Phame Influence Podcast

Tori Johnston is an experienced Chief Marketing Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the health, wellness, and fitness industry with brands like Pure Barre, SoulCycle, Xtend Barre, and AKT. Tori is a seasoned leader with a result-oriented, data-driven, innovative and passionate approach to marketing.  With a passion for health and fitness, Tori has brought her marketing and branding expertise to the Xponential Fitness family and is currently overseeing all brand and marketing initiatives as CMO of one of the fastest-growing boutique fitness studios in the country - AKT. 

Andy Mecs is the Vice President of Marketing & Innovation at StarKist, the number one brand of tuna in the United States. He has served in a variety of field sales, trade marketing and consumer marketing roles during his career. He is also a licensed attorney, who earned his JD/MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.With Mecs’ leadership, StarKist has placed an emphasis on convenient, healthy food products,leading to dozens of innovative new products and the “Tear. Eat. Go.” campaign for StarKistTuna, Salmon and Chicken Creations. As a result, pouch products are generating rapid growth,and StarKist is approaching a 50.0 share in the tuna category.

Travis Kimball is a Founding Partner and the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of Quick Quack Car Wash. Mr. Kimball has helped grow the company from a single car wash to more than 110 locations in five states. Among other things, he is primarily responsible for branding, direct marketing, advertising, promotions, customer experience, social media, community relations, and public relations. Mr. Kimball has a MBA from Brigham Young University and previous marketing experience with start-up dot.com companies as well as real estate development and retail management.

Jon Schram is an IT support expert and the founder & CEO of The Purple Guys, a tech company that has grown since 2001 to become the Midwest’s premier provider of IT support services. The Purple Guys is a fast-growing, 7-digit business that has helped hundreds of companies grow by solving their IT problems and providing them with stress-free, bullet-proof tech support. Jon and his wife, Jill, have three children and have founded two businesses together.

Bryan Sarff founded True Wealth & Company to help entrepreneurs turn business success into personal wealth through a proprietary process called True Chief of Staff™. He hosts a weekly podcast titled Let’s Make Work Optional™.  As a lifelong entrepreneur, Bryan intimately understands the delicate balancing act between a successful personal and business life.  Bryan serves the community as a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and as an active board member for Band of Angels. He is a graduate of Mizzou’s School of Business and lives in Leawood, KS, with his incredible wife, three fantastic daughters, and two adorable Westies. For fun Bryan enjoys smoking BBQ on his Traeger, socializing with friends over a craft beer, occasional exercise, a good book, bass fishing, and digging productive holes in his yard.

Leslie Greve was recently promoted to CMO at BGZ Brands, parent company of BodyGuardz, Lander and Moxyo brands. She joined the company in 2015, bringing with her experience in driving revenue and profitability through building partnerships, developing teams, negotiating contracts and building programs.  Leslie now leads BGZ brands on creating a world class customer experience, using data to steer the acceleration.  She is a self-admitted "data nerd" who loves reading industry news, studying macro trends and sharing all of it to anyone who will listen.  When she isn’t at the office, she enjoys adventures with her husband, puppy and two smart, funny, feisty boys.

Richard Jones is the CMO at Cheetah Digital where he oversees a global team that is responsible for all aspects of the brand, demand generation, digital marketing, corporate communications, and sales development. With more than 20 years of marketing, sales and strategy experience, Jones was previously the CEO of Wayin, a global leader in zero-party data collection and activation. There, he helped many of the world’s leading brands such as Daily Mail Group, NHL, Bauer Media, Vodafone, Priceline.com, Reckitt Benckiser, Air New Zealand, and Manchester City FC create zero-party data strategies.Prior to this, Jones was the Co-Founder and CEO of UK based Saas start-up EngageSciences which was merged in 2016 with Wayin - a company founded and run by Sun Microsystems legendary co-founder and CEO Scott McNealy. After the acquisition Scott became Chairman and Jones took over as CEO of the combined entity. Wayin was sold to Cheetah Digital in June 2019 to form a crucial part of the company's award winning Customer Engagement Suite.

Grant Eckert is the Chief Marketing Officer for Spring Venture Group, a holding company representing leading insurance agencies focused on the senior health market. Together, with a team of high-performing, results-driven marketers he is responsible for the company’s brand strategy, as well as developing and executing innovative marketing programs to reach and attract the addressable market. Since joining Spring Venture Group earlier this year, he has already led a series of groundbreaking initiatives aimed at positioning the company as a data and technology leader, while amplifying the already-strong reputation of the brands he represents. As Spring Venture Groups continues to become a Medicare solutions powerhouse, he and his team will continue to apply the latest in marketing innovation to achieve industry-leading results. Prior to joining Spring Venture Group, Grant was the Chief Marketing Officer for National Debt Relief. During his tenure, the company achieved record growth, quickly becoming a leader within the debt resolutions industry. Before National Debt Relief, Grant held a series of leadership roles with companies including J.G.Wentworth, Medical Guardian, Barclays, and Harte-Hanks. In addition to his corporate leadership experience, Grant has also successfully launched two separate ventures, both which he later sold.While pursuing his MBA from Lehigh University, Grant worked for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helping clients throughout Pennsylvania start, expand, and/or sell their business, among other things. In addition to his MBA, Grant holds a BA from The Ohio State University.

Russell Barnett is currently the Managing Director and CMO | My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream.  As a creative marketing executive with deep experience in category-creating food and beverage items. He specializes in providing vision, direction and leadership to entrepreneurial spirited brands.After a stint in the advertising business, Barnett was asked to open the US Operation and run marketing for an unknown alcohol beverage, mike’s hard lemonade. During his tenure he took the brand from inception to +$150M in just 5 years.Barnett then headed marketing for Gardein, where the brand grew from ~$30M to a run rate of ~$90M annually before being purchased by Pinnacle Foods PF (NYSE). Additionally, Mr. Barnett held CMO tenure at KeVita which was recently sold to PepsiCo PEP (NYSE). Other career highlights include launching the popular snack brand popchips in the US, Canada and the UK while creating the “popped chip” category.He was also just named one of Forbes’ CMO Next 2019: 50 Game-Changing Marketing Leaders and one of Adweek’s 2019 LA Brand Stars.

Lisa Lewis is Chief Marketing Officer of PFF where she is responsible for facilitating growth, sales and a strategic marketing vision for the gita robot and all products produced by PFF.She brings with her more than 20 years of marketing experience and big plans for PFF’s first product, the gita robot.A California girl at heart, Lisa was born in Boston, raised in California but relocated back to Boston where she earned her BA in Business Management from Curry College while working full-time at Reebok. After earning her degree, she quickly rose through the ranks at Reebok where she discovered her love for brand marketing and her knack for building global campaigns and managing VIP partnerships.She has since led the digital marketing efforts for American Eagle Outfitters, served as Brand Manager at Converse for the Chuck Taylor brand, and served as Head of Lifestyle and Music Marketing at Puma.  Eventually, her love of technology led her to join Sonos, Inc. where she held several roles including Global Head of Product Collaborations over her nearly seven years in-house.Most recently, she was the VP of Marketing for the 100 year old Keds brand, where she rebuilt their strategy around women empowerment and was part of an all-women leadership team, which is unprecedented in the sneaker industry. Her most important roles however, are that of mom – to a spirited 3 ½ – year-old Vander and a charming 6-month old Phoenix – and wife – to a supportive husband and fellow marketer, Jed. With a love for travel, she always has the next family getaway planned, usually including a beach, some yoga (she’s a certified yoga teacher), and a lot of music to sing and dance to.

Our next guest has been continuously active in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, human-centric design and digital marketing since earning his Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree. He went on to earn his MBA degree with distinction at Yale. He began his career in Silicon Valley, and has spent his entire career in the world's leading innovation clusters of Silicon Valley / San Francisco, Boston / Cambridge, Austin, TX and Tel Aviv, Israel. He's a successful serial tech entrepreneur, multi-award winning professor, innovation consultant, angel investor, board member, hackathon & design sprint leader, popular keynote speaker, podcast author, and in-demand startup mentor.

As Chief Marketing Officer at Lionbridge, Jaime Punishill is responsible for leading global product development and marketing efforts including strategy, brand, content, demand generation, digital, and product marketing.Jaime is a recognized leader in brand strategy, innovation, and digital experiences, having most recently served as the Head of Brand Strategy & Digital Marketing at TIAA, a top financial services company, where he led the relaunch of its brand. In his prior role as Global Head of Content and Digital Distribution at Thomson Reuters, he designed and built a suite of products and services powering more than 1,000 financial firms, media partners’ portals, and apps. He previously served as Citibank’s N.A. Head of Digital Innovation, where he led Citi’s industry-leading mobile, social, and next-generation digital efforts.Jaime earned a Bachelor of Arts in History & Political Science from Stanford.

Cary Jack is a lifestyle entrepreneur, author, podcast host, professional actor/model, biohacker, eco-warrior, martial artist and humanitarian striving to make a positive impact on this planet. He split time growing up on the beaches of Sarasota, Florida and in the mountains of Red Lodge, Montana where he first learned the art of a balanced lifestyle.As a professional model/actor, Cary Jack was represented by top talent agencies like Wilhelmina and Next Models. He has represented many international brands such as Burberry, Hermes, Topman, Corona, Marriott, Home Depot, Visa, Royal Carribean, Cadillac, and Vogue. As a Second City Improv Comedy Graduate, Cary Jack has performed on networks such as HBO, NBC, ABC, and USA. As a digital marketing specialist, Cary Jack has personally worked with many world-class entrepreneurs such as Russell Brunson, Lewis Howes, Rory Vaden and Jon Lee Dumas.As a biohacking human performance expert Cary Jack, has coached Elite Entrepreneurs, Professional Athletes, Olympic Gold Medalists, Stanley Cup Winners, Fortune 500 CEO's and many others. Cary Jack is the founder of The Happy Hustle, whose mission is to educate, inspire, and entertain, while reminding you to enjoy the journey, not just the destination, as you Happy Hustle for a life of passion and purpose. From successful entrepreneurs to spiritual masters, Cary Jack interviews an array of powerful guests on The Happy Hustle Podcast to help you transform your dreams into a reality. Through courses, events, and content, Cary Jack instills more blissful balance and fulfillment in your life while helping you put the Happy back in your Hustle!

Janice Ozguc is a proven technology executive and entrepreneur, driving business development, marketing and sales efforts from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. She started her career in the arts, working at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her strong interest in art conservation led her into the science and technology fields. She ultimately transitioned from the arts to engineering obtaining a Masters in Electrical Engineering. After a successful career at major corporations including IBM, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi she consulted and was sought after by technology startups. Janice joined Octalica, a semiconductor start up, as the VP of Business Development and as a member of the executive team that led the company to a successful acquisition by Broadcom. Janice then founded, Artware, with the former CEO of Octalica. Artware developed mobile apps for the social photo sharing segment using a proprietary, patented technology. Theflagship product, layrs, had a successful run with over 3M downloads prior to the decision to sell the technology. Janice has worked with several startups developing business and marketing strategies, helping to obtain funding rounds and helping with efforts that have led to successful acquisitions. In the past years, Janice has been the Entrepreneurial Fellow at Boston University’s BUild Lab mentoring students on early stage star ups In the past year, she joined VERTO, a Gen Z exclusive ecommerce marketplace, as the CMO. Janice is playing an instrumental role helping the founding team grow the company including developing and implementing business strategies, landing key brand partnerships and training VERTO’s business development team.

After seven years in the industry Scott became partner at Truss, one of Kansas City’s largest privately held insurance brokerages in the metro. In August of 2019 Truss sold to HUB International making Scott one of the youngest shareholders in North America for the largest privately held insurance brokerages in the world. The Kansas City Business Journal wrote an article calling Scott one of the top connectors in the city along with naming him to the class of 2020 Next Generation Leaders for the city. Ingraham’s Magazine recognized Scott at Twenties in their twenties & 40 under 40.  Scott’s partner, Melissa Oliva shares a $1,800,000 book of business with him and together they serve some of the most well respected, fasted growing & entrepreneurial businesses in the Metro. Scott’s passion is bringing Kansas City executives together and facilitating peer groups. One of the eleven peer groups Scott runs is called Top Gun Kansas City which represents over 175 members from the biggest companies in town.  Scott is a native of Kansas City and attended the University of Kansas. Scott works with The Big Brothers Big Sisters Most Wanted Auction, Centurions Leadership Program, Band of Angels Rock Stars, Blue Valley Educational Foundation VIPS, the Overland Park Arts and Recreation Board, KC KAN Executive Board & the Sigma Chi Advisory Board at the University of Kansas.  Scott and his wife, Julie, are both supporters of Literacy KC, Halo Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and St. Michael the Archangel Parish.  They have a son, Nicholas (2) and a little girl, Kate (4 months). 

Aidan Connolly is CEO of Cainthus, an Irish artificial intelligence company, using computer vision to monitor animals. Cainthus’ combines unparalleled expertise and cutting-edge innovation, to passively monitor cows, other livestock, and farm management practices 24/7, alerting the farmer when it matters most.Aidan is also president of AgriTech Capital, a new company in the field of advisory investment and development of ventures in agriculture, focused on both start-ups and existing traditional business development. He has worked with several Governments and leading food companies on agtech policy.He is the author of the recently launched strategic business planning book, “2-1-4-3.”Aidan Connolly graduated with a Master’s in International Marketing from the Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin, Ireland. He previously worked with Alltech for more than 25 years, initially in Ireland, and then based in France, Brazil and the United States. He has travelled for business to over 100 countries including most recently extensively in China. From 2002 until 2008, Connolly held the position of Vice President of Alltech Europe, then to Washington DC as VP of Corporate Accounts. As Chief Innovation Officer Connolly was responsible for the commercialization of Alltech’s global research in addition to continuing corporate account strategy within Alltech.His expertise is in branding, agriculture and international marketing. Connolly is an adjunct professor of marketing at University College Dublin and visiting professor at the China Agricultural University. He is a former member of the boards of IFIF, NPP, NCC, FEFANA, and a Fellow of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA). Aidan is also a member and regular contributor of the Forbes Technology Council.Connolly speaks regularly, appearing at up to 50 conferences annually on the future of food, agriculture and agri-technologies.

Born and raised in Montreal, Catherine established herself in NY as a choreographer, eventually leaping towards audio engineering and relocating to LA.From Switzerland to Shanghai to Qatar, she went on to headline around the world under the moniker, DJ SynCity. Her client list has garnered a palpable range of household names such as Calvin Klein, Chaka Khan, EA Sports, Tiger Woods, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, People Magazine, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kevin Hart, BMW, Michael Jordan, Vogue Magazine, Justin Timberlake, NASCAR, 20th Century Fox, Eddie Murphy and more. After years self-promoting as a DJ, working at Bad Boy Entertainment, and Metta World Peace of the Lakers, Catherine freelanced as a social media manager and brand consultant in Oklahoma. She then launched COI Digital and is currently serving as Chief Marketing Officer at ElectraLeaf. Coming from a long way since her days interning at Cornerstone where she witnessed the inception of the Staple Pigeon and Fader Magazine’s debut.

Jesse says:If you asked me 12 years ago if I thoughtI could make it as a professional music producer, I would have told you HELL NO.Because…there is nothing special about me. I work from my home studio in Southern California with an iMac, keyboard and a pair of speakers. I can play drums and guitar but I’m no virtuoso rockstar. I can’t read music and I couldn’t tell you what notes are in a F# major scaleAs of today I have over 1,100 tracks (4,000+ including “alt-mixes”) being licensed on over 100 US TV Networks and over 40 countries worldwide. I created this course because I want to share my story and knowledge with struggling artists, producers and songwriters. I’ve been there; I know this business can be brutal.  BUT I found a way to succeed.And now I want to show you exactly how…

Marshall was born in Coronado, CA, Marsh grew up playing every sport, but when he pulled into his first barrel, everything else went out the window. A SDSU alum, Marsh has worked in the sports industry most of his life. Many of his days have been and continue to be Surf AM/Golf PM kind of days. He is a proud father, grandfather, husband, and loves all sports and photography. Lives by the mantra of “work hard, play hard.” Has one hero – “Dad – honest, honorable, ethical, and moral.”

A native of suburban Philadelphia and Chicago, Joel Goldberg has been a member of the Kansas City Royals television broadcast since 2008, serving as the host of every pregame and postgame show on FOX Sports Kansas City.The University of Wisconsin graduate won a 2001 Mid-America Emmy for sports reporting and has covered multiple championship teams in Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Joel built a 25-year career developing and maintaining strong relationships with professional athletes, coaches, and team management and he now shares those stories and strategies with companies and associations live on stage and these days virtually. He’s hosted a weekly podcast called Rounding The Bases the last two years and added a daily live video podcast when the pandemic started focusing on leadership during these times.