Call To Action

We’ve set tripwires to snare the Jimmy Choo’s of the freelance community’s very own Anna Wintour, the editor of Freelancer Magazine, Sophie Cross.     An OG freelancer with over 15 years’ marketing experience, Sophie launched her very own 100-pages of glossy printed freelance goodness earlier this year.    She talks to us her first cheese-related jobs, thinking she wasn’t creative enough for marketing, sausage and mash business plans, launching a magazine, her ‘Kevin from Home Alone’ moment, starting before you’re ready, the immensely supportive freelance community, how to get your first client and more. Ears this way please.  /////   Check out Sophie’s website   Follow her on Twitter   Issue 2 ‘Community’ of Freelancer Magazine is out now  Watch Start Before You’re Ready on ISOLATED Talks  Listen to the stunning rendition of Dave Harland’s poem ‘Dogs’  Sophie kindly dedicated this episode to @thatcontentshed    Sophie’s book recommendations are: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron   The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton  /////

This week we’ve laid bait of crisp apple strudels and schnitzel with noodles to snare Munich-based performance artist, Marcus John Henry Brown, to talk on a few of his favourite things.    Hisüber-talented creative chops have conjured up “performance hacks”, a keynote format that disrupts conference proceedings, delighting and shocking audiences across the world.    Marcus gives us the lowdown on the best (and worst) Batman, hacking business conferences, creating Blade Runner with PowerPoint, hanging in there as an artist last year, audience obsession, ideas, your left buttock, and tonnes more.    Plus, there’s an unmissable masterclass on how to do better virtual keynotes. Danke schön. ///// You can follow Marcus on Twitter Here’s his website Check out his performances and tips to make better virtual keynotes here His beloved ISOLATED Talk Hanging in There is well worth a watch too  These are his speaking terms and conditions Marcus’s book recommendations are: Anything by Mark Earls   Anything by Eaon Pritchard  Anything in the future by Vikki Ross (So keep an eye out here)  /////

We’ve masqueraded as a bellboy and snuck into the G-Suite to catch freak in the (Google) Sheets and designer turned creative strategist, Izzi Hays, this week.  An awfully loud introvert, Izzi Rascal is bonkers for a tricky problem and is currently breaking industry moulds and bolstering their strategy chops at MultiAdaptor. They chinwag to us on their accidental shift from design to strategy, empathy, bullsh*t job titles, why a good craftsperson isn’t always a good manager, research in the wild, what living in 10 countries has taught them, building diverse teams, pancakes, what they’d be doing in a world without brands and tonnes more. ///// You can follow Izzi on Twitter Check out MultiAdaptor Here’s One Sandbox Make your life easier with Raindrop and Notion With the subtlety of a bulldozer, we manage to plug our episodes with: Zoe Scaman, Doug Melville, Nick Ellis, Andrew Willshire and Sarah Benson. So go forth and gorge on those too. Izzi’s book recommendations are: The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley  Real Life by Brandon Taylor   Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby   /////

This week we’re leading the frontline charge against marketing B.S. by catching and conscribing the fiery Frenchman and frère from another mère, Louis Grenier.    Quite simply one of the most maverick marketers on the planet, Louis’ mega-successful marketing podcast, Everyone Hates Marketers, has over 1 million downloads and interviews industry giants like Seth Godin and Mark Ritson.    Lend us your ears for a riotous rendezvous on why everyone really hates marketers, being radically different, how to up your Tinder game, the problem with looking at your own belly button, misquoting Richard Shotton, psychographics, and a bike shed load more.  Plus, find out what on earth Marcelo Bielsa and Daft Punk have in common.  ///// You can follow Louis on Twitter   Learn to stand the f*ck out by signing up for his newsletter  Listen to his podcast Everyone Hates Marketers (after this one, of course)  Watch Louis’ talk for The Marketing Meetup  And here’s what Russell Davies has to say about “bikeshedding”     Louis’ book recommendations are: Purple Cow by Seth Godin  ZAG by Marty Neumeier  Different by Youngme Moon   Eat Your Greens by Wiemer Snijders   How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp   Building Distinctive Brand Assets by Jenni Romaniuk   Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari   /////

This week we’ve cast a spell to catch one of the most talented strategists in Middle-earth the UK, ad land’s answer to Gandalf, Richard Huntington.    A high-octane brand strategist, Richard has been leading his merry band of creatives and hobbits to the edge of The Shire for nearly 30 years. Richard is currently Chairman, Chief Strategy Officer, and part of the furniture at Saatchi & Saatchi.   He talks to us on being interesting versus being right, the lost art of salesmanship, why you must join a choir, wild swimming, how buying a dog grooming magazine will make you a better strategist, and finally, if there really is one brief template to rule them all.    You’d be a fool of a Took not to fill your ear canals up.  /////   Follow Richard on Twitter Here’s his blog, Adliterate Richard kindly dedicates this episode to Marie Benton so make sure to check out the wonderful work of The Choir with No Name    Richard’s book recommendation is: Waterlog by Roger Deakin  /////

We snuck aboard a streetcar and cruised down Castro Street to catch the Bay Area’s finest Creative Director and Pitch 100 Superwoman, Laurel Stark Akman, this week. Laurel leads creative marketing efforts for The Sims at EA and is the mind (and heart) behind “world changing” and “industry bettering” work, including mental health initiative, Our Silent Partner, and diversity boosting portfolio competition, Next Creative Leaders. She adds smarts and sass to tons of topics including going to ad school to make her right-brained parents happy, why thrashing in the undergrowth makes you a better creative, her own mental health journey, finding her voice, creating a space for the parts of her the industry didn’t celebrate, mentorship matchmaking and lots more. ///// Follow Laurel on Twitter and Instagram Check out her website Sign up for Mentorship Matchmaking And go support Laurel’s brilliant initiatives, Our Silent Partner and Next Creative Leaders Laurel kindly dedicates this episode to Niki Selken  If you are interested in shadow work, have a look at: Laurel’s article for The Rosie Report This program and this book Laurel’s book recommendations are: Pick Me by Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin  Darling, You Can’t Do Both by Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk   Herding Tigers by Todd Henry  Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May   /////

We’ve posed as a jester in the throne room of the Burger Kingdom to nab the recently abdicated and most influential CMO and brand genius in the industry; the mind behind the Mouldy Whopper, Fernando Machado.   A global marketer with enough Lions to rival Joe Exotic, Fernando has recently tucked into a new role as CMO at Activision Blizzard. At the time of recording, Fer was CMO at Restaurant Brands International, serving up great creative work for Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons.    So, pull up to the next window and pick-up Fer’s final flame-grilled interview* pre-abdicating. We chat on his obsession with creativity, how to make the case for creativity, the role of the CMO, why Mouldy Whopper was never a risk, brand heritage, cancel culture, Bill Bernbach, Dads in Briefs and the cliff divers of Acapulco.   Do you want fries with that?      *probably /////   Follow Fernando on Twitter   Check out The One Club for Creativity  BGH Air Conditioners: Dads in Briefs      Fernando’s book recommendations are: Bill Bernbach's Book by Bob Levenson  The Copy Book by D&AD   /////

It’s lights out and we’re off with Red Bull Racing alumni, David Granger, in the driver’s seat, this week.    David got his wings managing the international digital and social strategy for Red Bull, its Formula One teams and for companies in aviation, fashion and music including the Wu-Tang Clan.    So protect ya neck as David brings da ruckus on reading ‘F1 for Dummies’ (twice) before joining Red Bull Racing, pissing off Fernando Alonso, owing his career to Leo Sayer, taking pole position ahead of other F1 teams on the socials and using it to deal with feuding fans…badly. Oh, and after a quick pit stop to chat AR in sports, find out what Giles really thinks of Pokémon Go.   ///// Follow David on Twitter   You can enjoy his columns for iSPORTCONNECT on Medium   And David proudly dedicates this episode to Katherine Chan     David’s book recommendation is: Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy   /////

We’ve taken cover in the jungle and laid bait of some intriguing research in the wild to snare planner, pattern spotter and people watcher, Sarah Benson, this week.     Currently a Senior Planner at adam&eveDDB, Sarah is an exceptionally talented strategic mind with 12 years’ experience making telly ads, creating brands and finding out what people really think.    She chats to us on being fired from her first job at IKEA, tackling industry biases, why planners should pay attention to the mundane, pattern spotting, research in the wild, cracking on, hard pants and lots more. Plus, a bonus pitch story of power, corruption and blueberry cheesecake.  ///// Follow Sarah on Twitter  Sarah proudly dedicates this episode to @izzihays, give them a follow too  Check out her film recommendation The Florida Project    Sarah’s book recommendations are: The Optimists Telescope by Bina Venkataraman  Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino   Perfect Pitch by Jon Steel   /////

This week we’ve laid bait of a pint and picture round to snare sharp thinker, pub quizzer and Strategy Director at Wunderman Thompson, Will Humphrey. A lifelong problem solver with experience across Advertising, PR, CRM and Digital, he’s devised award-winning strategies for the likes of O2, Budweiser, NatWest and Land Rover and is a huge advocate for mentoring junior folk in the industry. He talks to us on a treasure trove of topics including ad land as a walled garden, binding machines and nappies, asking Londoners to find Coventry on a map, empathy, educated guessing, planning from within, what’s special about Robbie Earnshaw, hippos, custard creams and lots more. You’d be a fool not to let us bend your ear ‘ere. ///// Follow Will on Twitter and Instagram Check out his blog Here's his advice for junior strategists/planners And keep an eye out for future Getting In & Getting On events Will proudly dedicates his episode to @sarahspoon, give her a follow too Will’s book recommendations are: The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan  Saki, The Complete Short Stories by H. Munro   Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing by Karen Nelson-Field  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  /////