The BroxtenDigital Show

Broxten Davis
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The BroxtenDigital show focuses on the advertising and marketing industries, representing a resource for young professionals and students in the industry to learn from some of the best already doing it! Host Broxten Davis interviews some of the best & brightest in advertising and marketing, sharing the key tips and secret hacks that will skyrocket your career, straight from the Directors, Vice Presidents, Presidents, and C-Suites who have already done it.

  1. 4 Sept

    A Media VP On How To Get Into The Advertising Industry

    How to get into the advertising industry, from a media VP who taught 8,000 students which ones make it: resume, informational meetings, certs. Julie Beaty sold media for 26 years at Leo Burnett, BET, Viacom, Oxygen, Xandr and iHeartMedia, walked away from a VP title, and has since taught somewhere north of 8,000 advertising students at Michigan State. She was also my professor. Most guests can tell you the one story of how they broke in. Julie has watched thousands of people try it from the front of the room, so she can describe the pattern instead. That is what makes this the most tactical episode I have made. She walks through how to get a human being to actually look at your resume, the exact way to ask for an informational meeting so nobody can tell you they are not hiring, what she calls the student superpower and the point at which it expires, how to use AI on your resume without lying, and the thing an EVP at NBCU told her separated the people they hired from the people they did not. The other half is her own career, and it is not a straight line. She put in two and a half years at a job she hated. She taught a software class without ever opening the software. She moved to LA for a sales role having never worked in sales. Her whole thesis is that you say yes before you feel ready, and she has the receipts. FREE: The Student Superpower Playbook. Julie's four plays for getting hired before you are qualified, on one page. https://playbooks.broxtendigital.com/student-superpower Watch next: Breaking Into Advertising: What A Chief Creative Officer Screens For https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNNLgaNTxok Connect with Julie Beaty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliehaynesbeaty/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Failed to mention: Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing. #AdvertisingIndustry

  2. 21 Aug

    Breaking Into Advertising: What A Chief Creative Officer Screens For

    Eric Levin runs creative at Publicis Media. He got there by walking into rooms he was not qualified for, which is exactly why I wanted him to talk about breaking into advertising with no experience. He is a Michigan State grad who did not take a marketing class until his third year. Started in movie marketing, opened an office in Chicago, went brand side for a bit, then got handed a digital media team at a time when he admits he knew nothing about media. That is the story I wanted, and it is the one most people breaking into advertising need to hear. If you are trying to break into advertising or marketing and you have been told you are not the creative one, this episode is for you. We get into what "creative" actually means now that the job has split into ten different versions of itself, what he screens for when a candidate has almost no experience, why he wants junior people to push back in the room, and what he learned from a run of genuinely terrible bosses. He's willing to talk about getting fired, which is something senior people almost never say publicly. After that, we get into the future of the creator economy. He thinks the easy phone and ring light version of it is played out, and he says the next wave of creators are already becoming networks, producers and film moguls. I think he is right. FREE: The No-Experience Playbook Everything Eric said about getting hired before you are qualified, written up as a one-page plan you can actually work through. https://playbooks.broxtendigital.com/no-experience CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Eric Levin, chief creative officer at Publicis Media 1:20 MSU, and the marketing class that changed everything 3:45 What he actually screens for in new grads 6:58 Why they want your opinion on the brand 7:43 "I always said I'm not a creative" 8:57 What creative really means now 12:27 How to find your way into advertising 14:45 Your passion outside work matters 16:17 Movie marketing, Chicago, and the long route 20:24 Bad bosses, and getting fired 24:40 Chasing the shiny object 29:02 The ring light era and the shill problem 31:46 Creators as networks, moguls and producers 35:04 The campaigns he loves right now 39:00 What he'd tell his 23-year-old self 40:22 "Let's make better mistakes tomorrow" 41:05 Rapid fire: cars, pizza, bagels and campus Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing. Connect with Eric Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericlevin11/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow #BreakingIntoAdvertising #AdvertisingPodcast #MarketingCareer #YoungProfessionals #DigitalMarketingPodcast

  3. 31 Jul

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 24: Chris Greene

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow Chris Greene is YoPro's founder and an ex agency VP with 25+ years across IPG and Omnicom. He noticed the gap between college and the first job two years ago, so he interviewed 35 parents and students along with 25 entry-level recruiters to see where young professionals were really struggling. Next, he built a coaching program based on what he uncovered. 85 YoPros have been through it, and 90%+ have landed jobs from it. We get into the stuff nobody teaches you: why the average young-professional resume has two or three typos in it, what a recruiter really hears when you say you're collaborative and hardworking, why applying through the portals can wipe you out across every job at once, the networking email length that gets replies, and the five jobs he steers students toward that build more real skill than most internships. If you are a student or young pro trying to break into marketing and advertising, this one is a playbook. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:26 What YoPro is and the gap it fills 3:12 Inside the program: pitch, resume, interview 7:23 The networking email that gets replies 8:27 Why the portals reject you 10:41 New business: what agency pitching looks like 16:19 The skill he had to learn (warmth, not competency) 19:12 Why the path is a jungle gym, not a ladder 23:17 When to jump agencies, and boomeranging 29:25 What his Gen Z research actually found 32:31 Five generations in one workplace 36:14 The five jobs that build real skills 39:38 Follow up: send the fifth email 43:51 The one question that got a client hired 45:46 Rapid-fire value 51:27 How to connect with Chris Connect with Chris Greene: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-a-greene/ Learn more about YoPro: https://www.theyopro.com/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

  4. 24 Jul

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 23: Michael Kraft

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow Michael Kraft is the VP of Business Development & Strategy at MVP Collaborative, and he brings 30+ years across some of the biggest names in Detroit advertising: Campbell-Ewald, Chrysler brand work, research at General Motors, and now experiential marketing at one of the top agencies in Detroit. This episode is packed with actionable advice for students and young professionals trying to get into advertising and marketing. We get into the marketing jobs nobody tells you exist, why relationships beat cold outreach every single time, how he wins new business on day one, and the simple career move that costs nothing: show up and do not sit in the back. If you're early in your career and want to understand how this industry actually works, this conversation is packed with real experience. Michael is one of the best and brightest in the game, and this episode is all about turning industry icons like him into your peers. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:33 The marketing jobs college never shows you 4:19 His first job out of college (account planning on Chrysler) 9:00 What experiential marketing actually is 12:34 How he wins new business: relationships over cold outreach 28:03 Bringing ideas to the table early in your career 38:18 Where AI is taking advertising 46:59 Rapid-fire value (and the best pizza in Detroit) 54:22 Show up: do not sit in the back 61:12 How to connect with Michael Connect with Michael Kraft: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraftdet/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

  5. 17 Jul

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 22: Matty May

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ Everyone tells students that if you don't land the big internship, you're already behind. Matty May built a 20-plus year career at Paramount, and she says that idea is exactly the wrong way to think about breaking in. This episode is her real playbook for starting a career in media: she's a VP of Convergent Ad Sales, a Michigan State advertising grad, and a certified leadership coach, and she has spent decades watching what actually separates the people who make it. We get into how a marketing degree turns into a career when you stop waiting for permission and start creating your own experience. This is for students and young marketers who keep hearing that it's internship or bust and feel stuck when the "perfect" opportunity doesn't show up. Matty breaks down the mistake most people make in the job hunt, why smaller organizations can teach you more and faster than the big names, and how volunteering and freelancing (especially if you know how to work the socials) turn into the network and the resume nobody else has. She gets into her own MSU story, what ComArtSci and its professors do differently, why she pours so much back into students, and what her actual day job pitching convergent ad deals at Paramount looks like. We get into the leadership coaching angle, reframing setbacks, staying adaptable as the industry shifts around you, and why real AI fluency right now is one of the fastest ways to stand out. Here's what I keep thinking about: you start your career as a nobody, then if you keep grinding and adding wins, one day you wake up in a VP seat. You don't have to wait for the title to start building this skill. Give it a watch and let me know which piece of advice you're actually going to take action on. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: Two Spartans, One Show 1:30 The Biggest Job-Hunt Mistake Students Make 3:45 Why Smaller Organizations Beat the "Dream" Internship 5:10 Freelance and Volunteer Your Way to Experience 8:40 What MSU ComArtSci Does Differently 11:20 Professors Who Actually Lived the Career 13:30 Why She Pours Back Into Students 16:45 Inside Her Day Job: Convergent Ad Sales at Paramount 19:20 How to Network the Right Way 24:30 The Coaching Side and Reframing Setbacks 29:40 What Inspired Her to Start Coaching 33:30 Selling Big Deals Without Losing Yourself 40:00 Staying Adaptable as the Industry Shifts 42:40 Cannes and Learning AI on the Job 46:30 Why AI Fluency Is Your Career Edge 50:20 Rapid Fire: Pizza, People to Follow, and MSU Love 55:30 Final Thoughts and Go Green, Go White Connect with Matty May: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matty-may-pcc-3407871/ Mentioned in this episode: - Evan Shapiro, media cartographer, a great free follow to understand where the industry is headed - Matthew Belloni and The Town podcast for the business behind media and entertainment Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

  6. 10 Jul

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 21: John Vehlewald

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ I see performance marketing brought up everywhere but almost never actually explained, so I got someone who ran it at scale. This episode is John Vehlewald's full story: MSU advertising student to VP of Marketing at Rocket, and how he built a marketing career along the way. He got his foot in before LinkedIn was even a thing, printed out resumes and applied through Monster, started in sales, and just kept stacking one opportunity on top of the next until he was running marketing for one of Detroit's biggest names. If you are trying to figure out how a marketing degree turns into an actual career, John has the blueprint. This is for students and young marketers who keep hearing 'performance marketing' and want to know what it actually means and how to get into the space. John zeros in on the part people skip over: at the end of the day, it's always about spending money and pulling in more than you put in. The channels shift. The tools change. The math doesn't. We get into why starting in sales toughens you up, why a big company or agency is a great first move, how he built his brand on LinkedIn without complaining into the void, why the relationships you make early pay you back a decade later, and how to actually start learning AI instead of just slapping "AI expert" on your profile. The one that stuck with me: when John hires, he is not looking for the person with the perfect resume, he is looking for the curious one who digs deeper and asks the next question. That is the skill you can start building today, for free, before anyone gives you the title. Give it a look and let me know which advice you're actually going to take action on. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: Meeting a Fellow Spartan 1:26 From MSU Advertising Grad to Rocket VP 2:51 Breaking In Before LinkedIn Existed 4:15 Why Starting in Sales Toughens You Up 6:22 Landing at Quicken and Getting Noticed 11:29 Performance Marketing, Actually Explained 15:33 The Fundamentals That Never Change 16:08 Learn by Doing and Just Ask for Help 17:30 Networking Your Way Into the Industry 18:50 Big Company vs Small: Where to Start 23:36 Building Your Brand on LinkedIn 25:56 Standing Out in a Brutal Job Market 28:49 Why Relationships Pay Off Years Later 30:54 Getting Into AI Without the Hype 35:03 What He Looks For When Hiring 37:11 Spartan Talk and Favorite MSU Spots 39:17 How to Actually Start Learning AI Today 42:43 John's Open Offer to Listeners 46:11 Final Thoughts Connect with John Vehlewald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnveh/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

  7. 3 Jul

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 20: Avin Narsimhan

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ Avin Narasimhan is the Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Media, and his career is the kind you point to when someone tells you the path is a straight line. It wasn't. He quit his first job with no backup plan, printed off resumes and went door to door before LinkedIn even existed, cold emailed his way in, and built one of the most respected strategy careers in the business from there. RGA on MasterCard, rebuilding comms planning at PHD, seven years up to Chief Strategy Officer, and on from there. This episode is how he did it, and what he'd tell you if you're trying to break in right now. I wanted to make this one for anyone staring at the scary headlines about AI and entry-level jobs and wondering if there's still a way in. Avin graduated right before the Great Recession, so he has lived the version of this that was equally scary, if not worse, and his answer is the most reassuring thing I have heard on the show. We get into why the industry needs your perspective more than ever, why a point of view is the real thing that gets you hired when everyone has the same degree, the reason curiosity is the one skill nobody can teach you, why you should always take the call, and how guarding every relationship pays you back a decade later. The one that stuck: never stop acting like you're three. A three year old asks 300 to 400 questions a day, and by the time we hit six, school beats it out of us. Avin thinks holding onto that is what makes a great strategist. I think it's what makes a great anything. Give it a watch and tell me which piece of his advice you're actually going to use. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:54 Marketing in the bloodline 2:34 The professor who pointed him to advertising 5:01 Quitting without a job to break in 9:52 Seeing what great strategy really looked like 10:13 The leap to PHD that became his best decision 16:36 Breaking in when the headlines are scary 18:18 Why the industry needs your perspective 21:45 A point of view is what gets you hired 23:01 Why senior people actually want to help you 25:54 Advice for your first few years 29:40 Guard every relationship 32:22 Always take the call 35:40 The one thing they can't teach: curiosity 52:13 The hard skill that still matters: storytelling 56:29 What he's driving now 57:55 Rapid-fire: who to follow 62:57 Advice to his 22-year-old self 64:04 Final thoughts Connect with Avin Narasimhan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinnarasimhan/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

  8. 26 Jun

    The BroxtenDigital Show - Episode 19: Kevin Mangini

    Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/broxten-davis Follow the show on Instagram for more daily value and insights: https://www.instagram.com/thebroxtendigitalshow/ Kevin Mangini's done marketing work at Warner Bros. Records, MTV, and FXX, helped NewsNation find its footing as a national news network, and then hit the world record for higher-ed fundraising using the same approach. He's done a bit of everything you can do in this business. This episode is about how he pulled it off. I wanted to make this one for anyone who has ever been told to pick a lane and stay in it. Kevin is proof that the lanes are way more open than they look, as long as you know how to market. We get into the actual decisions that let him jump from record labels to cable to news, why he took a job for half the pay at 29 to get into the right lane, how to pitch an idea in a room full of egos, and why he thinks storytelling and owning your own career story are the skills that matter most for our generation. Learned a ton from this one. I really believe you're the guardian of your own story, which is why you need to start documenting it. Give it a view and let me know what hit you the most. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:03 Breaking in: record labels and a leap of faith 3:46 MTV at the center of youth culture 6:45 The Jackass x Nintendo safari stunt 8:10 Learning the craft inside an ad agency 9:09 WGN America becomes NewsNation 13:30 Take the right lane, not the raise 26:37 The Simpsons marathon that broke cable 31:16 Why giving back compounds your career 36:26 Going independent after nine years 42:08 Rapid-fire value segment 44:12 You are the guardian of your story 49:24 Advice to his 22-year-old self 51:49 Final thoughts Connect with Kevin Mangini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmangini/ Subscribe to get more actionable advice from the best in advertising & marketing! #DigitalMarketingPodcast #AdvertisingPodcast #YoungProfessionals #MarketingPodcast

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About

The BroxtenDigital show focuses on the advertising and marketing industries, representing a resource for young professionals and students in the industry to learn from some of the best already doing it! Host Broxten Davis interviews some of the best & brightest in advertising and marketing, sharing the key tips and secret hacks that will skyrocket your career, straight from the Directors, Vice Presidents, Presidents, and C-Suites who have already done it.

Information

  • Creator
    Broxten Davis
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Broxten Davis
  • Show Website
    The BroxtenDigital Show