Shows
Special SauceMike Romoff, Chief Revenue Officer at RedditMike Romoff has built a career at the crossroads of community, technology, and commercial leadership — from early roles in ad tech and publishing to senior positions at LinkedIn and now Reddit, where he serves as Chief Revenue Officer. Known for his eclectic style and systems-driven mind, Mike has made a career out of bringing order to complexity.Mike joins the podcast to talk about his spirituality, a recent meeting with the Dalai Lama, and how raising a neurodiverse child reshaped his understanding of success, compassion and purpose. He and Jordan discuss the power of Re...
2025-12-1536 min
Special SauceJanet Balis, Managing Director & Partner at BCGJanet Balis has spent her career at the intersection of media, marketing, and transformation — from Time Warner and AOL to Martha Stewart Living, EY, and now BCG. A connector of people and ideas, she has helped shape how companies adapt to disruption, and how leaders think about influence, innovation, and purpose.Janet joins the podcast to talk about how AI mirrors the early days of digital, and why asking the right questions is more important than having the answers. She also opens up about friendship, resilience, and her long-running commitment to Cycle for Survival, th...
2025-12-0142 min
Special SauceSeb Tomich, Chief Commercial Officer at The AthleticSeb Tomich has helped redefine how legacy media evolves for the digital era. After early hustles selling Patagonia jackets in Boulder and sunglasses in New York, he found his footing at Forbes under the mentorship of Meredith Kopit Levien — who would later bring him to The New York Times, where he spent more than a decade driving digital transformation, building T Brand Studio, and shaping the company’s pivot from print to digital.Now as Chief Commercial Officer of The Athletic, Seb is leading the next evolution of sports media. He joins Jordan to talk...
2025-11-1740 min
Special SauceJacki Kelley, Chief Client & Business Officer at IPGJacki Kelley’s career spans the full breadth of modern media — from the circulation department at USA Today to leadership roles at Yahoo, Martha Stewart, Bloomberg, Dentsu, and now Interpublic Group. Raised on a Colorado ranch, she learned early the values of discipline, empathy, and hard work that would define her approach to business and life.Jacki joins the podcast to talk about what it means to “become a beginner again,” the mentors who shaped her path, and her belief that “the quality of our relationships remains the most valued measure of our success.” She shares l...
2025-11-0340 min
Special SauceRob Norman, Former Chief Digital Officer at GroupMRob Norman has spent decades helping to define the modern media industry. Starting as a media assistant in London, he rose to lead GroupM North America and later, as it's Global Chief Digital Officer, he traveled the world helping clients drive innovation during the rise of social, mobile and auction-based media. All along the way, he has helped shape the careers of many of today's industry leaders.Rob joins the podcast to talk about the genesis of holding companies and the difference between power and influence. He and Jordan discuss Rob's approach to mentoring...
2025-10-2051 min
Special SauceAbbey Klaassen, Global Brand President at Dentsu CreativeAbbey Klaassen is the Global Brand President at Dentsu Creative, where she leads thousands of creative professionals around the world. Earlier in her career, she was at Advertising Age, where she rose from reporter to editor and associate publisher, before making the leap to the agency side at 360i.Abbey joins the podcast to talk about the risks of leaving journalism for advertising, what she learned from running new business pitches, which jobs she thinks she was not ready for when she got them, and why she believes AI can expand creativity as opposed...
2025-10-0644 min
Special SaucePenry Price, Long-Time Media Executive at Google and LinkedInPenry Price is a media and technology leader whose career has spanned publishing, ad tech, and some of the world’s most influential platforms. He’s held leadership roles at Rolling Stone, Us Weekly, Google, and LinkedIn, where he served as VP of Marketing Solutions for nearly a decade.Penry joins the podcast to talk about growing up in a Mad Men household, his family’s 800-person reunion, and what it was like to help Google and LinkedIn build multi-billion dollar ad businesses.He and Jordan discuss the influences of Tim...
2025-09-2259 min
Special SauceSarah Personette, CEO at PuckSarah Personette is a media industry leader who has worked at some of the most well known media brands over time: Facebook, Twitter, Starcom, Universal McCann and Refinery29.She is now the CEO at Puck, the media company covering the intersecting worlds of Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Washington and Wall Street.Sarah joins the podcast to talk about her bold career ambitions growing up, how agencies provide the opportunity to emerging talent to lead teams at a young age, and what UM saw in her to make her their U...
2025-09-0847 min
Special SauceLee Brown, Global Head of Advertising at SpotifyLee Brown has been the Global Head of Advertising at Spotify for the last 5 years. Before that, he held senior revenue positions at Buzzfeed, Tumblr, Groupon, and Yahoo! He's been a leader at the largest digital properties, companies innovating in commerce and culture, and has done so with an energy and curiosity that's hard to match. Lee joins the podcast to talk about growing up in Kentucky, the experience of being the youngest child, the oldest child, and an only child — all in the space of one lifetime (it's true!), and his need to mak...
2025-07-0750 min
Special SauceGurman Hundal, Co-Founder and CEO at MiQGurman Hundal leads MiQ, a programmatic media company that is beloved in the ad tech industry by its clients and partners. He started MiQ with his partner Lee Puri 15 years ago and the pair have since grown the business to 1,500 employees around the world.Gurman joins the podcast to talk about why he believes in operating with a long-term mindset, the reason he never took venture capital, the philosophy of "sell or be sold" that helps him and Lee make big decisions, and why he has no desire to ever have "an exit."
2025-06-2337 min
Special SauceRobert Mads Anderson, Long Time Ad Creative & Legendary MountaineerRobert 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...
2025-06-0249 min
Special SauceJoy Robins, Chief Advertising Officer at The New York TimesJoy 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...
2025-05-1940 min
Special SauceJill Kelly, CEO of North America at AssemblyJill 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...
2025-05-0542 min
Special SauceMatt Derella, VP, Marketing Solutions at LinkedInMatt 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...
2025-04-2145 min
Special SauceJack Myers, The Original Media InfluencerJack 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...
2025-04-0736 min
Special SauceSuzie Reider, EVP at LyftSuzie 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...
2025-03-2440 min
Special SauceRich Lehrfeld, GM at Walmart ConnectRich 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...
2025-03-0342 min
Special SauceLisa Sherman, CEO at The Ad CouncilLisa 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...
2025-02-1736 min
Special SauceJeremi Gorman, Leader at Amazon, Snap, Netflix and FanaticsJeremi Gorman loves to be "at the beginning" of things. She helped plant the seeds and grow the ad businesses of both Amazon and Netflix. The former was in its very early days when she arrived and is now the 3rd largest media company in the world. The latter is still in its relative infancy, but won't be for long. She joins Special Sauce to share the reason she moved from marketing to sales early in her career (it's not what you might think), the challenges that come along with being a woman in board rooms, and what drives...
2025-02-0354 min
Special SauceRyan Barwick, Senior Reporter at Morning BrewRyan 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.
2025-01-2042 min
Special SauceLos Angeles Fires: A Brief MessageWith the Los Angeles wildfires still raging, we're using this episode to share a brief story about our next guest and suggest a worthy cause in need of donations. That cause is the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which is raising money to buy emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks and wildland brush tools to support firefighters on the ground. As these current fires get contained, new ones will surely follow — and this cause is meant to help today and tomorrow. If you have the means and the desire to help out, please visit supportlafd.org/give or text LAFD to...
2025-01-1301 min
Special SauceEric Berry, Co-Founder and Former CEO at TripleLiftEric Berry has been a founder of companies in two disruptive categories: advertising technology and healthcare technology. He started TripleLift, the ad tech company he eventually sold for $1.4B, when he had just two years of industry experience. Eric joins Jordan to talk about why he moved from law to advertising, how the intuition of a founder is critical early on in the life of a company, and the importance of building the pipes of a company in order to make it successful. He tells a Dad joke to kick things off and ends by revealing who he thinks...
2024-12-3045 min
Special SaucePeter Naylor, Digital Media PioneerPeter Naylor has been one of the most respected names in digital media since...the beginning of digital media. With stints at Lycos, iVillage, NBC, Hulu, Snap and Netflix, he has helped create and shape some of the most important platforms in each era of internet advertising - from web to online video to mobile to streaming. Peter joins the podcast to discuss his style of servant leadership, his belief that "readers are leaders," and the importance of being multilingual (professionally speaking) in business. Jordan dives deep into trying to understand Peter's likeability and how that might drive him...
2024-12-1632 min
Special SauceHeather Freeland, Chief Brand Officer at AdobeHeather Freeland has held senior level marketing jobs in Silicon Valley for over a decade, with roles at Facebook, Lyft and Adobe. Prior to moving out west, she was a New Yorker having worked at MTV, Gilt Groupe and the marketing services company, Digitas. Heather joins to talk about the challenge of marketing to marketers, how working for Sheryl Sandberg taught her to be a better listener, and what she learned working with American Express. She also shares a valuable lesson from her Great Aunt Tootie.
2024-12-0239 min
Special SauceCarl Fremont, CEO of Quigley Simpson; MentorCarl Fremont is a long time veteran of advertising agencies. He's also my mentor. Ask anyone who has known him closely over the years and they will tell you that he's been a mentor or advisor to them as well. He joins the podcast to talk about what he's gained by staying at companies for long stretches, and then what he looks for - and advises others to look for - when seeking a new job. He shares the family story that drives his positive outlook on life and how that story motivates him in his career. Carl and...
2024-11-1836 min
Special SauceLisa Caputo, Chief Marketing, Comms & Customer Experience Officer at TravelersLisa Caputo has worked in the c-suite of some of America's largest companies for over two decades. Prior to her career in the business world, she served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and later in The White House. Lisa shares how she came to know and work with Hillary Clinton, what her relationship with Hillary has meant to each of them over time, and what it's like to work in one of the most famous buildings in the world. She and Jordan discuss what goes into changing the name and brand of a giant financial services company...
2024-11-0441 min
Special SauceLisa Caputo, Chief Marketing, Comms & Customer Experience Officer at TravelersLisa Caputo has worked in the c-suite of some of America's largest companies for over two decades. Prior to her career in the business world, she served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill and later in The White House. Lisa shares how she came to know and work with Hillary Clinton, what her relationship with Hillary has meant to each of them over time, and what it's like to work in one of the most famous buildings in the world. She and Jordan discuss what goes into changing the name and brand of a giant financial services company...
2024-11-0441 min
Special SauceWenda Harris Millard, Board Member and Digital OGWenda Harris Millard is a true digital pioneer. Over her career, she has held game changing roles at companies including DoubleClick, Yahoo! and MediaLink. Wenda joins Special Sauce to discuss her early career and the formative experiences she had building organizations. She shares that she started her first business when she was just 9 years old, and got paid to write articles as a young woman for magazines like Seventeen. Wenda and Jordan discuss the value of leading with empathy, her nose for talent, how she consciously set out to (re)build the best media sales team in the world...
2024-10-2145 min
Special SauceJohn McCarus, Founder & Co-Creator of The NewFrontsJohn McCarus is the founder and co-creator of The NewFronts, the multi-week event each Spring featuring dozens of digital content companies and serving as a counterbalance to the television upfronts. He is also the operator of Content Ink, an executive recruiting, coaching and advisory practice that has worked with companies from MrBeast to TikTok. John and Jordan tap into their partnership in building The NewFronts as a framework to discussing what makes for a successful working relationship. They talk about how to use an event to tell a story, why working alongside people with different skill sets leads to...
2024-10-1436 min
Special SauceDavid Kenny, Executive Chairman at NielsenDavid Kenny's career has spanned media & marketing (as CEO of Digitas, The Weather Company and Nielsen), technology (Akamai and IBM) and the boardroom (Best Buy, Yahoo!, and Teach For America). He joins Special Sauce to talk about what he learned at "The West Point of the Automobile Industry," the pride he takes in the list of his employees who have gone on to become CEOs, and how to be a leader at companies both large and small. David and Jordan discuss what leaders should think about in order to successfully leverage AI and why he and his team at...
2024-10-0736 min
Special SauceSarah Hofstetter, President at Profitero and Board Member at The Campbell Soup CompanySarah Hofstetter is a long time ad agency executive, public company board member and podcaster (check out "Brave Commerce"). She talks about the career journey that landed her at ad agencies, her early ground-breaking efforts in social media on clients like HGTV and Oreo, and how she prioritizes being a mentor. Sarah and Jordan discuss what past innovations in search, social and mobile can teach us about today's evolutions in retail media, and they realize that they threw themselves similar 50th birthday parties, albeit with different themes (hint: one was super spirited, the other a little bit rock n...
2024-09-3045 min
Special SauceMichael Kassan, Founder of 3C VenturesMichael Kassan is the Founder of 3C Ventures, his follow-up to MediaLink, the legendary company he founded 20 years ago and left this past Spring. He shares how he operates "in the middle" of our industry and how a tagline from an old west coast telephone company inspired his professional credo. Michael and Jordan discuss the power of having strong relationships in business, the people Michael has met who have intimidated him, what characteristics impress him in other people, and the number of nights each year he gets to sleep in his own bed.
2024-09-2343 min
Special SauceMarla Kaplowitz, CEO at The 4A'sMarla Kaplowitz is the CEO of The 4A's. She joins Special Sauce to talk about the difference between running an ad agency and being charged with helping raise the fortunes of ALL of them. Marla and Jordan talk about how agencies are tackling AI, what burning issues she needed to address as she came into The 4A's, and why she's about to walk away from that job 8 years later. She also shares her thoughts about coming up through media departments and gives advice to young people just starting out.
2024-09-1645 min
Special SauceChristine Cook, Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg MediaChristine Cook is the Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg Media. Christine joins Special Sauce to reminisce about her post-college job as a high school teacher in Louisiana and how she lived on $1 pizza slices when she first moved to New York. She shares her thoughts on how having a well rounded career is critical for success, how the role of a CRO needs to change based on what's happening in the business and why it's helpful to be the same person at the office and on the weekends.
2024-09-0944 min
Special SauceJennifer Lotito, President & Chief Operating Officer at (RED)Jennifer Lotito is the President and Chief Operating Officer of (RED), the organization that has worked with the worlds largest brands to generate over $750 million to fight HIV/AIDS. If you've seen a red iPhone, you've seen the work of Jennifer and her team. She joins Special Sauce to talk about the mission of (RED), what she has learned from her co-founders Bono and Bobby Shriver, and how she works with major brands to bring them onboard. Jennifer and Jordan talk about what they got out of working at advertising agencies early in their careers and how the thrill...
2024-09-0946 minSpecial SauceIntroduction to Special SauceSpecial Sauce is here. Our first episode will be our shortest. In less than 4 minutes, we'll tell you everything you'll need to know. Like: why this podcast exists and why you should listen.
2024-08-0504 min
Live Wire with Luke Burbank"Reality Check" with Kristina Wong, Mark Bitterman, Sean Jordan and Esmé PattersonComic Kristina Wong fills Luke in on the virtues of live-streaming a first date, Mark Bitterman explains what bitters can do for your holiday cocktails, comic Sean Jordan offers up the sickest burn to his dad ever, and Esmé Patterson's lilting voice warms up your winter.
2016-01-0153 min