Shows
The Immortal Life of AgenciesCornett's CEO: Why female ownership matters – Christy HilerToday’s guest is Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett – the Lexington-based creative agency – and one of our industry’s leading voices for women-owned agencies. A huge advocate of empowering talent, Christy candidly shares her own unusual journey from being Cornett’s president to its owner, including the convictions that guided her forward – and the doubts that held her back. She talks about the importance of the ‘beautiful but deadly’ venus flytrap in describing what makes Cornett different, as well as her commitment to constant evolution. Christy also describes how the striking stat that only 1% of US agenc...
2025-12-0240 min
Own ItHow Alexis Young and Danielle McNeill from Definitely Real, Own ItThis week on Own It we’re talking to Alexis Young and Danielle McNeill from Definitely Real. It is a creative marketing agency committed to delivering impactive creative solutions based in Vancouver, Canada. Alexis and Danielle started the firm in 2021 after meeting at a music festival in Toronto.
Definitely Real was recently featured in AdWeek as a Top 10 Indie Agency to Watch.
We had so much fun hearing about their journey to each other, then to ownership. They shared their ideas on the industry and how we can close that gender gap in agency ownership....
2025-11-2544 min
Own ItHow Holly Conti of Full Swing PR, Owns ItThis week on Own It, we’re talking to Holly Conti of Full Swing PR. If you remember the firm’s name, Holly is the co-owner with Caitlin Copple, who was our guest back in November of 2022. She wasn’t originally an owner, so we get to hear how an employe moves into an ownership role.
Holly and Christy had a great conversation about her journey from wanting to be creative and the boss when she was young, to being creative and the boss now. She had some smart thoughts on female ownership in the advertising business, too.
2025-09-0937 min
Own ItHow Kelly Long from Manifold, Owns ItThis week on Own It we’re talking to Kelly Long from Manifold. It is a creative experiential marketing firm that aims to create experiences that engage, delight, captivate and inspire people. And inspiring, Kelly certainly is.
Host Christy Hiler and Long talked about her journey, her role models and dug into the topic of the gender gap in agency ownership. Kelly is also a fellow University of Oregon grad, so it is extra special to have her on the show for Christy!
You will love her insights in this episode.
You can fin...
2025-05-2032 min
The Takeover with Tim and CindyResponsible Growth Tactics for Sustainable Success In Your Business with Christy HilerAre you ready to blaze a trail as a female agency owner?In this episode, Christy Hiler, CEO and owner of Cornett, shares her journey to agency ownership and offers a roadmap for WOMEN looking to lead and thrive in the advertising world. With fewer than 1% of agencies owned by women, Christy reveals how she overcame self-doubt, built a sustainable growth model, and cultivated a thriving team culture.If you're a woman ready to step into leadership and make an impact, this episode will inspire and equip you to own your path.00:00 – Why Fe...
2024-12-1935 min
Own ItHow Tiffany Holland of Consiglieri, Owns ItOn this week's episode of Own It, we’re talking to Tiffany Holland of Consiglieri. Her firm counsels brands and their executives on how to shift from campaign-oriented marketing to playing offense with 365-day intentional, modern marketing approaches. She developed that perspective after a career on both the agency and brand side where she was part of the digital teams at T-Mobile and Nordstrom. Tiffany and Christy had such a fun conversation about her journey, her perspectives on marketing and, of course, her thoughts on closing the gap in agency ownership that exists in our...
2024-12-0943 min
RadiateBreaking Barriers and Finding Your Compass with Christy HilerToday I sit down with the incredible Christy Hiler, CEO and Owner of Cornett!
Christy shares her journey of becoming the owner of a female-led advertising agency and her initiative, Own It, aimed at increasing the number of women agency owners.
We discuss the significance of presence, balance, and continuous learning in achieving personal radiance and success.
The conversation emphasizes the need for women to support each other and the importance of defining one's own vision of success.
Come...
2024-10-1830 min
Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast#224 Christy Hiler: Championing Diversity and Creativity at CornettIn this episode of the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast, host Geno Schellenberger interviews Christy Hiler, the owner and CEO of Cornett. With over 20 years of experience, Christy shares her journey from starting at Cornett to transforming it into a national powerhouse. She discusses leading with empathy, the importance of bold ideas and innovation, and building a supportive community, especially for women in advertising. Christy also highlights her involvement in BLAC, a program dedicated to increasing Black creative talent in the industry, and Own It, a mission-driven initiative to help more women step confidently into agency ownership.
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Meet...
2024-08-2235 min
Own ItHow Molly Rice of Spyglass, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of women, and non-binary, ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and today, we’re talking to Molly Rice from Spyglass. It is a strategic brand marketing firm based in Minneapolis. Molly was a founding partner when the company began back in 2001. She now serves as CEO and president. We talked about her journey to ownership, but then got some great insights from her...
2024-06-2431 min
Own ItHow Alison Monk of Eden Collective, Owns ItOn this week's episode of Own It, we’re talking to Alison Monk from Eden Collective. Her resume is a Who’s Who of the advertising and media business. Edelman, Mercury, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Grey, Conde Naste, Merkle. That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to get her on the show … she has such a deep and wide set of experiences to share with us.Alison and I talked about her journey to ownership, her vast experiences and influencers and, of course, what she thinks needs to happen to get more women in the position of agenc...
2024-05-1342 min
Own ItHow Christine Olivas of No Single Individual, Owns ItTo kick off 2024 on OWN IT, we’re talking to Christine Olivas of No Single Individual. Her firm bolts on strategy to other agencies, but she has a wealth of experience across nearly every vertical you can think of. She’s also a 2023 Stevie Award winner which is an award for women in business. We talked about her journey, her experiences working at and with agencies, and of course, we heard her perspective on closing the gender gap in agency ownership in our industry. I so enjoy hearing the perspectives from super smart leaders out there l...
2024-05-0933 min
Own ItHow Tevis Houston of Friends Everywhere, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Tevis Houston of Friends Everywhere. Her creative studio is a little over a year old and helps brands connect with their communities through what she calls transformative visual storytelling and seasonal campaigns. She has a lot of experience and work in the fashion and youth culture spaces and has driven award-winning work for brands like Levi’s, Vans, Spanx and Roxy. We talked about her journey, how she’s built a strong professional network, her thoughts on measuring success, and of course, what we can do to close th...
2024-05-0629 min
Own ItHow Holland Martini and Maria Vorovich from GOODQUES, Own ItOn this episode of Own It, we’re talking to Holland Martini and Maria Vorovich from GOODQUES. Their firm is what they call the “anti-research” research company that is changing consumer insights practices. Their approach is to tackle research in a creative way. They founded the company in 2019 after years working in the larger agency world. They were named a top global research company to watch in 2020 and 2021 by the StartupPill.Our conversation focused on their path to ownership, their respective journeys to that point, and their take on why there are so few female agency...
2024-04-2941 min
Own ItEpisode 100: Christy Hiler and Jeanne Freeman Look Back on Two Years of Own ItToday, we are celebrating a milestone. This is the 100th episode of Own It! And what a journey it has been.Today we welcome back the co-founder of the Own It effort and our first guest way back in episode one, Jean Freeman from Zambezi. We wanted to look back on the last two years of conversations and progress, recap the amazing Own It Summit we just finished in New York, and talk about what’s next for our efforts to close the gender gap in advertising agency ownership.We focus on the individual guests on...
2024-04-2231 min
Own ItHow Lee Deas from Obviouslee, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Lee Deas from Obviouslee. She started her agency when she was 25 with no money or capital investment. She actually taught salsa dancing to make ends meet while she built it. Almost 20 years later, she’s built an amazing agency that does awesome work.Lee is a force. And you’ll get that in the conversation today. We talked about her lessons learned throughout her two decades of building her agency, her influences along the way, and, of course, what she thinks we need to do to get more w...
2024-04-0131 min
Own ItHow Julie Sheldon and Lindsay Waugh of Tough Love, Own ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Julie Sheldon and Lindsay Waugh of Tough Love. They say very clearly they are not an agency. They are strategy partners for all things brand, communication and social. Both come from backgrounds in strategy and planning for a variety of brands and agencies of all sizes. They came together to start Tough Love just one year ago.We talked about their inspirations, their journeys and, of course, the challenges of bringing more women to the forefront of ownership and leading agencies today. And we tried not to focus to...
2024-03-2535 min
Own ItHow Jolene Delisle of The Working Assembly, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Jolene Delisle of The Working Assembly. She started out wanting to be in journalism, but came into advertising during an internship. She wound up leading creative for a lot of big-hitting advertising and branding shops along the way. She launched The Working Assembly seven years ago and has flourished as an agency owner. But she also owns an ice cream shop, so we talked about the challenge of owning multiple businesses as well. Jolene is amazing. We left this conversation inspired and excited. We know you will...
2024-03-1132 min
Own ItHow Alisha Goldstein of The Jane Smith Agency, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Alisha Goldstein of the Jane Smith Agency. Alisha’s focus is on offering a speciality in what she calls the most powerful consumer in the world - The Discerning Female Consumer. We talked about the unique focus of her agency, her path to ownership and, of course, her thoughts on why there are so few female agency owners in advertising today. We also talked about her love of riding horses, which is near and dear to us here in Kentucky!Thanks for listen...
2024-03-0428 min
Own ItHow Brittany Woitas of Kōvly Studio, Owns ItOn the latest episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Brittany Woitas of Kōvly Studio. She might have the most interesting career journeys I’ve ever seen. She has been a financial advisor, a family farmer, a teacher and an agency owner. Her parent’s family farm gave her that entrepreneurial spirit. We walked through her journey and her take on the gender gap in agency ownership. She is just brilliant and this was such a fun conversation. We know you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.Thanks for listening to this episo...
2024-02-2629 min
Own ItHow Holly Fraser of Shelance, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Hollie Fraser of Shelance. It is a community of freelance female creatives that serves to help that talent get found and seen. As you might imagine, Hollie spent time as a freelance creative, but comes from a long history of working at some of the biggest agencies in the world. Leo Burnett, Grey, MMC and others.She started Shelance in 2023 after frustration with hearing the complaint that it’s hard to find great female creatives. Hollie didn’t agree but saw the opportunity to start a community to lift up...
2024-02-1926 min
Own ItHow Faith Hurley and Stacy Callighan of PinPoint Creative, Own ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Faith Hurley and Stacy Callighan from PinPoint Collective. In many ways these two power women are the Odd Couple, from their interests … food versus working out … to their backgrounds … Faith was an actor in a previous professional life. Stacy was an architect.They met at a human-centered research and design firm. Faith gathered insights and Stacy designed a future not yet imagined with them. They launched PinPoint Collective in 2018 as a research and design agency with a mission to advance female leaders and create inclusive community by makin...
2024-02-1250 min
Own ItHow Suzanne Barbosa of Atlantic New York, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Suzanne Barbosa of Atlantic New York. Her firm is the reigning AdAge Small Agency of the Year! Her experience prior to ownership included stops at MullenLowe, BBDO, Grey, Victors & Spoils and more. So, she brings the perspective of the big and the small to the conversation.Suzanne loved being in the middle of everything through her career, so she came up in the account role in the business. She joined Atlantic NYC in the summer of 2022 in the middle of a pregnancy, but knew the move was right. An...
2024-02-0544 min
Own ItHow Katie Irving of The Moonshot Agency, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Katie Irving of The Moonshot Agency. She works mainly in the fashion industry and started her career as a textile designer. That happens to be one of my favorite things, so we could have spent the whole episode talking about that … but we didn’t!Katie and Christy Hiler explored her journey to ownership, the women who inspired her along the way and the challenges we face in closing that gender gap in agency ownership. This was such a great conversation and the fashion insights she brought to the ta...
2024-01-2928 min
Own ItHow Leeann Leahy of The VIA Agency, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Leeann Leahy of The VIA Agency. She hails from Portland, Maine where VIA does outstanding work and is an outstanding place to work. They were Ad Age’s Best Agency Culture winner in 2022.Leeann’s history of work is impressive. She’s been with big and small agencies through the years. She admits she had to learn how to play politics at the big agencies but enjoyed carving her own way at smaller shops. She actually started in Advertising at six months old. She w...
2024-01-2244 min
Own ItHow Victoria Roedel of Ice Cream Social, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Victoria Roedel of Ice Cream Social. Her experience includes time at both big agencies and big brands. She co-founded Ice Cream Social, which is a digital media and content firm, in 2020. They have PepsiCo, among other brands, on their client list.And yes … they actually have three ice cream trucks which are incorporated into their business. Victoria is also a foodie and rides a Vespa, which as you’ll hear sparked a bit of a coincidence with me! So much fun! We so love the...
2024-01-1635 min
Own ItHow Natalie Graeme and Lucy Jameson of Uncommon London, Own ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Natalie Graeme and Lucy Jameson of Uncommon London. Both spent a number of years at a handful of incredible agencies before joining forces on the management team at Grey. From there they envisioned starting their own shop and in 2017 they did. They’ve always been known for great work, but 2023 turned out to be “The” year for Uncommon. The agency won work from Nike Jordan, Pinterest and Beats and in March was named A-List International Agency of the Year by AdAge. In the summer, they sold a majorit...
2023-12-1841 min
Own ItHow Lyndsey Corona of Slap Global, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Lyndsey Corona of Slap Global. She has just been an owner for about a year, so that piece of her journey is new. But her path to that point has a lot of lessons for us all.First of all, Lyndsey is a boxer. She says it’s shaped her approach to business and ownership. She has certainly come into ownership swinging and I must say those punches are landing. She and Slap Global are winning a lot. But she has a lot of experience she and...
2023-12-1132 min
Own ItHow Josy Amann & Taji Zaminasli of Media Matters Worldwide, Own ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Josy Amann and Taji Zaminasli of Media Matters Worldwide. Their agency is 20 years old and is a media planning, buying and analytics agency. It has always been independent and women-owned so their experience is a treasure trove for us. Josy and Taji also trail-blazed the concept of remote work. Media Matters Worldwide has been fully remote since 2005 – long before the pandemic made it necessary for some.I so loved their perspective and experience that is so valuable. I’m excited for you to learn from th...
2023-12-0435 min
Own ItHow Jess Hickman and Louise Rengozzi of The Cusp, Own ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Louise Rengozzi and Jess Hickman from The Cusp. This dynamic duo has worked together in various stops along their journey, but joined forces to found The Cusp earlier this year. So we’re catching them on the very beginning of their journey as owners. Louise and Jess are based in Whales in the United Kingdom. We talked about their decision to launch The Cusp, the thinking behind their firm and of course, the challenges we face as female owners in a male dominated industry. It’s always...
2023-11-2737 min
Own ItHow Katie Klencheski of SMAKK, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Katie Klencheski of SMAKK. It is a Brooklyn-based branding and marketing agency focused on wellbeing. Katie has dedicated her life and career to using creativity to drive meaningful change.We talked about her love of art, her path to ownership and, of course, her take on what we can do to close the gender gap in agency ownership. I so enjoyed this episode and talking to Katie. I know you will, too. Thanks for listening to this episode of OWN IT with Katie Klencheski of...
2023-11-2045 min
Own ItHow Cindy Gallop of If We Ran The World & Make Love Not Porn, Owns ItIn this encore episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Cindy Gallop from If We Ran The World and Make Love Not Porn. The original episode dropped on August 29, 2022.As you might guess from the name of her companies, Cindy is bold, brave and a bull in the China shop. She has deep experience in the advertising business and has been ruffling the feathers of the status quo for a long time.Cindy starts off taking swings. She says women are at a distinct disadvantage in the advertising world because white men undermine their pr...
2023-11-1345 min
Own ItHow Krista Carroll of Latitude, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Krista Carroll of Latitude. She and her husband took a mission trip to Haiti in 2009 and returned to reshape their life to reflect their values. Latitude was the by-product of that shift as they launched the agency with the purpose to spend half of their time reinvesting in purpose-driven causes and brands.The company mantra is “Purpose Elevates Talent.” They’ve been using that talent for clients from a multitude of industries and verticals for almost 14 years now. Perhaps the most fascinating piece of her story is that prior to...
2023-11-0635 min
Own ItHow Allison Henry Aver of Letter A, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Allison Henry Aver of Letter A. Allison has been an instrumental creative force for brands like Bumble and bumble, Kate Spade and more. She was the founding creative director for Kate Spade Saturday in fact.Allison is a creative problem solver and her agency works with emerging brands looking for personality, purpose and point of view. I enjoyed her point of view on our industry, her role in it and our role as women and owners. Thanks for listening to this episode of OWN IT wit...
2023-10-3032 min
Own ItHow Elena Robinson of Putney, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Elena Robinson of Putney. I’ve been so excited to talk to and learn from Elena since she announced Putney at Ad Age’s Small Agency Conference last year. She’s been at it for a little over a year now, so this is going to be an informative episode. Elena has been at most of the big agencies in Chicago … Leo Burnett, BBDO and more. But now she’s turned her focus toward ownership. She plays guitar, was a theatre major in college, and worked in television...
2023-10-2336 min
Own ItHow Michelle Edelman of PETERMAYER, Owns ItIn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Michelle Edelman of PETERMAYER. Michelle is an ad industry veteran She’s served on the boards at the 4A’s and is currently serving on the board at AMIN Worldwide. She’s been at PETERMAYER in New Orleans for 10 years. Michelle grew up thinking she would be a doctor. She actually went to medical school before opting for public affairs and healthcare marketing which led her to the industry we so love. As you can imagine, the perspective she brings to the table is quite diff...
2023-10-1644 min
Own ItHow Ellen Faulkner of Lewis Communications, Owns ItIn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Ellen Faulkner of Lewis Communications. We are going to learn a lot this week. Ellen is the CEO of Lewis where she has been for almost 39 years. She started as an account coordinator, but moved up and was SVP and managing director until last year.Interestingly enough, she purposefully avoided ownership. But as time went on, she joined five others to take over the business from the former owner. She’s been the CEO for the last year and a half.Now Ellen is also...
2023-10-0933 min
Own ItHow Sally Weavers and Jenny Jones of Craft Media London, Own ItIn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Sally Weavers and Jenny Jones of Craft Media London. Both credit their mentoring and inspiration to a string of formidable women leaders in advertising. Now that they’re the formidable leaders, they’re inspiring more women to follow that path to ownership. Sally and Jenny both came up through media and strategy. They’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and guide amazing work. We talked about their experiences and then, as we do, mined their perspective on closing the gender gap in agency...
2023-10-0238 min
Own ItHow Veronica Diaferia and Sara Eolin from Tinygiant, Own ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Sara Eolin and Veronica Diaferia from Tinygiant. Tinygiant is a Canne’s Silver Lion award-winning production company that has worked with an incredible roster of the world’s biggest brands and agencies. Their big selling point is they offer the intimacy of a boutique firm at the speed and scale of a production company that does big work. We had such a fun time exploring their paths to ownership, the work they do and their thoughts on how we can keep chipping away at the gender gap in agen...
2023-09-2545 min
Own ItHow Michelle O'Grady of Team Friday, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Michelle O’Grady from Team Friday. Michelle is big into life experiences, and to compliment that, has a background in experiential marketing. She’s based in Los Angeles where Team Friday has existed for the last decade. It’s a creative agency with purpose driven and culturally relevant work in mind.I love these conversations, especially this one with Michelle. We covered everything from her immigrant great-grandmother, who was also an entrepreneur, to her own path to ownership, to her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownershi...
2023-09-1836 min
Own ItHow Kate Wolff of Lupine Creative, Owns ItThis week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Kate Wolff of Lupine Creative. She comes from a family of powerhouse women, including her mother who is an attorney, and her grandmother is Janet Wolff, one of the first women inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.Kate has lived up to that legacy, starting Lupine Creative after navigating a career that included stops at TBWA/Chiat/Day, DDB and others. As you can imagine, the perspective of someone with her background is fascinating. We had a deep discussion about her journey, her work and her perspective on...
2023-09-1146 min
Own ItHow Leigh Chandler of Sister Mary, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Leigh Chandler of Sister Mary. It’s an exciting time to talk to her because she is in the middle of launching the firm. She’s a native Brit who moved to New York 10 years ago. Leigh is a traveler and keen observer of different cultures and people, which makes her a fantastic translator to them from brands. We talked about the inspiration behind the name of her company, Sister Mary Corita Kent, her passion for ideas and the motivation to become an owner. And, of...
2023-09-0430 min
Own ItHow MaryBeth Adduci and Karin Rose of 6, Own ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to MaryBeth Adduci and Karin Rose of 6. We’re going to explore a different angle to ownership with this dynamic duo. MaryBeth and Karin are both creatives and met as creative partners at DDB in Chicago. They started 6 to build an agency that focused on what they call work that matters. But the two still freelance as a creative team for others. The combination of those approaches puts a different spin on ownership and models an interesting hybrid approach that is quite inspiring. We had a wonder...
2023-08-2834 min
Own ItHow Amy Deneson of House of Puff, Pheno & the Cannabis Media Council, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Amy Deneson from House of Puff, Pheno and the Cannabis Media Council. Each of those endeavors prove she’s not only entrepreneurial, but isn’t afraid to take that plunge into founding and owning agencies and businesses within our space. We talked about why and how each of those were started, the challenges of marketing in the corporate cannabis world, and we get some inspiration from her to help close the gender gap in agency ownership.It’s so inspiring to talk to women like Amy who j...
2023-08-2139 min
Own ItHow Jane Ferguson of PBS Newshour, Owns ItIn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Jane Ferguson, a correspondent for PBS Newshour and contributor to The New Yorker. As you might expect, this episode expands our conversation into the world of journalism and how Jane has seen parallel challenges in gender equity and opportunity. Since our industries are not only similar, but intimately intertwined, this conversation is an important one for us to have.Jane shared her incredible journey to the top levels of journalism, the parallel challenges she faced that women in the agency world can relate to, and had so...
2023-08-1440 min
Own ItHow Blair Brady of The With Agency, Owns ItIn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Blair Brady of The With Agency. It is a brand partnership agency based in Atlanta. She is a mom, a cook and a former ballerina. She started like many of us as an intern at an agency. Her career took what she calls zig-zags through a couple of agencies before she launched With in 2012. Blair had so many interesting things to share including the perspective that women who lead agencies also need women climbing the corporate ladder on the brand side, so our mission here isn’t an al...
2023-08-0743 min
Own ItHow Shannon Gabor of Clever Creative, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Shannon Gabor of Clever Creative. She has been an agency owner for almost 18 years, so we tapped into her wealth of experience in ownership.Shannon came through the creative side of the business and, in a rather timely coincidence for what’s going on in the world today, she once worked on the licensing and packaging team at Mattel for the Barbie product line! And yes, I asked her to chime in on the amazing campaign we’re seeing today in support of the Barbie movie. We...
2023-07-3143 min
Own ItHow Sarah Latz & Francesca Piancone from Book180, Own ItToday's episode of OWN IT features Sarah Latz and Francesca Piancone-Crowley from Book180. It is an online portfolio school that sources the best agency talent to teach new professionals in our industry! That is so cool!The conversation that became the idea for Book 180 was born during COVID. The two worked together at a portfolio school in Chicago before and during the pandemic and saw the online-only approach to education as an opportunity. Both are writers by craft, but come to the education space with great experiences from the agency space. Sarah spent time as a...
2023-07-2435 min
Own ItHow Haley Dagan from The Written World, Owns ItOn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Haley Dagan from The Written World. As you might expect, her background is as a copywriter and her firm specializes in purpose-driven copywriting and content marketing. Writing has been a big piece of her journey along the way. In fact, when she worked in the hotel business, she started a travel blog. She then started blogging and writing as a free-lancer which carried her through the pandemic and inspired her taking the plunge into ownership. I loved our talk, especially when I asked Haley what...
2023-07-1731 min
Own ItHow Alana Ficalora from Aligned for Impact, Owns ItIn this week's episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Alana Ficalora from Aligned for Impact. Alana is a dancer away from work and does a lot of community and volunteer work in Los Angeles. She actually comes from a deep tradition of building community. She founded HER - Helping Each Other Rise, a community group of like-minded women dedicated to helping women in advertising and entertainment.Her firm, Aligned for Impact, helps companies drive social change through employee and customer engagement and sharing stories of positive impact with the world. She also co-hosts a podcast of...
2023-07-1036 min
Own ItHow Mary Knight of Hydrogen, Owns It.On this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Mary Knight of Hydrogen. She is a writer and came up in the business on the creative side of the aisle. In fact, she is currently working on a satirical novel of climbing the corporate ladder we can’t wait to read!Mary’s father was a marketing director on the client-side of the advertising business. He raised her and her sisters with the mindset that a woman should be able to do anything a man can do. She carved out an amazing career working on brands like T...
2023-06-2631 min
Own ItHow Megan Devine of cat&tonic, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Megan Devine from cat&tonic. She came up through the account side of advertising, but is also a painter with a creative side. That mix turned out to be important in her climb to a position of ownership. But her path to ownership includes experiences of being fired, leaving an agency and starting something new with partners and then rebranding that agency to what is now cat&tonic. Megan’s thoughts on ownership and closing the gender gap in ad agency ownership are certainly worth hearin...
2023-06-1234 min
Own ItENCORE: How Libby Brockhoff of Odysseus Arms, Owns ItWe're airing an encore presentation of OWN IT today in honor of a recent accomplishment by Libby Brockhoff from Odysseus Arms. We talked to her first almost one year ago about her path to ownership which included a stint working for James Patterson, some of the biggest agencies in the world, then founding Mother. That firm just recently won the D&AD President's Award!Libby since moved on to found Odysseus Arms with her husband and partner. Enjoy our revisit with one of the true visionary agency leaders today on the show.You...
2023-06-0552 min
Own ItHow Barbara Pantuso and Lisa Reid from Nimble Works, Own ItToday we’re talking to Barbara Pantuso and Lisa Reid from Nimble Works. These sisters started their creative collaboration when they were kids with a fun neighborhood newspaper. But they didn’t always work together. In fact, Barbara started her professional career in the restaurant business. Lisa’s career was more rooted in writing and marketing creative. Eventually, the entrepreneurial spirit led the sisters into business together. Barbara talked Lisa into joining her in the venture that became Nimble Works which is now an amazing healthcare focused firm blazing new trails in creative and beyond.We talk...
2023-05-2943 min
Own ItHow Ali Cox of Noble West, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Ali Cox from Noble West. It’s not every day that you run into an Olympic athlete. Ali not only is one, she was a member of the United States Silver Medal-winning Women’s Eight Rowing team in 2004. It’s also not every day you run into an agency owner that is also a farmer. Her family has farmed for generations in California's almond and melon fields. You might expect, then that Ali and her firm are focused on agriculture, and you would be right. But gettin...
2023-05-2229 min
Own ItHow Allison Bakken of Collective Measures, Owns ItOn this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Allison Bakken from Collective Measures. Her path to ownership is very different and interesting. She began at an agency called Nina Hale, once a small agency owned by a woman. When Nina retired, she sold the company to its employees. Allison became the managing director and guided the company through a rebranding to become Collective Measures. She now leads a 100-person strong media agency in downtown Minneapolis. We talked about the ins and outs of that journey, the benefits of leading an employee owned firm and...
2023-05-1528 min
Own ItHow Rachel Carlson and Jourdan Huys from Foul Mouth, Own ItIn this episode of OWN IT we’re talking to Rachel Carlson and Jourdan Huys from the brand new agency Foul Mouth. They officially announced the firm’s opening the week before we spoke, I’m so excited to talk to new agency owners at the very beginning of their journey.But make no mistake, Rachel and Jourdan are not new to the business. Both have a long list of successful work at a variety of the top agencies. But like many owners before them, found themselves between opportunities and said, “We should start our own agency!”And f...
2023-05-0851 min
Own ItHow Tahira White of 19th & Park, Owns ItIn this episode of Own It, we’ve got something new and special for you. Our conversations about closing the gender gap in advertising agency ownership shouldn’t be limited to just one person asking the questions. So I’ve asked Carrie Kerpen, who you heard me talk to a few weeks ago, to step in and host an episode. Not only will she host from time to time, but so will many others who are active in our community. Today is just the first of many conversations from and with all of you.This week, Carrie talks...
2023-05-0130 min
Own ItHow Nina Stanley of MOD, Owns ItIn this episode, we’re talking to Nina Stanley of MOD. Her Philadelphia-based agency does amazing work around brand storytelling, strategy and creative, but is rooted in the study of consumer behavior, neuroscience and the psychology behind what makes advertising work.That’s a long way from starting her professional career as a ballerina. We talked about that very unique career path and how its twists and turns shaped her thinking as an advertising creative and strategist.We talked about the challenges and blessings of running an agency and the contradiction in the movement by bran...
2023-04-2443 min
Own ItHow Sam Laubach and Meghan Martin of Here & Now Creative Co., Own ItToday, we’re talking to Sam Laubach and Meghan Martin from Here & Now Creative Co. The two are actually cousins, so they run a family business. They didn’t start out as collaborators, though. And I love their origin story. Meghan texted Sam one day and said, “Why don’t we just start our own agency?” YES!!!!They’re both designers, though each with a different approach to creative. Their firm specializes in brand development and brand design and does amazing work.We explored their confidence in easing into ownership, the challenges they’ve faced and how they’v...
2023-04-1729 min
Own ItHow Lisa Slagle of Wheelie, Owns ItToday, we’re talking to Lisa Slagle from WHEELIE! Her firm specializes in video-centric campaigns and rebrands, but they say their creative is for people who thrive outside. As you might expect, she deals with a lot of clients in the outdoor industry.She’s an avid outdoor enthusiast like me. And being in Colorado helps her with that endeavor. She skis, snowboards, hikes and also has the experience of running a marathon.We talked about her book-in-progress which is about having creative ideas and how they live in you. Her work with other female lead...
2023-04-1027 min
The Art of SwayOwn It: Christy Hiler's Leadership Journey and Fighting Equity Gaps in Advertising OwnershipIn the United States, 40% of businesses are owned by women — but ad agency ownership by women is just 0.5%!? In this episode, we dig into uncovering major industry equity gaps with Christy Hiler, agency owner and co-founder of Own It, a research-driven community working to see more women step into the position of ownership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1041 min
Own ItHow Carrie Kerpen of Likeable, Owns ItToday, we’re talking to Carrie Kerpen of Likeable. Her agency was one of the early firms to lay claim on social media expertise and her business exploded with the trend. But she says that early and fast growth covered up a lot of problems she had to work through and learn from.Carrie tells us about the power of having a clear vision for your agency and why you should think about selling your agency even if you aren’t ready to sell your agency. She says building it to sell will make your agency stronger, whet...
2023-04-0339 min
Own ItHow Stacy Durand of Smart Media Technologies, Owns ItToday, we’re talking to Stacy Durand of Smart Media Technologies. Stacy launched her own agency after years as the CEO of another. Stacy comes from the media buying segment of the industry, which as you’ll hear, is very different in gender dynamics. That turned out to be quite empowering for her. Our conversation about what needs to change for more women to own agencies is not what you might expect. Stacy also had some great advice for anyone aspiring to be an owner … or just anyone who is looking to succeed in this wonderfu...
2023-03-2743 min
Own ItHow Susan Betteridge and Kate Black of Pahnke, Own ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. In this episode, we talk to Kate Black and Susan Betteridge from Pahnke. I so enjoy hearing the stories of partnership and co-ownership, so having Kate and Susan on the podcast was exciting. And their story of coming together to form Pahnke is not your typical shared ownership story.In fact, Kate even said she didn’t want to ret...
2023-03-2038 min
Own ItHow Renee Miller of The Miller Group, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. On this episode, we’re talking to Renee Miller of The Miller Group. She is a rare bird among advertising agency owners. She launched her agency in Southern California in 1990 – 33 years ago. Her agency is focused on helping purpose-driven brands and those focused on outcomes, not outputs. Renee tells us about the evolution of the advertis...
2023-03-1337 min
UnstuckEP42 - Christy Hiler (President & Owner at Cornett)Christy Hiler occupies a rare position as a female owner of an advertising agency in the United States. According to statistics, the odds of her achieving this feat were about 100/1. However, she does not sit comfortably in this exclusive club.In addition to leading Cornett agency, Christy is trying to guide more women into agency ownership. In this episode, she describes some of the barriers to entry for women and explains how her OWNIT initiative helps shed light on a remarkable lack of ownership representation in the industry.
2023-03-0740 min
Own ItHow Marissa Nance of Native Tongue, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. In this episode we’re talking to Marissa Nance of Native Tongue. She spent nearly 30 years in the Omnicom family of agencies before taking the plunge into ownership just a few short years ago. But she did so to create more seats at the table. Native Tongue is believed to be the first Minority and Women Business Enterprise certified media agenc...
2023-03-0637 min
Own ItENCORE: How Carol Williams of Carol H. Williams Advertising, Owns ItToday, we are truly honored to learn from Carol Williams. She is perhaps most commonly known as the first African-American female creative director and vice-president in the advertising business. She accomplished that at Leo Burnett in Chicago in the early 1980s. But she is more deeply known as a tireless pioneer and change agent, who has worked tirelessly to level the playing field in advertising for women and African-Americans, both in the industry and in our creative outputs.She assumed agency ownership in 1986. Carol H. Williams Advertising continues to be a beacon of great work, g...
2023-02-2739 min
Own ItHow Marissa Shapiro of Martha, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Marissa Shapiro from Martha. Her firm claims to develop brands from the inside out and does amazing branding work for its clients. We talk about her path to ownership, which included work on both the agency and brand side of the business. She started as a writer and has most recently been writing a fict...
2023-02-1325 min
Own ItHow Amanda Russell of Cream Studios, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Amanda Russell of Cream Studio. Her firm is based in Richmond, Virginia, and is a fantastic creative shop with specialties in 2D and 3D animation, illustration and design. They make magic come alive on screen for clients.It’s not a surprising leap, then, to know that Amanda enjoys gaming. She plays Fortnite with he...
2023-02-0639 min
Own ItHow Salma Gottfried and Flor Leibeschoff of Beautiful Beast, Own ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today we’re talking to the dynamic duo of Salma Gottfried and Flor Leibeschoff of Beautiful Beast. Their agency started as a Hispanic-focused multicultural agency, but quickly grew into a dynamic cross-cultural firm. Salma was born and raised in Mexico City. Flor navigated a meteoric rise through the biggest agencies in Argentina.They came together in Dallas, Texas and c...
2023-01-301h 10
Own ItHow Shannon LaBare of Purveyor Branding Co., Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Shannon LaBare of Purveyor Branding Co. She came up through the business as a graphic designer on the brand side of things. She spent time at Bolthouse Farms, then lead a creative team at Campbell’s Soup. She launched Purveyor Branding Co., to help brands create a gravitational pull to customers in 2017.Since then, s...
2023-01-2345 min
Own ItHow Sue Kramer of Connecting Dots Guru, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and today, we’re talking to Sue Kramer of Connecting Dots Guru. Sue is a filmmaker and screenwriter who proudly wears the title of creative disruptor. The first part of her career was spent as a successful screenwriter. She also directed the film Gray Matters with A-list stars like Heather Graham, Tom Cavanaugh and Sis...
2023-01-1648 min
Own ItHow Lianne Kim of Mamas & Co., Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Lianne Kim from Mamas & Co. She is a business coach for Mom entrepreneurs. A big part of her mission and her own business is setting priorities around family and being protective of her time away from work.There’s so much inspiration and information that pours out when you talk to Lianne. She hosts M...
2023-01-0239 min
Own ItHow Jaime Ekman of Stoltz Marketing Group, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Jaime Ekman of the Stoltz Marketing Group. That agency was started by Ken Stoltz, Jaime’s father. So her path to ownership is a bit different than many agency owners.But it’s even more complicated than just growing up in the agency world. Mr. Stoltz was diagnosed with brain cancer and Jaime came to t...
2022-12-1923 min
Own ItHow Kate Wight of Strong Brand Social, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and today, we’re talking to Kate Wight of KW Content and Strong Brand Social. Katie’s journey to ownership is as unique as they come. She landed her first job because she was an avid snowboarder and spoke French. She evolved through being a French language rider representative and landed on the marketing...
2022-12-1244 min
Own ItHow Caitlin Masingill of Full Swing Public Relations, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Caitlin Masingill of Full Swing Public Relations. She hails from Boise, Idaho, and wanted to be a broadway actress before she found the wonderful world of agency life. Now, her agency journey and insights about ownership and the main topic we discuss here of closing the gender gap in agency ownership is well worth...
2022-11-2134 min
Own ItHow Ashley Walters of Curiosity, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Ashley Walters of Curiosity. She is another owner of a recent Ad Age Small Agency of the Year winner. Curiosity does such great work so I’m very excited to talk to her today.Ashley and I talk about her journey to ownership, her path through the advertising industry. She was fortunate in her pat...
2022-11-1425 min
Own ItHow Haley Hunter of Party Land, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Haley Hunter of Party Land. Her firm was named the Small Agency of the Year in 2021 by Ad Age and all of us at Cornett love their work. When Haley was in high school she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up and her answer was to make ads. She st...
2022-11-0727 min
Own ItHow Elena Rivera-Cheek of Copy & Art, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Elena Rivera-Cheek of Copy & Art. She came up through the copy side of that equation in the healthcare space thanks to a childhood expectation to become a doctor. But she followed the calling to Own It 11 years ago, and has built an outstanding agency. Like many women agency owners, Elena’s experience with motherho...
2022-10-3136 min
Own ItHow Zihla Salinas of Conspiracy Theory, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Zihla Salinas of Conspiracy Theory. She is a self-proclaimed loud and disruptive personality who lets her full self shine. I love that so much and we talk about what that means.Zihla started Conspiracy Theory just a little over a year ago. It is a minority-owned and woman-led independent agency network. While that’s a lit...
2022-10-2428 min
Own ItHow Laura Janness of Orchard, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Laura Janness of Orchard. She is one of the agency owners that everyone I’ve talked to has said, “You need to have Laura on your show!” Well, today, we do!Laura looks to art and poetry to inspire her creative side, and she’s in an appropriate place for that. She loves living in and...
2022-10-1739 min
Own ItHow Sophia Johnson of ABI, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Sophia Johnson of Alpha Business Images or ABI. Sophia calls herself a gatherer of people and is very focused on her family. But she extends that definition beyond her husband, children and relatives to the family around her business and clients.She worked her way up through a financial services company, but was drawn...
2022-10-1041 min
Own ItHow Lauren Sweeney of Dotted Line, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Lauren Sweeney of Dotted Line. Her path to agency ownership is very different than most of us. She got started simply trying to help people grow their business. Her job before was a project manager at a financial institution. She even admitted she didn’t even know what an agency was, then started one. Her fr...
2022-10-0333 min
Own ItHow Kate Wadia of Mrs & Mr., Owns ItWelcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Kate Wadia of Mrs & Mr. Kate found her path to ownership through the creative side of the business. During the 10 years she spent at Arnold, she actually pitched against her husband for a big account. They decided working together would be better, so they started Mrs and Mr. in 2016.We talked about her background, people and p...
2022-09-2629 min
Own ItHow Jodi Katz of Base Beauty Creative, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Jodi Katz of Base Beauty Creative Agency. Jodi is also the host of the Where Brains Meets Beauty podcast and author of her new book, Facing the Seduction of Success, which is a compilation of some of the best stories and advice from her podcast guests and episodes.Jodi’s rise to success as an a...
2022-09-1941 min
Own ItHow Kat Thay of Kat & Carter, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Kat Thay of Kat & Carter. You’ll notice right away Kat is British. She has navigated a career path through design, then advertising there. She has been state-side for about five years now, in Austin, Texas, where she and Kat & Carter is based.Her firm is a hybrid agency and content production house that he...
2022-09-1231 min
Own ItHow Sophie Ozoux of Kin, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Sophie Ozoux from Kin. Sophie brings a diverse worldview to her work. She is French, but spent time in her youth in Africa and Saudi Arabia. She has also lived and worked in Paris, New York and L.A.Her work has taken her through several large agencies, plus Coca-Cola on the brand side...
2022-09-0537 min
Own ItHow Cindy Gallop of If We Ran The World & Make Love Not Porn, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Cindy Gallop from If We Ran The World and Make Love Not Porn. As you might guess from the name of her companies, Cindy is bold, brave and a bull in the China shop. She has deep experience in the advertising business and has been ruffling the feathers of the status quo for a long time...
2022-08-2945 min
Own ItHow Yadira Harrison and Shannon Jones of Verb, Own ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. On this episode, we're talking to two amazing female owners … Yadira Harrison and Shannon Jones of Verb. Both came into the agency world from the entertainment segment. Yadira even worked on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.The two met working at an agency on the AirBnB business. We talked about the organic way they evolved to ownership, the ear...
2022-08-2249 min
Own ItHow Megan Lally of Highdive, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Megan Lally of Highdive. She and her partners spun off Highdive after working at big holding company agencies and saw early success. We talked about that success, the challenges and advantages of being in a partnership as an owner.Megan and I talked a lot about the qualities women bring to the table to ma...
2022-08-1529 min
Own ItHow Maureen Maldari of The BAM Connection, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. Today, we’re talking to Maureen Madari of The BAM Connection. I had the good fortune of getting to know Maureen during a recent gathering of female agency owners in NYC and couldn’t wait to introduce her and her experience with all of you.Maureen grew up the daughter of a boxer and boxing trainer. She explained how her...
2022-08-0841 min
The Businessology ShowHow Female Agency Owners Can Empower Each Other with Christy Hiler and Jean FreemanThere are 20,000 agencies across the U.S. right now. Less than 200 are female-owned. After joining this small group, Christy Hiler and Jean Freeman decided it was time to make some moves to increase that number. They created https://untilyouownit.com/ to first get an accurate head count of female-led agencies and provide support for females looking to purchase or start their own agency. They talk with Jason about why woman-owned agencies are so few and far between, how we can change that, and why we need more in this country. This episode is obviously such an important topic, and we're...
2022-06-1528 min
Own ItHow Libby Brockhoff of Odysseus Arms, Owns ItWelcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and today I’m talking to Libby Brockhoff from Odysseus Arms. Her path to ownership is as interesting as they come. She started as an intern for James Patterson when he was still in advertising. She worked at some of the biggest named agencies in the world, and worked around the world. She co-founded Mother, then wi...
2022-06-1452 min
Own ItHow Mira Kaddoura of Red & Co., Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and today I’m talking to Mira Kaddoura, the amazing and inspiring owner of Red & Co. Mira not only has the unique perspective of coming to America as an immigrant from the Arab world, but operating an agency with offices globally. We talk about the differences in how women work and are received both in...
2022-06-0638 min
Build a Better Agency PodcastEmpowering women as agency owners with Christy HilerWomen own less than 1% of the ad agencies in North America. This gender gap is disappointing and staggering, but in this episode of Build a Better Agency, our guest expert Christy Hiler reminds us that bridging that gap is far from impossible. During our conversation, Christy helps us unravel this alarming statistic by exploring the barriers that may be keeping the women we lead and work with from pursuing ownership roles or viewing ownership, not just leadership, as an end goal in the first place. In addition to discussing the things that may be holding women back...
2022-05-2353 min
Own ItHow Lyn Rundell, Retired CEO of Hero Marketing, Owns ItHi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time. I’m Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett and in this episode, I’m talking to Lyn Rundell, the co-founder and retired CEO of HERO Marketing. Lyn not only shares her path to ownership and perspective on helping close the gap for women owners, but shares some amazing wisdom on succession planning for those that are, or will be, agency owners one day...
2022-05-0248 min
Own ItHow Kat Gordon of the 3% Movement Owns ItOn this episode of Own It, Christy Hiler talks to Kat Gordon, founder of The 3% Movement. She has spent the last 10 years championing female creative talent and leadership. She’s been called a triple threat; entrepreneur, ad woman and marketing to women expert. We encourage you to connect with Kat on LinkedIn and follow the great work of the 3% Movement.Also, join us in our celebration of women and non-binary ad agency owners by rating and sharing this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you or som...
2022-03-2740 min
Own ItHow Susan Lee Colby & Kathy Sjogren, Co-Owners of Grace Creative, Own ItIn this episode of Own It, Christy Hiler talks to Susan Lee Colby and Kathy Sjogren, co-owners of Grace Creative in Los Angeles. It is the only women-owned marketing and advertising agency focused on women over 50. We encourage you to connect with both of these incredible owners on LinkedIn and check out the some of the brilliant work their agency Grace Creative has done. Especially their Girls Gone 50 blog, It is so good. Also, join us in our celebration of women and non-binary ad agency owners by rating and sharing this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Au...
2022-03-2739 min
Own ItHow Jean Freeman, Owner and CEO of Zambezi Owns ItOn the first episode of Own It, Christy Hiler talks to Jean Freeman, the owner and CEO of Zambezi, the largest female-owned full service agency in America. We encourage you to connect with Jean on LinkedIn and go check out the some of the really incredible work her agency Zambezi has created, our favorite is Rotten Apples. Also, join us in our celebration of women and non-binary ad agency owners by rating and sharing this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.If you or someone you know is a...
2022-03-2753 min