The Ad Podcast

Kacy Cole, Chief Marketing Officer at Holland America Line. She's known for her strategic marketing leadership across hospitality and digital platforms, with previous roles at LTK, T-Mobile, and Tommy Bahama. She holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA from the The American University of Paris. She's also an outdoor enthusiast and fly fisherman.

Victoria Lozano is Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola LLC where she oversees all aspects of marketing and consumer engagement for one of the world’s most iconic and cherished brands. For over 120 years, Crayola has been synonymous with nurturing children’s creativity. Today, it is recognized as one of the most culturally resonant, authentic, and trusted brands globally. In her role, Victoria leads Crayola’s consumer communications, partnership marketing, digital/omni-channel marketing, interactive app portfolio, and education marketing. Victoria also oversees Location Based Entertainment, which includes a portfolio of branded attraction and retail concepts that bring the Crayola brand to life in experiential ways. The flagship concept, Crayola Experience, has 4 locations across the US with several more announced both in the US and internationally. Prior to joining Crayola, Victoria was Vice President of Marketing at Cadbury North America where she led the $1.2B Gum and Mints Portfolio across the United States and Canada, including brands such as Trident, Dentyne, Stride, Bubblicious and Certs. Prior to Cadbury, Victoria held various marketing positions with Fortune 500 companies such as the Miller Brewing Company, Warner-Lambert Company and Pfizer, Inc. Victoria's academic background includes a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University with a specialization in Marketing and Finance, and a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University with focus in Marketing and Classical Studies (summa cum laude).Victoria currently serves on the board of The Children’s Home of Easton located in Easton, Pennsylvania where Victoria resides with her husband and three children.

Morgan runs a public relations and marketing agency called Firebrand. They raise awareness of technology brands to build awareness, create demand, drive lead generation and close sales. Prior to Firebrand, he was the founder in the US of LEWIS , a global communications firm, which we grew to $35m in revenues and 250+ staff in the US, and $75m with 600 staff globally. He has over 30 years' tech experience, both consumer and B2B. He has advised a range of companies including start-ups such as Amount, Prophecy and Weaviate; non-profits, such as AARP, Mozilla and VSP Vision Care; and public companies, such as BT Group, Equinix, MuleSoft, Splunk and Sky. At LEWIS, he lead the acquisition of three companies - Page One Power which they integrated and rebranded as LEWIS Pulse; the Davies Murphy Group, a 65-person PR and marketing consultancy; and Piston, a 50-person full-service digital advertising agency.

Ryan Hartman is Co‑founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Chaiz, North America’s first fully digital marketplace for vehicle service contracts. With over two decades of marketing leadership, he has strategically crafted Chaiz’s go‑to‑market approach—focusing on transparency, consumer empowerment, and digital efficiency, which helps customers save on extended car coverage Before launching Chaiz, Ryan led paid media and performance marketing at The Zebra, managing a $90 million media budget, and held senior marketing roles at Custom Ink, Esurance, and GEICO—where he began his career His entry into this space followed a personal experience: after a major engine failure on his post‑warranty BMW Group, he recognized the need for a transparent, user‑friendly way to compare and purchase car protection online

Dylan Huey is a Gen Z entrepreneur, influencer, and musician who has been active online since age 16. He's the CEO of REACH, a national college influencer organization that connects students with the creator economy. He's also the co-founder of Daisy, a tech platform for creators. Huey has a music and social media alias, Rodin' Flash, and has released multiple EPs.

Barry Frey - CEO - DPAA With over 10 years of experience as the President and CEO of DPAA, the global trade and marketing association for the digital out of home (OOH) industry, Barry leads the organization's mission to drive awareness, value, and revenue for their members and partners. He oversees all aspects of the association's operations, strategy, and growth, reporting to a board of directors comprised of network owners and ad-tech companies.

Ben Larson is the CEO of Vertosa, the multi-state infusion technology company specializing in beverages and other fast-acting form factors. Prior to Vertosa, Mr. Larson co-founded Gateway Incubator, California’s first business accelerator and co-working space dedicated to the emerging cannabis industry. He’s a Director and Mentor at Founder Institute where he formerly managed global operations and helped expand the program into over 100 cities around the world. Mr. Larson is a host of the Marijuana Today podcast; a founding board member of the Cannabis Beverage Association and founding member of ATACH’s Cannabis Beverage Council; and he was recently appointed to the Board for the National Cannabis Industry Association. Mr. Larson was a recipient of the San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 and was recognized by Forbes in 2022 as one of the 42 pioneers to watch in the green rush.

Pierre DeBois is the founder and CEO of Zimana, an analytics services firm that helps organizations achieve improvements in marketing, website development, and business operations. Zimana has provided analysis services using Google Analytics, R Programming, Python, JavaScript Developer and other technologies where data and metrics abide. Pierre has also provided digital marketing and analytic workshops. His first major workshop was for the City of Chicago Treasurer’s Office as part of the 2014 Small Business Expo (SBE). Since then, he has led workshops and presentations at major expos across the United States, including INBOUND, CodeMash Conference, Juneteenth Conference, Content Marketing World, DXSummit, and Connect . The presentations have covered the gamut of business trends, data science and digital marketing topics.

Jonathan Kander is the Chief Marketing Officer at VALR ENERGY, a nitrogen‑infused energy drink brand rooted in sports, fitness, and functional beverages. In his role, Kander leads VALR’s brand marketing and strategic partnerships, positioning the company in high‑impact arenas including Major League Baseball and mixed martial arts. Under his leadership, VALR became the official energy drink of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in the U.S., highlighted by branded VIP experiences and athlete-focused storytelling, and later secured a multi‑year partnership with the Pittsburgh Pirates—complete with in‑stadium activations, a custom “Jolly Roger Edition” flavor, and full integration into PNC Park's fan experiences.

Ly Tran is the Founder of stiletto collective, established in 2021. stiletto is a minority, woman-owned business & creative~media cooperative. Her mission, along with her collective's, is to help brands of all sizes elevate who they are through creativity in media + data and authenticity in voice + content. Before creating stiletto, she was an essential part of building Proof Advertising. Under her tenure at Proof, the agency was selected as Ad Age's Small Agency of The Year, not once, but five times. For her ingenuity, innovation and individual contributions, she was also honored as one of Ad Age's Women to Watch and recognized by Campaign US's Digital 40 over 40. She has spoken at countless conferences: 4As's, Ad Age, ANA, AWAW (Ad Women for All Women), BOLO, CES, Digiday, DAA (Digital Advertising Alliance), MediaPost, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), SXSW, US Travel's ESTO, and more.

Tyler Sits at the crossroads of innovation and leadership, he has founded and scaled multiple seven-figure ventures, consistently driving industry transformation. Over the past decade, he has started and expanded both service and product-based companies, notably Turnserv—a platform of self-started brands revolutionizing the housing sector by streamlining turnover processes. With operations extending to new locations every few weeks, Turnserv addresses critical operational challenges for property managers with unparalleled reliability and efficiency.

Calvin Innes is a creative strategist who brings over two decades of expertise in concept design, creative direction, and brand storytelling. As a seasoned Consultant Creative Director, and in his role as GM & Executive Creative Director of JvM NERD London, Calvin is known for crafting innovative campaigns that blend artistry with strategic vision. At JvM NERD London, our team specialises in the dynamic intersection of brands with the new pop culture wave. Calvin’s leadership as GM and ECD is rooted in creative direction and marketing communications, focusing on gaming, esports, fantasy, and pop culture. NERD has propelled campaigns for iconic brands like Mercedes-Benz AG, MINI and Riot Games, creating touchpoints in the metaverse and web3 spaces.

Louise Cantrill is a Senior Partner at Lippincott, based in London, where she blends human insight with strategic branding and design. Known for her ability to straddle the boundary between creative design and data-driven strategy, she plays a pivotal role in shaping "go-to" brands that resonate deeply with customers.In a recent interview, Louise described Lippincott’s approach as one guided by a defined brand strategy and clear mission—not simply design for design’s sake—which ensures brand relevance and purpose in today's competitive landscape .Her work spans a diverse range of sectors, partnering with clients to build purpose-led brand identities, customer experiences, and value propositions that stand out in both their markets and cultures.

Topher Burns is the Co‑Founder and Partner in Brand Strategy at territorial, an indie creative agency based in New York. Known for his behavior‑led branding approach, Topher has helped shape the identities of prominent clients including HBO, Twitch, Unilever, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Coinbase. He also co-hosts Strange Coordinates, a podcast from territorial exploring the unexpected stories behind major brands, with recent episodes diving into brands like Olay. Before founding territorial, Topher led strategy at design firm COLLINS and digital agency Deep Focus. Outside the agency world, he’s active in Portland, Oregon, as a climate community organizer, trail runner, gardener, and occasional comedian

Michael is a multi-disciplinary creative director, focusing on experience design, interiors and production design for film and content. Originally trained as an architect, Michael spent the beginning of his career working on international cultural projects including the masterplan to rebuild New York’s Ground Zero site and the SF Jewish Museum.  With more than 20 years working with artists and brands to help translate narratives into emotive experiences, he’s collaborated with Google, Nike, Amazon, Ferrari and Red Bull directing large creative teams while keeping focus on the smallest details.