Sine Digital has stayed focused on a specialized niche rather than diversifying into full-service creative.Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:WPP’s leadership shuffle, with Laurent Ezekiel staying on as Ogilvy CEOEmpower acquiring Ocean Media in a significant independent media mergerServiceplan’s MediaPlus hiring its first COO in North AmericaSubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, Pedro Lerma, CEO and founder of LERMA/ joins us on the show.Pedro shares his unconventional career journey—from selling radio spots in Wichita Falls to spending 23 years at The Richards Group, where he built both its digital practice and its Hispanic marketing arm, Richards/Lerma. He explains how that experience laid the foundation for launching LERMA/ as an independent agency in 2021, and how he has scaled it into a purpose-driven shop working with brands like The Home Depot and Salvation Army.He also discusses how LERMA/ approaches multicultural marketing through its “cultural fluency” practice, helping brands grow by leading with underrepresented communities without alienating legacy customers. And he reflects on the challenges and opportunities of running an independent agency at a moment when inclusivity is both politically charged and essential for growth.Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:Dentsu considers divesting its international business, raising questions about what buyers might emerge and whether the company can avoid a prolonged decline.T-Mobile pulls creative in-house while Walgreens reverses course on media in-housing, highlighting the shifting balance between external agencies and internal teams.S4 Capital is reportedly cutting its workforce.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week, Brian interviews Kat Ott, president of Havas Chicago.Kat’s unconventional path into advertising—from professional ballerina to agency president—shapes her perspective as what she calls a “modern marketer.” She explains how Havas Chicago operates like a speedboat: integrated, mid-size, and agile enough to make quick turns that larger holding companies can’t.She also describes how Havas Chicago won Stanley Steemer after competing in a pitch that started with 50 agencies. The scale of that process shows how competitive the pitch market has become—and how agencies must invest heavily to stand out.Plus, News of the Week, with analysis of the headlines impacting agencies today:WPP wins MasterCard, while Dentsu retains VodafoneAccenture acquires influencer agency Super DigitalGravity Global buys Marketing DoctorSubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business. This week, co-hosts Brian and Olivia are joined by Chad Maxwell, president of Kelly Scott Madison (KSM).Maxwell’s path into advertising started in anthropology, a background that still informs how he runs KSM today—both in understanding consumers and in building culture inside the agency. He shares how that perspective shapes hiring, talent development, and client strategy.We also discuss:How the agency balances independence with partnerships in creative and technology.The role of geography in staffing and client relationships.Why Chad emphasizes relationships over spend thresholds in navigating platform support.Plus, in News of the Week:Dentsu’s international struggles and layoffs.Globant’s slowdown and what it could mean.S4 Capital’s odd and short-lived talks with One Equity Partners.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

Welcome to Agency Business.This week Jason Mitchell, CEO of Movement Strategy, joins us to discuss how a social‑first shop scales from a college startup into a 180‑person creative agency. He explains why early pricing was a competitive advantage, how Movement Strategy grew from social AOR work into 360 creative projects, and why creator marketing works best when platform tools are paired with real relationships. Jason also breaks down the agency’s pod-based reorg for speed, its investment in a proprietary AI stack, and a partner-led approach to international expansion—plus where media buying fits alongside creative without trying to be a full-service media AOR.Plus, in this week’s news recap:WPP’s earnings show a 5.8% organic decline and broad regional weakness.Omnicom–Interpublic move closer to closing with U.K. clearance, raising questions about client and talent shifts.Marketers continue exploring in-housing: Georgia-Pacific’s programmatic example prompts a wider look at what’s realistic to bring inside—creative vs. media.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

In this episode of Agency Business, Haley Hunter, co-founder, COO, and CMO of Party Land, joins us to discuss building a comedy-forward creative agency that can still win serious business. Haley shares how Party Land has scaled from a scrappy indie shop into a creative force behind campaigns for brands like Liquid Death, Every Man Jack, JanSport, and Google. She explains how the agency’s clear focus on comedy—as both a strategic and emotional tool—has helped it stand out in a crowded landscape.We talk about how Party Land embeds humor in campaigns without sacrificing performance. Plus, Haley gets candid about attracting top talent, the agency’s evolution beyond just top-funnel work, and how staying “very human” might be the best defense against mediocrity in the AI age.Plus, in this week’s news recap:Stagwell touts revenue growth, but organic gains remain modestHavas sees improved margins, keeps growing steadily and quietlyDentsu sees more high-level turnover as execs exit amid continued change.Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis. It's free and comes out every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

In this episode of Agency Business, Andrea Kerr Redniss, managing director and co-lead of marketing transformation at MediaLink, joins us to discuss how the firm has evolved from its relationship-driven origins into a full-fledged strategic consultancy. She shares how MediaLink works with Fortune 100 brands on marketing transformation, AI integration, and agency strategy—often in partnership with, rather than in competition with, agencies themselves.We cover what “agency therapy” really means, and why the firm’s relationship with parent company UTA makes sense.Plus, in this week’s news recap:WPP loses Laurent Ezekiel to Publicis in another blow to its Coca-Cola businessFalfurrias-backed Brainlabs acquires Exverus, signaling continued private equity interest in midsize independents?Interpublic posts improved margins—should it get credit despite major account losses?Subscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia and Brian speak with Nadja Bellan-White, group CEO of M+C Saatchi Americas.Nadja explains how the agency is structured to compete across disciplines—from creative and PR to sports marketing and issues management—while remaining lean and independent. She outlines how the team scopes work through upfront strategy sessions and how a focus on speed, senior talent, and selectivity shapes their client roster.She also discusses:Working across time zones and markets without holding company overheadHow M+C Saatchi is experimenting with hybrid and outcome-based pricingThe impact of AI on pricing, talent needs, and critical thinkingWhat it means to be publicly traded in a market dominated by private peersHow clients are shifting toward smaller RFPs and project-based workPlus, in our weekly news segment, Brian and Olivia discuss:Publicis’ continued growth and investment in techOmnicom’s increased use of principal-based tradingAccenture’s reported talks with WPP and what it might signal for both firmsHow agency models are evolving in response to uncertainty in the U.S. marketSubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.

This week on Agency Business, Olivia and Brian speak with Emma Armstrong, CEO of FCB New York and global transformation officer at FCB.Emma shares how FCB’s structure gives local offices real autonomy, and how her newly formalized transformation role helps scale innovation across the network. She reflects on how her team built a strong creative reputation, why agency operations must evolve alongside new pricing models, and how FCB New York has maintained just 10% voluntary turnover for three years running.She also discusses:How AI is reshaping lower-funnel work, but not brand fundamentalsWhy the project-vs-retainer debate misses the bigger pictureThe business case for culture and psychological safetyHer perspective on in-housing, the Oliver model, and evolving client collaborationHow agency leaders should think about succession and structural changePlus, in our weekly news segment, Brian and Olivia discuss:WPP’s appointment of new CEO Cindy Rose, and why the board remains the key power centerWhether Rose’s tech and sales background will help the holding company reverse its trajectoryIf Dentsu’s continued turnover and losses could signal a future divestmentUpdated data from Madison and Wall showing between 2 and 3% growth across top independent agencies despite macro uncertaintySubscribe to the Agency Business newsletter for episode notes and industry analysis every Monday.Reach OutAgency Business features agency CEOs and financial decision-makers alongside third party experts including agency pitch consultants. We are always accepting pitches, and are particularly interested in hearing from women and leaders of color.Email us!📩 Brian at brian@madisonandwall.com📩 Olivia at olivia@fusionfrontmedia.comFollow Madison and Wall and FusionFront Media on LinkedIn for updates.Explore Our Other Podcasts:📊 The Madison and Wall Podcast – Brian opens up about his latest work — plus crucial economic, financial, and industry trends.🎬 Screen & Sponsor – Olivia & VaynerMedia's Jessie Holder explore how brands are shaping Hollywood.