Special Sauce

Robert Mads Anderson is one of the most accomplished mountaineers of his generation and has balanced those pursuits with a multi-decade run working at advertising agencies around the world. He joins the podcast to discuss the characteristics that climbers have in common, what he learned from experiencing tragedy early in his career, what it's like to stand on the summits of the highest peaks in the world, and why climbing Mount Everest is not the same as it used to be. Robert and Jordan talk about how he has carved out professional balance between his dual professions of advertising and climbing, and what the similarities are between leading expeditions and managing people. During their discussion, they reference a video of Robert leading clients up Mount Kilimanjaro last summer. That video can be found here: https://youtu.be/PhCEOy-jX6k.

Joy Robins has been working in the news business for almost 20 years. In her most recent 3 jobs, she has led the ad revenue teams at Quartz, The Washington Post and The New York Times. She joins the podcast to talk about what happens on the business side of a news org when a global news story breaks, the impact of technology on generations of news readers, and the people who have influenced her career. She and Jordan also discuss a moment that she'll never forget from the start of the invasion of Ukraine, growing up a few towns away from each other in New Jersey, and why it might (or might not) be appropriate to hang out in the parking lot of diners.

Jill Kelly has worked exclusively in advertising agencies for almost 30 years. First as a media buyer, famously as a successful Comms leader, and ultimately as an agency CEO over the last 3 years. She joins the podcast to talk about the inspiring story of her early childhood, the lessons she learned from her mom (spoiler alert: when you encounter challenges "don't get through it, go through it"), and what she learned from her bosses along the way. Jill and Jordan also discuss why Jill chooses the roles that she does, why she loves working at agencies, and her intensely competitive pumpkin carving habit.

Matt Derella is the VP of Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn, the team focused on serving the advertising industry. Prior to his current role, Matt spent many years at other major global platforms including Google and Twitter, where he rose to the job of Chief Customer Officer. He joins the podcast to talk about what he got out of his English education at Georgetown, the role he had at Google and why he left, and what made Twitter such a special place to work. He and Jordan also discuss why Matt is creating more online content these days, how he and his wife balance being working parents, and they talk about Bruce Springsteen. Listeners: when there's a Bruce connection, you can sleep easy (or not) knowing the topic will get air time.

Jack Myers is an author, consultant and content creator, who has been a steady presence in the media industry for 50 years. Having started out working at big media companies in outdoor, radio and cable in the 1970s, he ultimately struck out on his own in the mid-80s when he launched MediaVillage and The Myers Report. He joins the podcast to talk about why he made that move, and both the positives and challenges to being an innovative thinker with the ability to see around corners (it's not all upside!). Jack and Jordan discuss the premises of Jack's two most recent books and the impact those subjects are having on the order of society today. He also shares a story that led to him being more careful with what he packs in his suitcase when traveling overseas.

Suzie Reider might be the OGest of the Digital OGs. Her career took off in the pre-Internet era of the tech publishing world, bridged to early new media when she joined a then 30-person YouTube operation, and continues today as she builds out the media business at Lyft. Suzie joins the podcast to talk about the moment YouTube took off and those early days of digital video. She and Jordan discuss the importance making career connections, what draws her to businesses in the process of being built, the value that people with 30+ years of experience bring to their work, and a shared chance encounter they had with a rock 'n' roll legend.

Rich Lehrfeld is the General Manager at Walmart Connect, the company's advertising platform that helps brands reach shoppers online and in stores. Prior to Walmart, he spent 23 years at American Express in roles with increasing levels of influence and responsibility. Rich joins the podcast to talk about his time at both companies, how he looks at driving innovation inside (really) big organizations, and the influence that his colleagues and leadership has had on his approach...and his career. He and Jordan discuss some of the projects they have worked on together, the influence of former Amex CMO John Hayes, and Rich's philosophy on getting other leaders in big organizations to care about their shared ambitions.

Lisa Sherman is the CEO at The Ad Council, the organization that brings together the best minds in advertising and media to create public service campaigns addressing the biggest challenges facing our society. She joins the podcast to talk about how she came to be in her role and how the work of the Ad Council has changed in the decade since. Lisa shares her coming out story in corporate America and how that experience changed her, as well as the policies of the company she had just left. She and Jordan also talk about her upcoming induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame and her career reflections that are inspired by this moment.

Jeremi Gorman, a seasoned advertising executive with a rich background at Amazon, Netflix, and Snap, shares her journey through the evolving media landscape. She discusses her transition from marketing to sales and the challenges of being a woman in the boardroom. Jeremi recounts wild stories from her time at Amazon's early ad days and explains her passion for investing in women’s pro sports. With her new role at Fanatics, she aims to build a dynamic ad business, proving that growth starts from the ground up.

Ryan Barwick is a journalist covering media and advertising. He is a rising star on the beat. In just the last year, he has reported on Lina Khan and the FTC, the Google antitrust proceedings and how the ad business is using AI. Ryan joins Special Sauce to talk about how he got up-to-speed on the industry, how reporters view other reporters, and to share some advice for Comms people. He and Jordan talk about what it's like to break a story, the difference between perspective and bias, and how Clark Kent came to become his internet avatar.