
Let's Make This More Interesting
Do you have moments in your business or personal life when you simply can’t afford to bore your audience? What can we do to hold their undivided attention when it really matters? To find out, Adam Morgan, founder of eatbigfish, speaks to fascinating people who excel at engaging their audience – be they distracted social scrollers, bored schoolchildren or cynical CEOs – and learns from them how we can all be much more interesting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Feb 25, 2025 • 45min
The commercial case for humour (with Bridget Angear)
Is our business leaving money on the table by being too serious? In this episode, Adam speaks to Bridget Angear, legendary strategic planner and co-founder of Craig + Bridget, about her recent research “The Business Case for Humour in Advertising”. Adam and Bridget explore the evidence for the business effects of humour as revealed in the IPA database, and the different values that different types of humour can have for us if we’re looking to be more engaging. They look at why marketing and communications might be less entertaining now than it used to be, and they consider why agencies and clients seriously need to have a bit more fun. Because, despite the business case for humour, have we all become just too scared to be funny? -- Connect with Adam on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Watch Bridget deliver “The Business Case for Humour in Advertising” here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=r91B08Xebtg Bridget's books -The insiders' guide to advertising: How the business of advertising really worksCreative problem solving.: A useful little strategy book by craig+bridgetRevolt: A movement owner's manual--Let's Make This More Interesting is a podcast from eatbigfish. Thanks to our editor Ruth, our producer Travis, and to Tiny Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 18, 2025 • 42min
Break that routine (with Simon Peacock)
This week Adam meets award-winning improviser and director of the iconic Assassin’s Creed video games Simon Peacock to explore how the element of surprise makes his work and life more interesting. Beginning with Simon’s early success as a professional improviser in Montreal, they discuss the 10 commandments of good improvisation, why routine and repetition ruin a performance, and what happens when you apply improv principles to your own wedding. In the second half, Simon shares what it takes to give a more interesting audition, his experience as a director in the world of video games, and why audiences crave surprise. We find out what preparation it takes to direct 2,000 lines of dialogue in one day, why it’s always a good idea to deliver a unique take in an audition (even if it doesn’t land you the job), and the terrible fate of a canvas sack called Bob. __ Connect with Adam on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Let's Make This More Interesting is a podcast from eatbigfish. Thanks to our editor Ruth and our producers at Tiny Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 11, 2025 • 1h 11min
Why you need a third Spider Drop (with Heather McGill)
In a captivating conversation with Heather McGill, a designer and producer renowned for her work on mega-events like the London 2012 Olympics and the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest experience, she reveals the art of crafting engaging shared experiences. Heather discusses the balance of 'highs' and 'lulls' in immersive events, the challenges of meeting evolving audience expectations, and the significance of common ownership in experiences. She also shares Sir Jonny Ive’s invaluable advice and why the introduced third spider drop can dramatically enhance the experience.

Feb 11, 2025 • 41min
When Kerosene met Dull (with Peter Field)
A year into the project, what have we learnt about the real price of being dull? Adam opens Season 2 with one of the core collaborators on The Extraordinary Cost of Dull, marketing effectiveness expert Peter Field. Peter and Adam share how the Extraordinary Cost of Dull has grown from an idea that kickstarted our last season to a 3-year research project with multiple contributors. One that has been sparking a vital conversation within the marketing and communications community over the last year. Starting with their reflections on the response to the project so far, they discuss new developments including: Data from the DMA that reveals what dull is costing us not just in TV, but through the whole funnel Upcoming work from Dr Karen Nelson-Field, another core collaborator, on the real cost of choosing lower attention media platforms and channels Peter’s latest findings on the business effects of dull, and its impact on brand trust The development of the practical strategic tools to help marketers avoid dull from the start They finish with a look at their ambitions for The Extraordinary Cost of Dull in the year head. ____ The Extraordinary Cost of Dull Project is open to contributors. Do you have a data set to share with the project? Get in touch at hello@eatbigfish.com Follow the project: https://www.eatbigfish.com/the-cost-of-dull Follow Peter's work here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-field-20110120/ Connect with Adam on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 6, 2024 • 30min
Episode 13: Lessons, Frameworks, Power and Sex (a look back at Season 1)
In this bonus episode Adam summarises the key themes and learnings across all the guests from the first season, to make it useful and usable for you.He breaks his conclusions into five sections: 1. The Cost of Dull and the Value of Interesting 2. The Four Kinds of Dull3. Finding the right way to be interesting for you4. Common themes and key ideas across all the guests5. How to use it Read the full transcript of the episode at The Challenger Project.---------Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram With thanks to our editor Ruth and producer Ross. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 5, 2023 • 1h 9min
Episode 12: Giving up the gold (with Nick Reed)
Nick Reed, successful Hollywood agent and co-founder of a viral content company, discusses creating viral content, building relationships in the film industry, strategies for getting someone interested, meeting high expectations, and a memorable encounter in Hollywood.

Nov 28, 2023 • 17min
Episode 11: The third American art form (with Russell Davies)
Powerpoint has become the poster child of Dull – can even this most maligned of mediums really be a tool to be more interesting? Russell Davies not only believes it can, but that it’s the third American art form, along with jazz and hip hop – but only if we think of it and use it in a very different way. It seems such a symbolic flip for the cliché of ‘Death by Powerpoint’, that we’ve given it its own short episode. Here Russell shares his very simple rules for really engaging an audience through Powerpoint.Russell's book: Do Interesting. Notice. Collect. Share.https://thedobook.co/products/do-interesting-notice-collect-share_______Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram See what’s coming up on the podcast at The Challenger Project With thanks to our editor Ruth and producer Ross. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 20, 2023 • 44min
Episode 10: Making the magic more probable (with Russell Davies)
One of the most stimulating speakers in brands and communications, Russell has been thinking about what it means to be interesting for over 20 years. In his new book Do Interesting – Notice. Collect. Share. Russell has codified the practice he’s used to make the world more interesting to him, and to make himself better positioned to bring interest to whatever topic he finds himself working on, inside and outside the world of brands. In this episode he shares how we can do it easily, too.https://thedobook.co/products/do-interesting-notice-collect-share_______Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram See what’s coming up on the podcast at The Challenger Project With thanks to our editor Ruth and producer Ross. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 14, 2023 • 43min
Episode 9: Lashing the world with story (with John Yorke)
While storytelling isn’t the automatic answer to every kind of ‘dull’, if we’re going to learn how to tell more interesting stories we should learn from the best. John Yorke founded the BBC Studio Writer’s Academy after a career that included being Head of Channel4 Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, working on and producing some of the world’s most widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama, from EastEnders to Shameless, Life on Mars and Wolf Hall. In this episode, he shares with Adam his learnings about how we can all tell a story that will really engage our audience.Read John’s book: Into The Woods: How stories work and why we tell them John’s company and training services: https://www.johnyorkestory.com/_______Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram See what’s coming up on the podcast at The Challenger Project With thanks to our editor Ruth and producer Ross. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 7, 2023 • 48min
Episode 8: The interesting Squiggle and the long ‘Aha’ (with Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis)
The Squiggly Careers podcast has been hugely influential and useful for anyone interested in Career Development community. In this episode I talk to Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, the brilliant pair behind the podcast, the two bestselling books that have come out of it – Squiggly Careers and You Coach You – and the company they have founded, Amazing if.We discuss:How, in looking to throw out the old model of the ‘career ladder’, they arrived at that fascinating idea and language of the ‘squiggle’How they’ve found a much more engaging way to talk to people about confidence issues, and why it worksWhy dullness in large organisations is often a kind of conformityHow to be a ‘helpful rebel’ in big companies if you want to help shake up dull practicesAlong the way, they talk about a fascinating idea: ‘the long aha’ – that realisation that comes to you sometime after an engaging moment in a meeting, prompting you to question something you are doing, when you realise how pervasive that practice and issue has been in your life. As fascinating and useful as you would expect from the inimitable Sarah and Helen.Listen to the Squiggly Careers podcast Find out more about Amazing If's work Helen and Sarah's books:The Squiggly CareerYou Coach You ________Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-morgan-3a473a/ Follow eatbigfish on Linkedin and Instagram See what’s coming up on the podcast at The Challenger Project With thanks to our editor Ruth and producer Ross. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.